The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-19
CHILD LITERATURE.
Mrs. Wait Believes the
Harmful and Grotesque
Should Be Eliminated.
MUCH THAT 50 BEAUTIFUL REMAINS
Not Necessary, She Says, to Guilt
yate the Mind With Giant
Killers and the Like.
IUCH THAT 50 BEAUTIFUL REMAINS

The exclusive publication in THE NEWS
Tuesday evening of the text of Mrs. Alice
May Scudder's paper, read before Sorosis at
the April meeting, on the question, stShould
there be anything in child literature which
is not or could not be true?" has awakened
much interest in the subject in this city.
Mrs. Carrie Stow Wait, chairman of Liter
allure Of Sorosis, when interviewed concern
ing the subject, said:-
''The question before Sorosis for April
Day was, Should there be anything in
child literature which is not or could not be
trueq and grows naturally out of the super
abundance of juvenile literature today.
Upon the selection from this material large
ly depends the neutral development and
literary taste of later years. Wo 'sn's clubs
are sometimes accused of attempting to
settle questions. We made no such attemp t.
We are not idol breakers. If you are
welded to your idols, let Them al one; only
give the children something better to wor-
ship.
ut was with this purpose" continued
Mrs. Wait, shat the discussion was opened.
I gave a simple presentation of the question
without giving opinions upon either side.
However, I do not consider it a one-sided
question, as the critics have attempted to
show.
MRS. WATTS OPINION.
sIf it were necessary to eliminate all fairy
tales in order to leave out much that Is harm
full and grotesque, there would still be much
that is beautiful remaining. Facts are not
necessarily uncOuth, as some imply; nor Is
nature devoid of charms which can attract
the Young. Such books as Little Folks in Fur
and Feathers sBird-Wavs' and hundreds OF
others that bring the child to love and rever-
ence nature are perhaps as wholesome and
cultivate as pure imagination as fairy lore.
Truly there are stranger things in heaven
and earth than are dreamt OF IN Arabian
Nights
s1There is no question but hat with the
increase of children's literature comes also
an increase in good, well written books. The
child of twenty-five years ago, especially if
brought up in NewEngland homes, did not find
Robinson Crusoe,' RIP Van Winkle,' MOI
House Of Seven Gables" upon the Sunday
school library shelves, and it was a great
concession when Louise NJ. Alcott's books
were allowed to stand side by side with
those the American Tract Society that re-
sponsible body that took the literary culture
Of the Puritan home upon its shoulders. A
child today need not nave his slice of know
ledge from a stale loaf.
1T does not seem necessary to cultivate
the imagination by giant killers, robbers,
witches,-the child's mind travels fast
| enough after the unreal and romances early.
There is time enough to teach the vagarie:
! of past ages when the child becomes a youth
| and finds suggestion of superstitions in mos
| that he studies.
THE MOTHER
"No thinking woman of today is going to
accept the standards of the past. With the
| aid of the sewing machine and improved
! household methods, most women have time
to read the books they put into children's
| hands, and the mother who is most earnest
| is listening to what others say, and in the ex
| change of thought in woman's or mothers
clubs, is liable to get suggestions and help te
| make towards an ideal home"
ReverJing to the meeting, Mrs. Wat
said
Mrs. Stimson, wife of Dr.. Henry Slim
| son of Broadway Tabernacle, opened the
| discussion by a charming plea for imagina
! tive literature, and Mrs. Scudder followed
/ with the brilliant and able paper printed in
THE NEWS Tuesday evening. The question
was left in the hands of such literary women
as Marguerite Merington, Mrs. j. O.. Croly.
Mrs. Kendall, the well known actress, and
others. Each brought her share of good
things to the feast, and am sure all the lis
teners felt mentally stimulated and helped.
while even legislative bodies sometime:
need to have their decisions interpreted by
the courts, women are not going to attempt
| do more Than their wise brothers, and are
| content to leave decisions to the critics"