This shows in the fact that at seven years of age sixty-two per cent of the girls and only thirty-one per cent of the boys find ideals among their acquaintances. But the potency of education shows in the seventy-two per cent of the girls who at fifteen find their ideals in historical characters, either past or contemporary. The following papers illustrate the curves in Chart IV:
Girl of twelve: "Washington. Because he went bravely to war."
Girl of twelve: "Julius Cæsar. Because of his bravery and greatness."
Girl of thirteen: "Remenyi. Because my name would become famous all over the world."
Girl of fourteen: "Columbus. Because he discovered America, and his name is wide spread."
Girl of fourteen: "Robinson Crusoe. I like him because he went through many adventures."
Girl of fifteen: "I would most like to resemble William McKinley, because he has such a strong will, and whatever he says that he will do he always does."
Girl of fifteen: "The person whom I should like to resemble if I were a man is Sir Francis Drake. He was a man of action. The reason I should like to resemble him is because he made a great many dangerous journeys around the world."
The tendency shown in Chart IV is best expressed by the following papers.[1] A girl of ten writes:
"I would like to resemble Barbara Fichy (Frietchie). Why? Because she was such a brave lady, and you know that there are not very many brave ladies."
Another girl of thirteen says frankly:
"I believe that I would rather resemble a man than a woman, because the deeds of woman, although sometimes great, selfsacrificing and brave, sink into insignificance when compared with the valorous deeds of man."
In conclusion, we are able to distinguish three marked types of
- ↑ The following recent studies also show the same tendency:
A Preliminary Study of Children's Hopes. J. P. Taylor. In Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of New York, 1895-'96.
Children's Ambitions. Hattie Mason Willard. Studies in Education. Edited by Earl Barnes, vol. i, No. 7.
Mr. Taylor's study finds thirty-eight per cent of the girls wishing to be teachers, twenty-four per cent milliners and dressmakers, eleven per cent clerks and stenographers, three per cent housekeepers, and three quarters of one per cent wives and mothers. Mrs. Willard finds thirty-five and a half per cent of her girls wish to be teachers, eight per cent music teachers, thirty-one per cent milliners and dressmakers, six per cent clerks, typewriters, and bookkeepers, and three per cent housekeepers.
