The Washington herald., 1912-12-22
Let Us All Believe in Fairies;
It's Natural and Enjoyable.
Dc MAnnOHYC
By C. S. MADDOCKS.

reality of the mind, real just as long as the
mind lives with it.
There is a great dispute as to whether the
latter sort of reality is true is good, is whole
sUme. Shall We let our children read fairy
tales? Well, shall we let our children play
with dolls? child loves puppets OF every
sort, but docs he really think them real, no
matter how lifelike? Isn't the playing ths I
they are real the whole measure Of the play,
play that is completely play and as neces-
sary 10 the child as kittens rompings are
&c It? What child does not know the differ
cHce between fesh and blood and plush and
sawdust?
The mimic world is a highly satisfactory
world TO either child or man. In this there
are no wills 10 conflict with his. He can
have things and arrange them as he pleases.
AS Robert Louis Stevenson said OF a court.
Er had never seen court so he could have
people at court behave just as 1t pleased him
that they should behave.
s :;
Play Exercises Child's Mind.
Play exercises a child's mind before tina
little mind is strong enough to bear the CN-
ercise OF work. And yet even play is wOrN
of sort, as We 50 often hear those no have
no hear for play say Of those who spend 50
much energy getting enjoyment One OF
our modern writer's has chosen TO look at this
matter in a whimsical way which neverthe-
less has a deep philosophy hidden behind It.
He says:
There is only one reason why all grown
up people do not play with toys; and It is q
fair reason. The reason is that playing with
toys takes so very much more time and
trouble than anything else. Playing as chill
dren mean playing is the most serious thing
in the world. And as soon as We have small
duties or small sorrOws We have to abandon
To some extent so enormous and ambitious
4 plan Of life. We have enough strength for
politics and commerce and art and philoso-
ply; We have not enough strength for play"
1t is hundred years since Grimm's
&" Fairy Tales there are rinety-four Of
them-appeared. The two brothers Grimm
made besides these a grammar. some Of the
rules Of which students OF the German Ian
guage must learn today. There is just as
much difference between the fight of fancy
necessary to produce fairy tale and
grammar as between Lewis Carroll's mathe-
rtatics and his fantasie Of Alice in Won
derland." and It is a highly interesting fact
that minds which could and did produce
work which is counted as the most exact
definite, unimaginatlve. and dry. with no
more atmosphere than the medleys In a
Kaleidoscope. could have created a fairy
story and fascinating nonsense.
maker Of paper boxes who was really
Working out problems in solid geometry as
lie invented new types Of box used to spend
all his leisure in work as, imaginative as
these things and keep his family ever en-
gagged in pursuits that yielded this kind Ct
enjoyment. II he had had the necessary
culture he might have produced something
as renowned as that Of the Grimms, whose
grammar but a small part OF the world has
ever heard OF. but whose imaginative work
has probably been translated into all lit
erary languages and is ever appearing IN
new drees