The times., 1898-11-14
STORY TELLING.
A Story Sounds Very Much Better
Than II Ever Reads.
From the Boston Transcript.)

(From the Boston Transcript.)
Not the least interesting and instruct
i've address pertaining to child study was
the entertaining lecture given by Mrs
Pauline Thomas Johnson, of Nahant, a
lady who is an adept a. s;ory telling for
children and who greatly delighted her
audience, both old and young, by her
charming recital of several stories Illus
trative of the art. She said that story
telling was undoubtedly an art, and hap
py were they who possessed the art. With
what admiration both old and young
would listen to good story. either told
or read by one who had the power of
magnetism to hold the attention from be-
ginning to end. Yet how few there were
IN this modern and progressive age who
had that art or power and how many.
when asked by a child to tell story"
had to deny the request with the unsatis-
factory answer: 81 do not know any sto-
ries."
She asked if the story had less place
in the present age than in the past? Had
story telling gone out or rashion? She
believed not. There were Just as many
children clamoring for stories today and
just as many older people whose happi-
ness was increased by story telling as in
days gone by. Many looked back upon
their childhood days with joy as they
recalled the happy story; how, when in
the gloaming they gathered round the
fireside and listened TO tales told By loved
ones, and, when the story ended-which
was always too soon-how they would
plead for another and another, and just
one more! 1t should be considered a du-
ty TO give to children today the same de-
light experienced by themselves as chill
dren. There was nothing that would
more quickly quiet a child or make it
more contented than story suitable to
its age.
1t might be asked what constituted the
art of story telling? And what sort of
stories should be given to children? She
had found that story told rather than
read had double the weight and interest
for the reason that the child caught in
spiration from the glowing countenance.
the kindling of the eye. which magnetized
1t. Children were always ready for a sto-
ry in whatever form it was presented to
them. But to be successful ii must be
simple. The story teller must become
joyous, tght-hearted, bright; must have
ready tact, enter into details, and, most
important of all, must be familiar with
the story before telling it, Some persons
were very apt at making story upon oc-
casion from the simplest objects around
them. Mrs. Johnson then related how
THE Pretty Sister of Don Joss came to
be written. IL being the result of spon-
taneous effort at story telling for the
pleasure of young girl To be beneficial
a story should embrace representative
tales of all classes-narrative, imagina-
tive, realistic and historical Stories
were the child's first introduction to that
grand world of the ideal in character and
life; and the first and highest use of sto-
ries was to enable a child to form a pure
and noble ideal of what man may be and
do. a child who is taught only certain
moral fprecepts, and who has had no rep
resentation put before him of those truths
expressed in characters and actions, ris-
ing above the common level, would lack
the courage, the energy, the aspiration
and still more the humility necessary to
raise his own character and life to the
highest standard.
Children delighted in an old story. while
fairy story had the greatest charm for
them and was one of the highest forms
OF literature Then there were allegories
which were of more spiritual form than
fairy stories. These served a good pur-
pose in religious teaching and moral train
ing; also in training children TO under
stand symbols. nature and the deep truth
she teaches. Fables and realistic stories
had great value. OF all writers of fairy
stories the most successful one was un-
doubtedly Hans Christian Andersen, to
whom the children turned again and again
for pleasure and recreation.
Mrs. Johnson then told several stories in
her inimitable manner. and quoted what
Froebel had said relative to story tell
ing: Whatever the child feels in his
heart whatever lives in his soul, whatever
he cannot express in his own words. he
would fain have others express. There
fore ear and heart open to the genuine
story teller as the blossoms open TO the
S,,r, Of nd rO ha rair--
mind breathes mind-power feels power.
and absorbs it, as it were. The telling of
stories refreshes the mind as a bath re-
freshes the body, it gives exercise to the
intellect and its powers, it tests the judg-
ment and the feelings