person, he feels himself lost. He cannot be left alone, and yet cannot
enjoy the society he craves. He grows more and more restless,
dominating the whole situation more and more, constantly plucking at
his nurse's skirts, perversely refusing every new sensation that is
offered him to still his restlessness for a moment. The result of all
this stimulation is mental irritability and exhaustion, which in turn
is often the direct cause of refusal of food, dyspepsia, wakefulness,
and excessive crying.

The devices by which children will attract to themselves the
attention of their elders, and which, if successful, are repeated with
an almost insane persistence, take on the most varied forms. Sometimes
the child persistently makes use of an expression, or asks questions,
which produce a pleasant stir of shocked surprise and renewed reproofs
and expostulations. One little boy shouted the word "stomachs" with
unwearied persistence for many weeks together. A little girl dismayed
her parents and continued in spite of all they could do to prevent her
to ask every one if they were about to pass water.

Disorders of conduct of this sort are not really difficult to control.
Suitable punishment will succeed, provided also that the child is
deprived of the sense of satisfaction which he has in the interest
which his conduct excites. His behaviour is only of importance because
it indicates certain faults in his environment and a certain element
of nervous unrest and overstrain.

The young child demands from his environment that it should give him
two things--security and liberty. He must have security from shocks to
his nervous system. It is true that from the greater shocks the
children of the well-to-do are as a rule carefully guarded. No one