“The prejudice between nations and races are of course the basic causes of war -- that great scourge of mankind which must be abolished if progress and culture are to be saved. The task for the teacher is to show war in its true light, and not to give the child an easy and cheap opportunity of expressing his superiority striving by playing with guns and swords. This is not the proper preparation for a cultured life. There are many boys who join the army as a result of the military education of childhood; but besides those that join the army there are a hundred times as many who are psychologically crippled for the rest of their life by their childhood warrior games. They always go through life like warriors -- with chips on their shoulders -- and they never learn the art of getting along with their fellow men.
“Around Christmas time and other seasons for toys, parents should especially keep an eye on the type of toys and games that are put into the children’s hands. They should get rid of weapons and war games, as well as of all the books that worship war heroes and deeds of fighting” (p. 200).
Alfred Adler, M.D. (1870-1937), The Education of Children, 1930, 1970, pp. 200-201. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company. Excerpts by Carroll R. Thomas, Ph.D., January 11, 2022.
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