Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-24
julius SyCIe { Son.
lse 24-ltl
TELL 4 STORY.
srgrcStions ~ tn Hest Methods of
Entertaining Children.


Not the least interesting and 'rstruc-
as. address pertaining To child study
MAS The entertaining lecture given by
Airs Pauline Thomas Johnson. Of Nahaat,
Ind. who is an adept at storytelling
f- children, and who greatly delighted
nor audience. both old and young, by her
canning recital Of several stories illus
--sfye of the art. She said that story
f.une was undoubtedly an art and happy
xers they who possessed the art. With
.hlt admiration both old and young
would listen 10 good story, either told
I'll. read bv one who had the power Of
r.4gnetism to hold the attention from be-
Ginning TO end. Yet. how few there were
ia This modern and progressive age who
had mat art or power. and how many,
,.r.n.esked by the child TO tell a story,
had to deny the request with the lasatis-
factory answer. 81 do not know any sio-
I.t-.'
She asked If the story had less place
81. the present age than In the past? Had
story telling gone out of fashion,
-b. believed not. There We're just as
many children clamoring for stories to-
telling. as IN days gone by Many looked
l.N. and just as many Older people whose
happiness was increased by Story
back upon their childhood days with JOY
they TtcNlicu the uhAhA HN'AS NV
when I'm the cleaning. they gathered
round the freside and listened To tales
told by loved ones and, when the story
ended-which was always too soOn-hoW
they would plead Tor another and another
and lust one more. IL should De
considered a duty TO give TO children To-
CAV the same delight experienced D.
themselves as children. There was no.
thiuc that would more quickly quiet "a
child or make it more contented than a
story suitable 10 its age.
10 might be asked what constituted the
art OF story telling? And what sort OF
stories should be given 10 the chlldren
She had found that a story told rather
than read had double the weight ana IN
terest. for the reason that the child
caught inspiration. from the glowing
countenance. the kndling Of the eye,
which magnetized IL. Children were all
WAYS ready for a story In whatever form
II was presented to them But 10 De
successful il must be simple. The story
teller must become joyous, light-hearIed'
brieht. must have ready tact enter INTO
details. and, most important of all, they
must Doe very familiar with the story
before telling 81. Some persons We're
very apt at making story upon coca
... nom the simplest OBJECTS arOuhl
Mrs Johnson then related how Ihe
PRETTY Sister of Don Joss came TO be
written. IL being the result of spon-
t8ueous effort at story telling TOT inc
measure Of a young girl. To be beneficial
"A story should embrace representative
tale, of all classes-narratiVe, magma
tive. realistic and historical. stories
were the chnd's first Introduction INTO
that grand world of the ideal In character
and life: and the first and highest use
of stories was 20 enable chiio 10
CORN, "a p,lre and noble ideal of what man
-, be Ind do. A child who was laugh.
only certain moral precepts, ana VINO ndu
u1 representation put before MN on ,ilO50
truths expressed in characters anu az
tons. rising above the common lehc
would lack the courage the SH0t - ;itt,
aspiration, and sti.l more the huil'i i., y y
necessary to raise his own chaIacIeiI , ai'u
life 10 the highest standard Chli s ~, ~
delighted in am old story, Whlle taiI
story had the greatest charm lot ln'iii
and was one of the highest forms Oh
Tferot,1re Then there were aleg0ues
which were of "a more spiritqai FORM tia .n
fairy stories. These served SOou Pui
pose in religious teaching anu Ilo d., a.
training: also. in training chlldren 10 "a, w,
derstand symbols. nature, ana the ueSp
trYths she teaches Fables ana redllstlO
stories had great value. or All WIllel :
of fairy stories. the most successiul ou'
was undoubtedly Hans Chrstlah A Iuei
sen. 10 whom the children turneu as"''
aud again for pleasure and recreation,
Mrs Johnson then told several stoIle'
IN her inimitable manner ana quot,
what Froebel had said reiatlfe 70 S'J III,
telling: Whatever the chlld leeis III h -,
brart whatever lives in his soul, whal
ever he cannot express in his own , Woras
he would fain have others express. Ihele
fore. ear and heart open 10 the senu th'
story teller as the blossoms W IT.
s1n of spring and the vernal raln-ihlnu
breathes mind. power feels, po" "4 an p,
eb-orbs IL. as it were. The telllns %
stories refreshes the nina as a Dd td ~.
freshes the body: it gives exercise 70 Sil'
irteiiect and It's powers. it tests the Judg
mput and the feelings