THE AMERICAN

JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY

Founded by G. STANLEY HALL in 1887.

Vol. X.

OCTOBER, 1898.

No. I.

THE MIGRATORY IMPULSE VS. LOVE OF HOME.

By LINUS W. KLINE, Fellow in Psychology, Clark University.

INTRODUCTION.

The migration of animals and peoples, the wandering of tribes and roving impulse of the individual, have been woven into legends and myths, carved upon stone and written upon parchment, ever since the advent of human thought.

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The predatory advance of the locust,' the measured flight of certain butterflies, the martial like procession of caterpillars and ants have long inspired wonder, superstition and thought, "The human race is more concerned in the movements and migrations of fish than in the question of their permanent abode." To the ancients the flight of birds was a token of prosperity or adversity according to the direction of the flight. If an eagle flew over from left to right or from right to left, the former was regarded a good omen, the latter an evil one. Among the hieroglyphs on the monuments of the Pharoah's are represented wild-goose fowling as these birds were making their annual migrations through the Nile Valley. The prophet Jeremiah in rebuking the seared consciences of the Jews, spoke in this fashion: Yea, the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.

1

5

The folk-lore of many tribes, the beginnings of many great

Figuier: The Insect World. Page 302.

2Couch: Illustrations of Instinct, pp. 145-150.

3 Huber: Ants.

Baird, Spencer F: U. S. Fish Com. Report, 1886, p. 47.

5 Jeremiah 8: 7.

nations in addition to historical facts, consist of migratory legends and myths of wandering.

The tradition of the Hebrew, which tells of their migration into Palestine from the countries across the Euphrates, is substantiated by their tribal name, ibri, i. e., one who has crossed. The Doric traditions of an imigration from Thrace and Macedonia through Epirus into Greece is confirmed by linguistic facts. The legendary account of the migration of Cadmus, leading to the foundation of Thebes, the checkered and wandering life of Æneas, previous to his marriage and settling in Italy, the adventurous and romantic journey of Ulysses from Troy to Ithaca have given to literature its classic wanderers for all time.

All tribes of the Maskoki stock of Indians,' likewise the Washoe around Carson City and Tinne-Appache of New Mexico possess migration legends intermingled with myths and mythic ideas. Many of the 2Polynesian tribes have similar traditions.

In recent times Germany and Austro-Hungary have established stations for observing bird migration. Scientists of Great Britain utilize part of her lighthouse service for collecting data on bird movements. In our own country many men of the weather bureau service have divided their time between observing weather phenomena and collecting data on the flight of birds.

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Several attempts have been made by naturalists and anthropologists to trace out the migrations. of man from his primitive home until he had peopled the whole earth. Journalism has recently given some space to accounts of roving and tramp3 life. Within the past two years some systematic study has been devoted to Truancy, chiefly10 along statistical, sociological and anthropometrieal lines.

The writer was brought face to face with this instinct while in conversation with a few of the beneficiaries of the associated

1 Gatschet, A. S.: A Migratory Legend of the Creeks, p. 218, Phil. 1884.

2 Sittig, Otto: Compulsory Migrations in the Pacific Ocean. Smith. Report, 1895, PP. 519-35.

Sittig Otto: loc. cit.

* Mason, O. F.: Amer. Anthro., Vol. II, No. 3, 1894, Migration and the Food Quest.

5 Brinton, G. D.: Races and People.

6 Müller, Friedrich: Allgemeine Ethnographie.

7 Noble, C. W.: Border Land of Trampdom. Pop Sci. Month, Vol.

L, p. 252.

Flynt, Josiah: Century Vols. XXIV and XXV, 1893. Same author in Atlantic Month. Vol. LXXVII, p. 88.

9 Fifty-ninth Annual Report, Board of Ed. of Mass.

10 Pedagogical Seminary, Vol. V, No. 3, 1898.

charities of Boston. A description of one will suffice, for in respect to this trait they differed but little.

A young man of American parentage who had just recovered from a spell of sickness in a Boston hospital presented himself to the manly department of the association asking for money to purchase a ticket to Springfield, Mass. He seemed very

anxious to get work again and had a strong hope that he could do so were he only in Springfield. He produced evidence showing that he was a skilled workman and had given satisfaction to his employers. It was found that he had come from New York and to New York he had gone from Springfield, Mass., to which latter place he now longed to return, though he had neither home nor relatives in the place. He had paid his respects to each of these four cities within five months. No particular reason could he assign for leaving any one place, except that he thought a change was good for him. After remaining a certain length of time in a place, familiar objects and places became distasteful, even the odors of the shop would haunt him and at times the very sight of shop comrades would appear repulsive. Peace of mind came only by breaking away and entering into the life of a new place. He recognized painfully that it was not the way to provide for a rainy day nor to become a practical citizen.

Says Flynt: "I have known men on the road who were tramping purely and simply because they loved to tramp. They had no appetite for liquor or tobacco, so far as I could find, also were quite out of touch with criminals and their habits; but somehow or other they could not conquer that passion for roving. In a way this type of vagabond is the most pitiful that I have ever known; and yet is the truest type of the genuine voluntary vagrant. To reform him it is necessary to kill his personality, to take away his ambition and this is a task almost superhuman. Even when he is reformed he is a most cast down person."

"Ten years ago four young men of this city took a pedes

1 Flynt, Josiah : Century, Oct., 1885, p. 941.

2 One of over 500 cases taken from Rubrics II and IV. See Syllabus below.

TOPICAL SYLLABI FOR CHILD STUDY.

