Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-02-17
WHAT THgY RI AD.


-arteR-
Without thoaght ne bly motley
array Of books bad in color, lacking
purpose. and empty o. Interest wheu
the novelty Is WOrn on
We cannot TOO Young lead the
child 10 the highest and ne should
40 il withOat Pre5 adice; Or. As some
one has said --Eith IS fer adsecttTes
as possible Here are : fer rules
tor gift-book giving % children.
A giIt hook should bear a .gift
thought
Courtesy and friendship demand
that a siit BE- preserved and chr
ished. therefore giVe books worthy
Of IL. especially 70 a child
tsiye book that shall emb0dy
Your peculiar Interest Or ideal: in
thus giving sou give yourself some
what
give all the worth and quality you
can afford % give. and no more, and
let the receiver feel that yOu have
chosen with care aud lore; il may be
the single seed for the planting Of
library
A chIid's book should be simple.
joyous. and fuli Of living trath. and
such . book when fond can b. de
scribed as good from the earliest
years forward. and the mother will
enjoy each word 81 it a. much a. her
youngest listener.
There are feW books but are the
better for being lovingly read in
communion with mother. and hooks
I PREPARED from the kindergart IN
point oIyiew are deep enough. sweet
enough. and true enough TO engrOss
the cd as veil as the young
What is the difference between
kindergarten literature ana other
literasnres it's simply this.
Stories aad verses ordinarily
.sdI=hed up 10 a child are Of quail
T it's which covers over the young i'm
pres siOnable mind with a haze Of
I sentimentalism and weak purposes
The us1al story IS about other chill
dren who are especially charming or
I witty. and the precious listener must
sit and envy his bright story boy and
wonder il he too could ever be put
Z into a story The bulk Of all so
I called child literature SERVES as a
Z blanket 10 cover and chill the facial
ties. and often worse than that
Z plants a craving for sensationalism
I which - unsuitable. and which the
usual author and publisher are Only
Z too glad to foster il parents are
blinu enough to help them. What
we call a pure kindergarten story.
draws out the child himself. uncoY-
ers his latent wonderment and i'm
I aginatiOn. shows him how every
I truth contained in a certain phase OF
\ life or science ito which he Is listen
ingl. is uufolded over and over again
I in a myriad different ways; every
/. thing he touches prophesies q story
il lie but put the right question 10
his mother or kindergarten instruc-
tor. Zach s.ory Of to-day has :
dozen tendrils. by which il clings to
the story OF yesterday and suggests
an untold wealth Of pleasure for to-
morrow when story hour comes
We recommend special books or
authors for many reasons. says the
kindergarten Magazine In the first
place, we seek out such authors as
have had the actual contact with
children and their needs. One who
merely writes for pay because some
publisher thinks she has a graceful
pen and her stories take. is hardly a
producer Of such intellectual food as
is TO form the lasting taste Of the
coming generation. One might
almost be forgiven in saying: When
you hear OF anyone spoken Of as an
author for children. let suspicion
overcome you; such are mostly de-
fusion ana a snare and mere dlluters
Of language.
OF bible stories the same may be
said. look out for their interpreter
Children do not need their truths di-
luted. They can take them stronger
than even one who has grown away
from the simple and real It Is a
much better plan TO read the Christ
story directly with the children and
have little talks together concerning
those passages which seem obscure.
And pray let US beg Of you never to
draw the moralistic conclusions for
the babes. lest they learn the pratt
ings Of the lesson rather than the i'm.
pressive deeds of their greatest ex-
ample. Remember, even Christ gave
them credit for a greater discerument
than ours.
Again this same rule holds good
with the classics also Never fear "a
give children the direct contact with
them. Great are the results, often to
an older person who has the patience
to carry with him babe as he pc.
ruses perhaps for the twentieth tine
the rare simplicities Of Homer
After all we must confess that the
home reading and atmosphere OF
thought is OF the most Importance.
Do we always realize that our daily
household conversations are largely
the first literature of the child? that
our everyday reverence is all il
knows of religion? that the purity Of
our love, the righteousness Of our
common deeds is all it knows of God