9. Della and the Dolls
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This book may, perhaps, sometimes fall into the hands of people who have, temporarily or otherwise, the charge of young children without any absolute authority over them, or any means, or even any right—to enforce their commands, as was the case, in fact, with the older brothers or sister referred to in the preceding illustrations. To such people, these indirect modes of training children in habits of subordination to their will, or rather of yielding to their influence, are specially useful. Such people may be interested in the manner in which Della made use of the children's dolls, as a means of guiding and governing their little mothers.
'Della'.
Della had a young sister named Maria—and a cousin whose name was Jane. Jane used often to come to make to a visit Maria—and when together the children were accustomed to spend a great deal of time in playing with their dolls. Besides dressing and undressing them—and playing take them out to excursions and visits, they used to talk with them a great deal—and give them much useful and valuable information and instruction.
Now Della contrived to obtain a great influence and ascendency over the minds of the children by means of these dolls. She fell at once into the idea of the children in regard to them—and treated them always as if they were real people; often speaking of them and to them, in the presence of the other children, in the most serious manner. This not only pleased the children very much—but enabled Della, under pretense of talking to the dolls, to communicate a great deal of useful instruction to the children—and sometimes to make very beneficial and lasting impressions upon their minds.
'Lectures to the Dolls'.
For instance, sometimes when Jane was making a visit to Maria—and the two children came into her room with their dolls in their arms, she would speak to them as if they were real people—and then taking them in her hands would set them before her on her knee—and give them a very serious lecture in respect to the proper behavior which they were to observe during the afternoon. If Della had attempted to give precisely the same lecture to the children themselves, they would very soon have become restless and uneasy—and it would have made very little impression upon them. But being addressed to the dolls, they would be greatly interested in it—and would listen with the utmost attention; and there is no doubt that the counsels and instructions which she gave made a much stronger impression upon their minds than if they had been addressed directly to the children themselves. To give an idea of these conversations I will report one of them in full.
"How do you do, my children?" she said, on one such occasion. "I am very glad to see you. How nice you look! You have come—Josie (Josie was the name of Jane's doll), to make Rosalie a visit. I am very glad. You will have a very pleasant time, I am sure; because you never quarrel. I observe that, when you both wish for the same thing, you don't quarrel for it and try to pull it away from one another; but one waits like a lady until the other has done with it. I expect you have been a very good girl—Josie, since you were here last."
Then, turning to Jane, she asked, in a somewhat altered tone, "Has she been a good girl, Jane?"
"She has been a 'pretty' good girl," said Jane, "but she has been sick."
"Ah!" said Della in a tone of great concern—and looking again at Josie, "I heard that you had been sick. And you don't look very well now. You must take good care of yourself—and if you don't feel well, you must ask your mother to bring you in to me and I will give you a dose of my medicine—my 'aqua saccharina'. I know you always take your medicine like a little heroine when you are sick, without making any difficulty or trouble at all."
'Aqua saccharina' was the Latin name which Della gave to a preparation of which she kept a supply in a small vial on her table, ready to make-believe give to the dolls when they were sick. Maria and Jane were very fond of playing that their dolls were sick and bringing them to Della for medicine, especially as Della always recommended to them to taste the medicine themselves from a spoon first, in order to set their children a good example of taking it well.
Sometimes Della would let the children take the vial away, so as to have it always at hand in case the dolls should be taken suddenly worse. But in such cases as this, the attacks were usually so frequent—and the mothers were obliged to do so much tasting to encourage the patients, that the vial was soon brought back nearly or quite empty, when Della used to replenish it by filling it nearly full of water—and then pouring a sufficient quantity of sugar into the mouth of it from the sugar-bowl with a spoon. Nothing more was necessary except to shake up the mixture in order to facilitate the process of solution—and the medicine was ready.
'A Medium of Reproof.'
Della was accustomed to use the dolls not only for the purpose of instruction—but sometimes for reproof, in many ingenious ways. For instance, one day the children had been playing upon the piazza with blocks and other playthings—and finally had gone into the house, leaving all the things on the floor of the piazza, instead of putting them away in their places, as they ought to have done. They were now playing with their dolls in the parlor.
Della came to the parlor—and with an air of great mystery beckoned the children aside—and said to them, in a whisper, "Leave Josie and Rosalie here—and don't say a word to them. I want you to come with me. There is a secret—something I would not have them know on any account."
So saying, she led the way on tiptoe, followed by the children out of the room—and round by a circuitous route to the piazza.
"There!" said she, pointing to the playthings; "see! all your playthings left out! Put them away quick before Josie and Rosalie see them. I would not have them know that their mothers leave their playthings laying around in that way. They would think that they might leave their playthings laying around too—and that would make you a great deal of trouble. You teach them, I have no doubt, that they must always put their playthings away—and they must see that you set them a good example. Put these playthings all away quick—and carefully—and we will not let them know anything about your leaving them out."
So the children went to work with great alacrity—and put the playthings all away. And this method of treating the case was much more effectual in making them disposed to avoid committing a similar fault another time, than any direct rebukes or expressions of displeasure addressed personally to them would have been.
Besides, a scolding would have made them unhappy. But this method did not make them unhappy at all; it amused and entertained them. If you can lead children to cure themselves of their faults in such a way that they shall have a good time in doing it—there is a double gain.
In due time, by this kind of management—and by other modes conceived and executed in the same spirit, Bella gained so great an ascendency over the children that they were far more ready to conform to her will—and to obey all her directions, than they would have been to submit to the most legitimate authority which was maintained, as such authority too often is, by fault-finding and threats—and without any sympathy to the fancies and feelings which reign over the hearts of the children in the little world in which they live.
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