The American Child by Elizabeth McCracken
page 38 of 136 (27%)
page 38 of 136 (27%)
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pleasure in playing with him.
The children cordially welcome us to their games. They ask us to be children with them. As heartily, they would have us bespeak their company in our games; they are willing to try to be grown-up with us. I was visiting a family recently, in which there is but one small child, a boy of eight. One evening we were acting charades. Divided into camps, we chose words in turn, and in turn were chosen to superintend the "acting-out" of the particular word. It happened that the word "Psychical-research," and the turn of the eight-year-old boy to be stage-manager coincided. Every one in his camp laughed, but no one so much as remotely suggested that the word or the stage-manager be changed. "What does it mean, 'Psychical-research'?" the boy made question. We laughed still more, but we genuinely tried to make the term comprehensible to the child's mind. This led to such prolonged and lively argument that the little stage- manager finally observed: "I don't see how it _can_ mean _all_ that all of you say. Can't we let the whole-word act of it go, and act out the rest? We can, you know--'Sigh,' 'kick,' 'all'; and 're' (like in music, you know), and 'search!'" "Oh, no," we demurred; "we must do it properly, or not at all!" "Well, then," said the boy, in a quaintly resigned tone of voice, "talk to me about it, until I know what it is!" |
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