New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-21
BOOKS CHILDREN LIKE.
a 'slow" Story Never Pleases Them, Nor a
Moral Dragged IN By the Heels.

Happy endnEs are q mania with the publishers
to-day-it is q disease with them"
The speaker was Ellen Kenyon Warner for many
years editor OF a leading school journal and now
editing set Of readers Tor prominent publishing
house. She voiced the opinion quoted during the
discussion OF DR.. Myra Pratt Chadwicks lecture on
Books for Children" the Brooklyn Institute
last week The talk had turned on the subject of
happy endings"
One woman told Of the experience Of friend
who had published several children's books At
length she wrote with & mournfuI climax
which refused by her own publishers and by
all others. unless IL should be furnished with the
inevitable happy ending
Perhaps the publishers were expressing their
own preferences rather than those Of the children
said DIT. Chadwick y well remember one OF the
earliest stories ever read. It was the story of
little gIrl who was taken TO the funeral Of her
brother. She saw his body put away in a vault
Atte-ward she asked where her brother had gone
and was told that he had gone 10 Heaven. Lone
some without him. she made her way the Gene
tery one rainy afternoon. and knocked and knocked
At the door OF the vault. crying and begging the
angels 70 let her into Heaven so that she could
clay with her brother.
7 cannot tell you how many hours have wep+
happily over that book and I have never forgotten
t. Children reveI IL the death OF little Paul IN
SDoubey and Son and my own children always
loved the sad poem OF little Gretchen the match
CIR, which was IN their readers when they 10
school
'.sorne years ago." she said a publishing house,
wishing 10 publish z series OF books for children,
determined 10 get from children themselves
some idea OF what they liked So they pre-
pared z list Of questions TO be sent TO
teachers Of widely differing localities. and
answered b. children % their classes But in
common with every one who has tried this expert
ence they found II difficult TO get at the real pref
erences Of the children In answering such cues
preference 10 voice the correct opinion as repre-
mention any book which he feels would be con
demned By the teacher. For instance, not single
- ma 9Tf5 sgI tl E5Tsn 81 cI5ss in
poem they would Ike 10 see IN z BOOK made SPe-
clally for them Evidently they had been reading
again. in q Chicago class made up Of the chill
class expressed q fervent desire TO see Sir LaUr-
Intelligence OF our immigrant population hardly
think this represented their unbiased taste
chIids only book was his reader. we naturally got
q little. Tor, even Il his reading was limited 10 one
book, he naturally named his fayorite story OF
poem in that book From another class every pref
erence sent in was Tor Christmas story or poem
The questions had struck the class JUST al Christ
mas tine, and -The N-ght Before Christmas came
IS qi5lcF fo 10 9SeTqs I bt e ne T 81 mem EN-
Is ask the attendants in childrens libraries what
see what books children have preserved and made
For instance .-4Isop's Fables VIII endure as
long as there are any children II the world. Chill
oren love inpersoratiOn- Listen 10 them IN their
PLAY when they do not know you about and
YOU VIII hear them inpersonatns all kinds Of
animals and objects You remember Tom sawyer
who represented II his sole person. at aISd
The same time. the captain OF Mississippi steam
boat The pilot. and the boat itself rounding Up
the dock Children dearly love to M 6e believe
ARD children in this are an eptome % the child
hood of The race Every race IN ats childhood has
lrrpersonsted animals. things and the forces Of
nature. in folklore and religion One might
think from this that children would always love
The old legends bsL matter q fact, the
legends q tho Greeks too deep and subtle
for children 10 catch. But book Of African
legends aud f0klOrs has been published for chill
Crer. which has proved very pOpular- Tho African
Legends are simple and di-ect. because of the child
likeness q tie race itself and children understand
and Ike them