Page:Mind (New Series) Volume 15.djvu/200

 186 w. H. WINCH: pations that are most popular during the earlier years of school life. The trades involving a large share of " doing with the hands," "making," as carpentry, engineering, farm- ing, etc., are most sought by the boys, and teaching, dress- making, millinery and housekeeping by the girls.' This result, Mr. Jegi notes, cannot be due to the teaching of manual training or of sewing, for the majority of the children in question do not take either of these, even when they hap- pen to be taught in the schools. Mr. Jegi concludes that ' certainly from the age of twelve years children are making a conscious introspection of their talents, and the teacher cannot afford to neglect this opportunity for good '. Notice- able also is predominance of ' Like it ' as the reason assigned for the favourite occupation, even in America money in- fluencing less than is commonly supposed." 1 Mr. Jegi's investigation is most valuable, though I am a little doubtful of the " conscious introspection of their talents ". Is not the child's real question rather, " What do I like to do?" instead of, "What can I do?" One would hardly have supposed that many young children would be influenced by such a distant consequence as the ultimate possession of money in late adult life. I have, moreover, taken the opportunity of questioning all the men I know whose adult work does really represent a choice of their own made at a mature age. Their youthful desires were very similar to those quoted, and much thank- fulness was shown that their boyish impulses were not allowed to commit them to a career. On a recapitulation theory, I suggest that such facts as these offer no difficulty. Moreover, the conclusions arrived at in the chapters on Art and Language, together with the general psychological analysis of games and their origins, seem to receive an ade- quate interpretation on the Recapitulation theory. Nor is action to be overlooked ; the diffused and uninhibited associ- ated motions which are characteristic of early work recur in the unregulated spontaneities- of play. Perhaps it may be worth while to mention a very large class of activities which are on the border line of the playful and the serious, viz., ceremonial observances. I think, with- out any analysis of particular cases, the statement will be allowed that the explanation of these is realistic, not sym- bolic ; and that much that is quite unmeaning now had once a very real significance. Nor should we in this connexion fail to note how imme- The Child, A. F. Chamberlain, p. 312.