The Portland daily press., 1883-01-23
Children,s Books.

There is no HARM said Sir Walter Scott
"but on the contrary, benefit in presenting a
child with ideas beyond his easy and immedi-
ate compreh tension. The difficulties offered
If not too great or too frequent-stimulate Curl
osity and encourage exertion." And, COM
ments the Quarterly Review, we are so consti-
tuted that, even at the maturest state of our
minds-when length of experience has rem
dered the feeling of disappointment one almost
unjustifable in our eyes-we find the sense of
interest in given object and feeling for it's
beauty to precede, far more than to follow, its
comprehension; or, it we're better said, the be-
lief Of fully comprehending. But with chill
dreD, who live only in anticipation this is
more conspicuously the case; in point of fact,
they delight most in what they do not compre-
hend. Those. therefore, who insist on keep
ing the sense of enjoyment rgidly back till
that of comprehension has been forcibly urged
forward who stipulate that the one shall NOT
be INDUCED until the other has been appeased
are in reality but retarding what they most
affect to promote; only producing prostrati en-,
and not development of the men tai powers.
In short child thus circumstanced ia oplv
submitting his understand ing, not exertiDg il
"a very deplorable exchange. Oh course the
quality OF such works varies with the writer.
although the principle of neutrality remains
the same; and sometimes little frothy liveli-
ness OF dialogue Is exhibited which might per-
haps amuse an older generation, but is thrown
away upon children. At least their notions of
smartness and repartee are limited. Thev like
the jingle OF words which compose pun, but
the point is utterly lost ON them. Nor can
1t be otherwise, since all wit and irony de.
rive their point from a knowledge of the
world, which cannot exist in children or Is
sure to disgust if it does A practical Joke is.
therefore, the only form of wit which they un-
derstand and always like, but in an abstract
way. The fable book is their only Joe Miller
and that as much for the marvellousness as
the humor of It's contents. They can see fun
In the connection of human speech and ideas
with the nose of the fox or the bill of the ra-
ven, while the farfetched wit of fellow child
Will strike them as great nonsense Children
are sharp casuiss as TO what is put into child's
mouth They detect intuitively what is ab-
surd, or what is unnatural; and conld we see
into their hearts, we should find secret con-
tempt for, or grudge against, the little pedan-
tic spokesmen whose perorations form the
greater part of such volumes. Under the best
circumstances we doubt whether children VINO
are beyond mere boyhood enjoy the histories
and pictures OF their own "life and times" as
much as their elders suppose For MS these
scenes of childhood, described as some Of our
modern writer's can descrbe--for us these
scenes have an iDeffable charm: but we must
remember that we stand in directly contrary
position to their ostensibIe readers
We look fondly back to childhood-they ar
IDENTIFY forward to maturity; we magnify the
happiness of the psst-they only that which is
to come. For them men and women are gods
and goddesses; and no description of the para
disc they now occupy interests them half as
much as a peep into the Olympus which they
hope one dav to climb. The real secret of q
childs book consists not merely in its being
less dry and less difficult, but more rich in in-
terest, more trae to nature, more exquisite in
art, more abundant in every quality that re-
plies to chlldhood's keener and fresher percep-
tons Such being the case the best of juve-
nile reading will be found in libraries belong
ing to their elders, while the best OF juvenile
are no longer children