Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-25
MEMORIES OUT OF TWO OLD READERS
An Evenings Adventures With Some Bohood Books That Are
Battered Torn and Stained With Gingerbread, but
More Delightful Than Any Novel,
BY WALTER PRIcHARD EATON

T HAVE just come across two battered old
i boolSs-or rather my mother has come
across them, and sent them to me-which
have given me an evening Of more delight
than the most popular novel Of the day could
do They are battered and torn and stained
but what memories they bring back!
Yet they are only two of "Swintons Sup
Elementary Readers" the second and third
readers at that. never used them in school.
Indeed, 1 didn't go to school till long after
the third reader period. But l pored over
them because they were full of pictures and
tales, and pored over their pages again
this evening every picture was like an old
friend long lost and found again; and as for
the poems and Stories 1 was amazed to dis
cover now much of that mental background
we all possess as result of our childhood
contact with art came directly out of these
two battered brown books. 1t was almost a
terrifying revelation to me of the tremendous
Importance of the books we give our children.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Even today I can tell largely by memory
which stories liked best But even II my
memory had failed me, the books themselves
bear physical evidence in the form of thumb
prints and gingerbread smears. Most popular
of ALL It would appear from the evidence,
was the story of THE Elves and the Shoe
maker" This tale is illustrated with cap
tivating cut, in the Crulkshank manner,
showing the two elves dancing gleefully in
the clothes the grateful shoemaker's wife cut
for them-or rather one Of them is dancing,
while the other is hastily thrusting his bare
legs into the tiny breeches can still re-
call my delight at this episode, and the warm
thrill of pleasure I always experienced at
the generosity of the elves and the gratitude
of Mr.. and Mrs. Shoemaker,
I find in the same volume highly proper
poem called 1.-THE Better Land" which is
illustrated by the picture of a Rollo-lIke child
sitting at the feet of sad lady in Widows
weeds. There isn't a gingerbread mark on
the page! Grimm knew his business better
than the Sunday school poetesses.
In the earlier of the two books is the tale
OF Hop-o'- My Thumb, with a picture that
almost terrified me again tonight-a picture
of the family procession advancing into
deep gloomy forest with tiny Hope my
| Thumb at the rear, scattering his crumbs
! How important pictures are to children is at
tested by the fact that all my life have
! thought of the tale of Hop o. my Thumb as a
| tale OF terror; its atmosphere has been that
! of a gloomy hemlock forest at twilight; and
when saw the old reader again this evening
I realized It was this illustration which had
been in the back of my consciousness all the
while.
Other stories in the same elementary reader
are the tale OF "Dick Wilmington and His
Cat" Hans in Luck" 1.-THE Man on the
Chimney ("Unravel your stoeSingl Begin
at the toe!'-we all know that oneD "The
Ugly Duckling," Diamonds and Toads, -
THE Christmas Tree for Cats" the immortal
Three Bears" and a dozen OF Aesop's
Fables OF course. you say l would have
read all of these stories somewhere else. No
doubt did read them somewhere else. had
a whole volume of Aesop and another OF
Grimm. Yet why is it that remember them
out OF this particular book associated with
these particular pioturesP For some dim,
childish reason. this book was dear 10 me,
and because it was dear It was my real in
PRODUCTION into imaginative literature When
a child shows attachment 70 a book, be surs
the book Is worthy and then give every pos
slble encouragement. The child Is storing up
immortal memoriesi
The Lilliput Levee
Next TO the tale OF The Elves ana the
Shoemaker the most gingerbready passage Is
that containing poem, or Jingle. called
''Liniput Levee" / suppose It has been % OF
80 years since ! saw or heard that poem YET
when ! saw the pictures and read the irst
line tonight the whole thing came back 10
me with a fash. and each succeeding lins
was fully read before my eyes had taken Ia
half Of Il.
Where does Flnafors Palace standq