The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-15

of The s.ristng generation" They are brs,,.
women and true 10 thus set the pace which
is to lead the little ones out OF the spook.
haunted twilight OF medieval superyfi.
ton into the sunny paths OF science. rev.
eIation and law. 1t Is the only way 10 -.
cape the 1nisdirected irony and the nioe.
zeal deductions of Hard Times" For -.
truth is that the Gradgrind OF Charles
Dickens has never been accorded a fair
show-neither by his author nor by the
visionary and sapient hand-clappers q tbs
present generation. Mr.. Gradgrind's coun.
sci has quite evidently been construed
awry IL his instruction, as implied in the
speech quoted. has been strictly, religious
ly and intelligently observed the effect
would have been far from producing either
the 'whelp" OF the 'whirlwind" SO fear
fully depicted in the story. 1 confess that
/ am not one OF those who think the
"whelp' might have been improved %
saved by injecting a lot OF silly decisions
or diplomatic lies into his juvenile acQui-
sitions.
Let US inquire what is Objectionable IN
the speech Of Gradgrind-that is, from the
standpoint Of the moralist who does not
believe in combining children TO the bare
bones of learning and literature" Mr.
Gradgrind's plan was TO teach facts
nothing but facts" i assume that he was
right in every essential particular Of his
famous instruction. Not a sentence OF IL
can be condemned on its face. or ignored
without discrediting truth and winking az
or abetting falsehood and deception There
may arise here confusion Of ideas touch
ing the relation of legitimate fiction 10
facts. 1t may be safely conceded that truth
is often taught through fiction, and that
parallels and fables have done good serv-
ice in the same cause. And IL Gradgrfnd
| frowr ed on fiction indiscriminately. he went
| too far; but If he only meant TO discounte-
nance the substitution OF unrealites for
facts, fairy tales for principles, and the
decisions and deiriums of fancy for the
| discoveries and demonstrations OF science.
| then his code was no more the cause OF
| his daughters mesalliance or his sons ras-
| cality than the "rule of three is response
bic for the disproportion OF good fruits 10
| the quantity Of harmless juvenile nc
tier produced in a given generation.
The present age exhibits a paradoxical
| state of things. We see men. and women.
and children moving forward and upward
| in the lire of manifest destiny, and yet
! incredible number of them hugging 10 their
hearts the household gods of their faith
ers. Why do We still cling to the relics
| and heirlooms of the dead past, the musty-
ton? Why grievt to see COLLINS. dwarf and
genii melting into shadow or hardening into
the concrete and real? Why do We regret
that the nymphs and dryads have vanished
from our woods, and why are loath 10
| see the elfs and pixies fading from our
| literature? Is IL a matter Of apology and
shame, and loss that the wonders Of sci
ence have well-nigh charmed away the
mind of youth from the foolish and
often vulgar and pernlcious fantasies OK
the middle ages2 Are sad because the
| fossil beds of geology have told our chill
| dren of real monsters that outrival the
| squat and clumsy creations OF "Sinbad?'
| Surely, modern science has made good
| radiance of the ill-conditioned brood with
which mans dstraught fancy once peop!ed
our woods and streams. Our happy chill
dren can now gather wild flowers in Gods
first temples without dread Of hearing
the horrid boom of featherless wings, or
seeing strange and grizzly faces leering at
them from the shadowy thickets and ra-
| vines No sounds TO brighten them now,
| or shapes to haunt and terrify their inno-
| cent dreams. Nothing less welcome than
the songs of birds, no scene more disturb
| ing than the swaying of the trees or the
patter of the passing shower.
For every fairy story you tell your chill
/ dren 1 will teach mine a fact of nature
| or science far more wonderful and tenfold
| more enrolling For is not modern fact,
| after all, more strange than ancient or
| medieval fiction? Give me the book that
| shall name, or grant me the transportation
that 1 shall elect, and will lead the boys
and girls into real land filled with more
| wonders than any fairy realm that ever
cheated hope or deluded fancy The mod
1 hos ali
British Merlin, and Edison has found more
marvels in law than were exercised by all
the wizards OF the Orient The phonO-
graph has taken the place of the sea shell.
"Oberon'' and Puck have transmigrated
into the lark and robin, and the 'jabber-
wock is only tolerated as a travesty on
| St. Georges dragon.
The latter-day urchin Is growing more
and more inqusitive-not 10 say inQusi-
torial. Some day he will demand Of his
| father to know if there is "a real for-sute
Santa Claus" And then the sorrowing pur-
veyor of myth lore will have TO take choice
between intoxicating a plain lie and adopt
ing the hated policy Of Gradgrnd Mean
time. the cute and innocent Brownies VIII
doubtless outlive their kind-if not their
usefulness. And why do we cling so ten
aciously to these delightful little monsters?
entertaining and modern in their habits
and missions. If single pixey should lie
caught fbbing-either TO his audience OF
his FELLOWSHIP would be disgraced and ban
ished from the world. Such is the modern
respect for the integrity Of truth. But
even the Importance of the Brownie and
the Mock Turtle must not be exaggerated.
Our little ones should know that the small
est fact will be found TO outweigh half a
hundred or more goblin dudes and minim
pigtails, and that at Chicago last summer
the Electrical Building alone had more in
1t TO startle the imagination than all the
surprises" in Alices Wonderland. Let
them remember that fancy has no inspir-
ing picture that was not borrowed from a
fact, and that fairyland has no tableau
half so thrilling a cloud-set harvest
moon or a typical sunrise in the Quaker
Alleghenies.
| Why, then, lament that our modern meth
DDS coniine children TO the bare bones Of
learning and literature?' What is the mat
ter with facts as entertainers Of children!
Is not the world and universe full OF them?
Are the wooded streams, the leafy glens,