On a basis of 1,400 papers answering the question whom, of anyone ever heard
or read of, they would like to resemble, Barnes[8] found that girls' ideals were
far more often found in the immediate circle of their acquaintance than boys, and
that those within that circle were more often in their own family, but that the
tendency to go outside their personal knowledge and choose historical and
public characters was greatly augmented at puberty, when also the heroes of
philanthropy showed marked gain in prominence. Boys rarely chose women as
their ideals; but in America, half the girls at eight and two-thirds at eighteen
chose male characters. The range of important women ideals among the girls
was surprisingly small. Barnes fears that if from the choice of relative as ideals,
the expansion to remote or world heroes is too fast, it may "lead to disintegration
of character and reckless living." "If, on the other hand, it is expanded too slowly
we shall have that arrested development which makes good ground in which to
grow stupidity, brutality, and drunkenness—the first fruits of a sluggish and self-
contained mind." "No one can consider the regularity with which local ideals die
out and are replaced by world ideals without feeling that he is in the presence of
law-abiding forces," and this emphasizes the fact that the teacher or parent does
not work in a world governed by caprice.
The compositions written by thousands of children in New York on what they
wanted to do when they were grown up were collated by Dr. Thurber.[9] The
replies were serious, and showed that poor children looked forward willingly to
severe labor and the increased earnestness of adolescent years, and the better
answers to the question why were noteworthy. All anticipated giving up the
elastic joyousness of childhood and felt the need of patience. Up to ten, there
was an increase in the number of those who had two or more desires. This
number declined rapidly at eleven, rose as rapidly at twelve, and slowly fell
later. Preferences for a teacher's life exceeded in girls up to nine, fell rapidly at
eleven, increased slightly the next year, and declined thereafter. The ideal of
becoming a dressmaker and milliner increased till ten, fell at eleven, rose rapidly
to a maximum at thirteen, when it eclipsed teaching, and then fell permanently
again. The professions of clerk and stenographer showed a marked rise from
eleven and a half. The number of boys who chose the father's occupation
attained its maximum at nine and its minimum at twelve, with a slight rise to
fourteen, when the survey ended. The ideal of tradesman culminated at eight,
with a second rise at thirteen. The reason "to earn money" reached its high
maximum of fifty per cent at twelve, and fell very rapidly. The reason "because I
like it" culminated at ten and fell steadily thereafter. The motive that influenced
the choice of a profession and which was altruistic toward parents or for their