The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-17

petus for healthful development and good citizenship.
 l Probably the most grateful work of Neighborhood House is the care of the little children during the absence of their working mothers They are kept clean and sweet given fresh milk and play to make them happy. Knowing their safety and comfort, the mother as she works in store or laundry factory is relieved of anxiety, and looking forward to the happy reunion in the evening. Mrs. Beecher the other day, in talking of her approaching programme, said: T think this is a wonderful charity a womanly charity. too. Its aim is sweeter than that of any orphanage I know, for the mother. too, is made happy. Just to think" she said in that sweet beautiful way of hers. "of taking care of the little ones all day and then giving them back | to the mother when night comes. Isn't | it lovely thing to do?"
 | Because it is a humanitarian work which seeks to give happiness and health to little children, Mrs. Beecher has chosen i to give "The Golden Age" It Is com posed of selections from recent poetry, romance and drama illustrating the mod ern attitude toward childhood. The in- tention is not didactic. but artistc--not to instruct, but to please and entertain Mod- | ern science and poetry alike suggest that | we live over again in each life the slow evolution of the race, and that childhood corresponds othe period in the Garden | of Eden-the Golden Age.
 1 Mrs Beecher's love for children radiates the whole of her Golden Age. She has | developed the reading from a small be- ginning. adding a selection here. a selec- l tion there-the beautifud. mystic poems I of childhood embodied in Tagore's idea, | the Crescent Moon. ."-the name itself she pronounces an exquisite description of childhood. and the altogether different | Booth Tarlkington boy character, Penrod Schoield to be included in her series of | readings.
 Chatting with me a day or two ago In my little sanctum downtown, she told how she had gathered together the ma terial for her reading. from modern fc- | ton. poetry. and drama to make an ar tistic definition of the new attitude to the child. This is the age of the chiid." she declares, but the new appreciation of | childhood summed up in the theory and practice of Dr. Maria Montessori. was long ago expressed by our own child poet James whitcomb Riley. who said that | The baddest child is just about as good | as he can be!'"
 'The real differences between children and adults.' she continued, is that the | grown-ups are absorbed in the serious business of making living; of providing | food and clothing and shelter; of looking | arter social advancement or artistic ca- reer-while children are engaged in the 1 fascinating experience of living. They want to experience life and the world"
 She considers the Penrod Sehof1eld stories record of the conflicts between childish and grown-up ideals ''Penrod," | she said "when we had agreed in our delight in these fascinating stories-"Pen- rod is called the worst boy in town: he
 Is simply the most normal He wants all
 the experience he can stand and he ex-
 plores the whole world of sense for it."
 And such is the variety of her pro-
 gramme. Mrs. Beecher will give a selec-
 tion from Eleanor Gates beautiful play
 "The Poor Little Rich Girl" The play
 has subtle pathos and yet a tender
 humor.
 The first act is in the evening. the
 third the next morning. The second
 presents concretely the delirious dream
 that drifts through the mipd of the Iit-
 tie girl as she hovers between life
 and death as the result of an overdos
 of q sleeping potion administered by
 6 vicious nurse to whom the child
 corresponds to the period in the Garden climber and is too much absorbed to
 give the child any attention and her
 father Wall street figure command- ing world attention. Both dearly love
 the little girl and they fancy the high iy saiaried ooterie of servants and tu-
 tors are supplying all her needs. IT
 the chiid's wild rawlings they learn the
 truth and the sun rises on a new life
 for them all.