Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-23
ONE THOUSAND STORIES
OF LITTLE WILD FOLK
Thornton Burgess Tells of Compen-
sations Which Have Come
to Him.

Today appears the thousandth Bed
time Story of the little people who
dwell in the Green Forest, make glad
the Green Meadows. work and play in
the Smiling Pool and along the Laugh
Ing Brook. and are the Joy OF the Old
Orchard. l have been asked to tell
something of what the writing of these
stories has meant to me and of what
| myself have gained from the work.
Looking back over little more than
three years to the first of these daily
stories and trying to analyze all that
the writing of them has meant to me.
find it difficult to express. First of all.
1t has meant OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
to try in small way to pay my per-
sonal debt Of gratitude for the Unborn
love of nature which has been mine
since L can remember. by leading others
to take an interest in what meant so
| much to me; opportunity to plant the
seeds of love in the hearts of children;
| opportunity to in some small measure
do something in behalf of the little
wild neighbors without whom this
world would indeed be a dreary and
| hopeless place.
Making Of Many Friends.
And it has meant the joy of self-ex-
preston of creative work, than which
there is no keener joy. 1t has meant
the making of many friends and the
delightful discovery for myself that the
heart of child endures even though
the head becomes silvered 1t has
meant the satisfaction which comes
from the knowledge that something
which is worth while is being accom-
plished, for certainly that which makes
for the preservation of wild life is
worth while.
l have been asked many times how
1t is possible to write story every
day and keep it up. l have been asked
if the work does not become irksome.
1t is possible to do this work without
its becoming irksome simply because [
am personally interested and find my
own pleasure in the doing of 1t. From
all parts of America, and even from as
far away as TOXIC. Japan, have come
letters from little children and from
big children. from parents and from
grandparents. and each one of these
letters is an inspiration for further en-
deavor
A little boy from Japan writes me
that Blacky the Crow speaks the same
language there that he does here in
America. From northern Quebec an
old trapper writes that all the little
wild folks are now called by name
where he lives. From Chicago comes
a letter from woman to thank me for
the influence the daily stories are hav-
ing in the molding of her little five
year-old boys character. blind
grandmother of ST. Louis dictates a
letter to express the pleasure which
she finds in seeing once more the green
meadows and green forests of childhood
through the medium OF the stories.
BOYS write me that they have given up
their traps, and instead of killing, are
doing what they can to make lire
easier for their little wild neighbors.
School teachers take the trouble to send
a word of appreciation Of the help IN
nature study which they find through
the medium of these stories.
Appreciation of Children.
And the children! God bless the lit
tie folks Their letters come from
every state in the Union. written In
sprawling hand. printed. and sometimes
written for them. but manifestly die
tated by them. These letters alone are
a stimulus which would be sufficient
were there no other to keep the work
going.
If nv readers, little and big, have
gained something of enjoyment, some
thing of knowledge, something of help
fulness from the thousand stories. the
gain to the author has been more. Many
letters have been in the nature OF ap-
preciation and to thank me for the
stories. The greater appreciation ana
thanks is due from me to my readers
have so freely given me. The writing
Of a thousand stories has not been =
task. but pleasure