(Series for Academic Year 1896-7).

III. MIGRATIONS, TRAMPS, TRUANCY, RUNNING AWAY, ETC.,

vs. LOVE OF HOME.

I. Consider whether you know any small child with a propensity to run away; and if so describe the circumstances-why, when, where it went, whether alone, and planned, or impulsively, and all the details and incidents of each case; its adventures, how it was found,

trian trip to the Delaware Water Gap. They were all of good families and of excellent habits. On returning home three of them resumed their every-day life, but F., who was about twenty years old, after staying home several days disappeared and did not return for several weeks. When he came back he told the alarmed family that he had been on another tramp. Since that time he has been all over the United States working only when he could not obtain food or lodging otherwise. He returns home at intervals but stays only for a few days, and does not appear to have formed any bad habits, but cannot overcome the desire to wander. He still seems to have affection for those at home, yet cannot content himself to stay with them. As none of his relatives have led adventurous lives, his parents cannot account for his strange behavior."

whether deterred later by its experiences, at what age this disposition appeared and when it ceased and why.

II. Describe the same with boys and girls in their teens, who leave home for love of adventure, anger, impatient of restraint, to start life for self, etc., definite plans or none. Give every incident of cause, experiences, hardships, etc., you can find out.

III. Describe any case of truancy from school or church, its motives, traits of the child, mode of concealment.

IV. In your own experience what are the charms of travel in order of interest, whether of a trip to Europe, a ride or bicycle journey, a lonely walk of a day's duration, globe-trotting, etc. Have you ever left home aimlessly, and before leaving had you lost property and friends or been injured in feelings? Have you been tempted to "disappear," and what reasons, or left home to "do the world" or "paint the town?" Have you ever suffered intense hunger, and if so describe your feelings.

V. What do you know of tramps? have you ever interviewed one, or can you do so? what have you ever read or heard of them?

VI. Do you know people who move frequently, and if so, state why, where, how often and all you know of them.

VII. Do you know anything of gypsies or can you find out any. thing?

VIII. Do you know an inveterate visitor, call-maker, gad-about person, who must be always on the street or on the go? If so describe them carefully, and see if you can account for it; or of boys with a passion to start out for themselves exceptionally early in life.

IX. The same of any one who loves home so intensely that he or she will only very reluctantly go away for, or be away nights.

X. What are the elements in your own love of home in order-as love of father, mother, brother, sister, the house, hills, trees, and natural scenery, familiar ways of life, etc.

XI. Describe any case of homesickness you know of and especially if you have experienced it yourself.

XII. Describe your own experiences with spring fever, ennui that impelled you to go or be far away, longings in the distance, desire to break away and see the great world and take a part in its actions. Have you ever felt thus concerning a future life as connected with either religion, love or conflict?

In each case specify each of the following points: 1, age; 2, sex;

Here, then, is an activity of the soul, woven into legends and folk-lore, is discussed in history and science, and affects profoundly the social and domestic life of a people. An instinct that destroys for the time being even the activities that provide for the immediate wants of life, that drives out considerations for home, relatives and friends, that overpowers the sympathetic, the domestic, the home-making spirit of man, that unfits him for static toil and conditions, and impels him to seek a change, the new, strange and untried.

Modern biology in its interpretation of form and function begins its work with the undifferentiated organ or organism in question, and follows it through its phylo-ontogenetic developing paths, both by the methods of experimental morphology and comparative anatomy until present conditions are reached. The verdict of these methods, especially the former, is that the efficient causes in the process are first,' "internal causes, 3, nationality; 4, occupation of parents; 5, are one or both living? 6, do they own their homes? 7, is their food and clothes good? 8, toys; 9, books; 10, pin-money; II, affections; 12, has the child any physical defects? 13, is it oldest, youngest or only child? 14, is it quick-tempered? 15, sensitive; 16, demonstrative; 17, laugh and cry easily; 18, cheerful; 19, active; 20, generous; 21, fond of playmates or reticent and inclined to be alone; 22, does it seek to govern others and does it obey readily? 23, love or shun crowds; 24, or dark; 25, animals; 26, deep water; 27, out of door life, fondness for woods, fields, etc.; 28, does it love music, does it dance? 29, a good color sense, and what are its favorite colors? 30, is it careless or tidy and dressy? 31, has it had pets, is it good to animals? 32, careful of property; 33, and of others' rights; 34, made a collection of things; 35, is it persistent in carrying out tasks? 36, is it inquisitive and talkative? 37, were there ample opportunities for taking exercise, were games and sports encouraged? 38, was there plenty of physical or manual labor at home? 39, must there have been long hours of sedentary work at home and in school? 40, always specify the season of the year of every incident if possible; 41, was their immoderate love of sight-seeing, being out evenings, camping out, hunting, excursions, picnics, etc.?

XIII. What have you observed concerning the migrations and the homing instincts of animals, cats, dogs, cows, horses, hens, rabbits, pigeons, fish, ducks, etc., etc.? What have you read, and can you send or refer to any literature or reports of cases? What have you observed of any lower forms of life that move freely at first and then become sessile or fixed as parasites, of nuptual flights of insects?

XIV. What special literature can you refer to on tramps, homesickness, truancy, gypsies or on any other aspect of this topic? In any case giving the full name of any part of it is optional with the one answering.

Kindly send your answers to

CLARK UNIVERSITY,

Worcester, Mass., Oct. 26th, 1896.

G. STANLEY HALL,

or L. W. KLINE.

1 Davenport, C. B.: Experimental Morphology, Part I, p. 8.