New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-26
FAIRY TALE REIGNS
SW Monarch OUer HCqrts and
Heads of Little k.

Please. lady. may I have a ticket for
story asked a little girl % the librarian
~ The Pratt Institute free library the other
dsy. And when she was told that she was
too old for the weeks class she was obvi-
ously distressed.
Every Wednesday evening az 30 O'Clock
" have a chiilren's story hour. explained
Miss Agnes CoWing. the librarian who is
m charge OF the caildren's reading room.
and. in order 20 have my audience OF
Ike age I give out tickets beforehand. To-
morrow is the tots night.
The obiect? on. nothing more than 10
smuse. although We do pride ourselves on
tie fact that We are training good listeners
ami YOU know how the world deplores
their scsrcity. The children are all mucn
more quiet and orderly now than they were
when We began the work. last spring. They
don't wrissle and pull one another's hair
or suck lollypops. but listen with close at
tention
NO. children's taste doesn't have 70 h.
educated as much as people generally think.
They don't really like those blood and
thunder Diamond Dick stories. although
they do like adventure and thrilling escape
such as you find in fairy tales. The safest
thing with children is always the fairy
story. They love the mystery Of fairies.
hobgoblins. gnones and elves: they glory In
descriptions Of glittering palaces and jew
elled kings and queens riding in state. They
chucl1ie with JOY ana their eyes fairly pop
out 81 their heads when they hear Of Sc
cret passages. magic rugs. and wishing
stones. Thev often can't wait for the ell
max. and make suggestions for a possible
ending. II let them. They ask questions.
oftentimes-wanting 10 know why things
didn't turn out diffeTently-which put me in
a dilemma because fairy stories just are
they can't be explained you know.
stories tell themselves-they don't have
To have morals attached Every child
knows Why Cinderella got the prinoe-the
reason doesn't have 20 be pointed out
children are quicker in this respect often
times than grown ups. The only thing We
have 10 guard against is the bad boy story.
which is so prevalent here nov. Usually
tie boy doesn't meet with the fate OF being
ground W into coTnmeal. like the famous
German mischief makers Max and Moritz.
but he gets the laugh on the old folks
which isn't the wav things ought 10 he
I have seen the bad effect those stories
have-they develop 'smarties' and fresh
little youngsters that know Il all"
Miss CowinE then went on 10 say that
Grimm's fairy tales are more popular than
Andersen's. because they deal with people
rather than with things. Children like
stories in which animals talk as in Alice
In Wonderland" or the Jungle Books but
they don't like those in which a needle talks
20 broom or vine discourses with a
tree .Esops fables are popular. but no
book is in greater demand than the Ara
bian Nights They like mythology. too
stories Of gods and goddesses. OF heroes and
their quests. They like these even better
than wild tales Of adventure like Baron
Munchausen.' Robinson CTusoe' and Gull
iver's Travels although these have their
share Of devotees among the older boys
Boys on tie whole are better readers
than girls They are wider readers. They
like history. biography and travel almost
as much as mere story telling. They also
make good use 81 the books on How 20 DO
Things which the girls don't seem 10 care
for at sll.'
Asked whether illustrations Influenced
the popularity Of certain books. Miss Cow
ing said that they made little difference.
except. perhaps. that Scott and Dickens OF
Irving in lig type editions. with pleasing
pictures attracted more readers than the
oldtl11e musty volumes. with cheap prints.
But children. as a rule. want the story. and
they don't care whether the picture that
goes with IL is pretty Or not They don't
PICK out their reading matter by the illus
trstions either. but ask the librarian what
its about and II they like the theme they
read the book
But new covers have a wonderful effect
We neveF have new books on the shelves.
because as soon as they come back from
tho binders they go out. and they stay out
until they look shabby and worn again. 4
gorgeous cover goes long way with chill
dren"