The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-03-22

ing of that Atlantic article.
May ask you kindly to print the
extract from it, which enclose, in
this same issue OF The Banner"
Respectfully yours,
George s. Mills.
Anyone at all familiar with boys
at the present time, and with their
interests and their amusements can
not help being struck by their fam
iliarity with the theatre In the life
of the city.bred boy of. today, the
stage occupies very large place; in
deed 1t is often his most absorbing
interest So universal is this condt-
ion that not to know the songs of the
latest musical show" not TO have
seen the last catchy piece played at
any of the leading theatres, puts a
boy at once out of touch with his fell
lows Hence the insistence with
which many boy pleads with his as
tonished parents to be allowed to go
10 this or that performance. His par
ants would not be so astonished If
they could hear the talk of any group
Of school boys from city day school
Or of boarding school boys just back
Al work after a vacation. The stage
is the staple subject of conversation,
and the boy who hasn't seen the
shows is as much out of it as a man
is out of It at ST. Andrews II he can't
talk golf
Certain of the evils which result
from much theatre going are so OBJ
vious that they call for no more than
cursory mention here II is a self
evident truth for example, that grow
ing boys need more sleep than their
elders and that frequent theatre go
ing is bad for their health 1t is
equally obvious that at this formative
period in boys life his taste is be-
Ing moulded and determined just as
surely as his mind and character, and
that TO let him so to any but a few
selected plays results in equipping
| him for life with a taste which must
inevitably be indiscriminating. II not
positively demoraiized. A still more
serious, though perhaps not quite so
obvious, result of the atmosphere of
the st.ge is the craving to which II
caters for complicated and artificial
amusements. II is a crying evil OF
our modern life that simple pleasures
are so rare The ramble through the
fields and woods, ending with a picnic
luncheon, which used to delight their
parents, no longer satisfies our chill.
dren; one must tear through the coun-
try by motor car and lunch at some
iaraway inn The evening around
the fireside, with reading or story.
telling or round" games, has given
place to dancing or an entertainment
provided by a hired performer; and
the taste for the theatre is but an.
other example of this unhealthy ap.
petite for artifciality and excitement
Il Is not, however, the purpose o.
this article to develop these phases
Of the matter
There are some OF us who believe
that the question in the marriage ser.
vice. "Wilt thou keep thee only unto
her so long as ye both shall live?" has
its application long before a man
lcomes with his bride TO the church
- make there his VOWS before the al
ioAs ht iAtdl VI httllub ulNlStlA uu
spotted and unsullied. for the sake OF
playing fair with the unknown won.
an whom he will some day marry, Is
often the strongest incentive that \
young man can have to keep himself
clear OF demoralizing influences and
10 lead a decent. clean life. We must
jealousy guard against every inhu.
ence that tends to weaken II II We
are to preserve Il in our sons as a
living vital force in their lives and
we must recognize that they are sur.
rounded by n multitude OF such lnfu.
encos; and OF all this multitude indls.
criminate theatre going Is the mos,
dangerous and most subtle.
The truth OF this statement Is per.
haps not very commonly realized
Nine people out OF ten would probab
ly say that bad books were much
moro dangerous to boys than bad
| plays; and so We find that. as a rule
| parents are more particular about
| what q boy reads than about the
| shows that he sees acted. An exami
| nation OF the facts, however. will be
enough to show that for several rea
sons the effect Of a play. good or bad
| upon q boys mind is more penetra
ting. more comprehensive, and NOR,
lasting. than the effect Of book
This is because the book appeals on
ly TO the boys imagination What h,
reads can only be made real to him
by mental pictures. which will vary
IN intensity with the ability OF the au
! thor and with the vividness OF tn,
imagery supplied by the boys owl
mind
To understand what Is put before
him and to make Il real the boys i'm
agination is not once called into
play but this does not mean that his
' imaglnalion NJ necessarily Idle. Sun