The Washington times., 1916-12-26
Toe Few Authors Give Sufficient
Attention to Juvenile
Fiction.
TRASHY BOOKS HOLD FIELD
Youngsters Don't Want Liter
airy Pap" Says Mary
Austin.

, What children read depends for the
most part upon what grown'ups write
vor them, but despite the fact that
there Is SO vast a reading public from
eight years to eighteen most % the
grown.ups who write seera not par
ticularIy interested In feeding the
Juvenile imagination. Why write for
the child reader, they say, whom the
market 10 flooded with trash, and
when one has to compete with the
moving pictures? Break IL gently to
the little ones, but most serious
artists OF the pen or typewriter do
not care to write for Juvenile readers.
Mary Austin. however, who has
Just written a play to be produced at
q special series OF holiday matineeS
for children at the Cohan a Harris
Thcater in New York, December 20
90 January o, has other and more
hopeful views. There is nothing more
serious, nothing more worth while, In
her opinion, than the production OF
literature that will not only hold tho
childs attention but develop him into
n discriminating reader, something
which will not happen to the average
child reader OF the day IL he is allow.
ed TO run wild In the literary forest
Too Much sentinacntaIity.
"Tho modern chiid," says Miss Aus.
tin, "is fed on too much literary pap.
In 90 cases out OF 100 the child Il
doied out a story OF childhood scnti.
mental, untrue to life or mock heroic.
Most OF tho stories that are claHsed as
Juvenile literature do the child more
harm than good, because they ignore
tho child's psychological needs. Every,
action, every game. every curiosity of
tho child In prompted by his instinct.
i've tendency To initiate the more ad'
vanced stages OF growth for which
he H. preparing himself. when child.
ron play games they do not spend
their energies In acting out tho intri'
cacies OF their own lives or the lives
of other children: but they play
church or housekeeping or store. or
any other OF the activities that make
ND the lives OF the adults around them.
These are the great unknown things
that lie ahrad of them. and which, OF
course, are fascinating because un.
known. In these games the role OF
the child II always the one stupid
role, and wherever you see four or
flye children playing house. for In
willingly and agricvediy being forced
Co play the role Of tho child. No one
cares about playing a game that IL
already worn and familiar.
sHssid ssinuiase Ckiis.
"Now tho very same principle APP
plies to children's literature. Most Of
the books that have been written for
them give them childhood as mental
food instead Of giving them life.
chIIdis lima ginatlon should be stimu-
lated by images OF the more active and
varied life Into which Il Is growing. The
growing child. u he IL to become "A
normal, vigorous individual. must be
given plenty OF excitement and action.
for the sake OF his Imagination as well
ms OF his well-being. Just ms ~ needs
plenty OF hard play. OF Qoise. or strenu-
Gus games. NO he also should be given
the books that open up 10 him gll the
phases OF life that are shot through
with color and romance. excitement and
action. That 10 why children read and
reread Iyanhoe' aud Tom Sawyer.
The Water Babies and jungle books.
All these books are about larger life
which Is still n strange one 10 them.
but which may be the next step In their
achievement. They want pirates and
kings, bandits and sailors and prin-
cesses. and not the miniature personal
chronicle OF small life like their own.
Must Sustain Interest
"The great mistake OF most OF the
people who put on plays for children
IS that they forget tho inability Of
a child TO grasp more than a GER
tain amount OF plot and action and
character within a certain time. The
child's attention cannot concentrate
for more than a certain length of
time. and unless you give him the
action In short, simple episodes--each
episode complete In itself-he will
not be able 10 sustain his interest or
remember what IL IL all about But
there is so much Potentially In the
right type OF drama for children, ana
so much that can be done to feed the
imas nation through the stage. that
I believe all schools should make use
OF the stage as a means OF education