The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-23
The Won1an's Page of The Tmres-Dispatch
Reading Aloud

/ An article I read last week talked
entirely about the effect you had upon
children by reading aloud to them
thoughts that Ito developed In their
brains and pictures and Impressions
that were Obliged to be left IN your
mind by the mere hearing OF tales and
stories read out loud to circle OF chill.
Ndren A spoken word OF necessity
makes more vivid picture on tho mind
than the mere reading II yourself 1t
actually takes more concentration to
1orm the pictures and mold the
thoughts that way than If you picked
out the book and gave II to the child
and told him it was a pretty story.
To all things there are drawbacks.
One very clover man that has great
many children says that IT IS worse
than addressing a mass meeting TO even
attempt to read aloud in his family
But. all things considered. don't you
ma yourself turning buck TO those
Gays when YOU squeezed UP next to
your sister IN bed. with your eyea turned
on the bright fire. while Gear Cousin
Mary read YOU TO sleep with the most
thrilling sort OF stories about the Phil
is'ines and the bears that ate up the
bad little children in the Bible? Those
are times for planting ideals. and you
made the most lasting bits of canvas
Tor your memory storehouse later on.
! always thought of Goliath as the
most terrible monster In history. and
the cry that the Philistines De upon
US sent terror to my soul
The best place In the world to really
enjoy 'Diddie. Dumps and Tot" which
always stands out in my mind as a
classic, by tho way. Is from the top of
q very high feather bed and the dear
est old lady Imaginable rocking at the
foot and reading about dat one what
Ghwd made DOM sin out de do -
Books that are read TO YOU in the l!ttlo
girl and boy days keep hold or Us
that nothing In after years ever quite
blots out They were our friends and
companIona hy tho way and we are con-
,inually hunting around for somebody
that knew and loved them. too.
Lots Of people say: My little boy is
go busy playing he never has time for
me to read to him" Maybe you don't
put your little boy TO bed or run In
FOR that time OF night when a little
boys eyes are big with dreams and
inaGinations and thoughts of things
that he cannot quite straighten out.
That Is the time to tell tho story or
read the story. What II he does 20 20
sleep IN the middle OF 1t all? Won't
he want to hear tho rest OF II tho next
night? Or. better st!ll he may stop the
play 20 come and hear about the knight
that wore the golden spur ana battled
with lance as long as the curtain
pole. The story time is the time that
YOU get right into the middle OF the
ohild's Imagination. and that IS a
place few OF us seem able 10 get TO.
Don't you want your little boys and
girls to remember about the pertec.
knight and tho bameless life and TO
remember at the same limo that you
told them about it7
Reading aloud to child is Ike
weaving a golden spell about that
ohild's thoughts. and with tho thoughts
VIII come n heartful of love for you
and also p woven fabric OF the whole in
which you are the thread that leads
from one magic legend to another.
You do not want any ono else to have
that place. BRENT WITT,