The sun., 1919-09-28

r TAvE you been to the Childrens
Story Hour at the Metropoli-
= = tan Museum Of Art? No?
Then you have something coming for
the rejuvenation Of you and yours;
something to stimulate fai;l in democ-
racy. Next Sunday afternoon at 8
o'clock in the museum lecture hall,
entrance at Fifth avenue and Eighty
second street. begins the third season
Of the Childrer's Story Hour.
Give yourself and children a treat
personally conduct them thither. II
childless, borrow a kid and make with
It to this third largest and most impor-
tant art museum in the world, New
York's free "shrine of the Seven Arts"
whose annual budget the City Fathers
have cut from s23S,0o0 to $4,000.
The Story Hour will not only enter
tain but also will put you in touch
with Americanization in It's most SUBJ
tie, insidious guise. For 1t Is an audi
ence-for the most part--that harks
back to divers races and climes and
conditions Of servitude. Last year
from October to April more than $4,000
children fiocked to the Story Hour
no mean 'antidote to poor movies. y Z
The Museum Has Pronrcsssd.
The Story Hour emphasizes as no
other post bellnm innovation how far
the Metropolitan Museum Of Art has
travelled since its Sunday CLOSED
shop" of less than a generation ago.
Indeed, cart for arts sake is as dead
there to-day as the divine right Of
kings. World war not only levelled
the Chinese wall that kept It for long
inviolate from ''the man in the street"
but vitalized it with the slogan, Art
for the Masses
It is the Children's Story Hour that
is putting the museum in personal
touch not only with children Of our
soil but with those Of the alien.
Through the magic of story born OF
its great art treasures child eyes are
opening to beauty. imagination quick
ening, high ideals being inculcated--
in short they are literally being con-
vertcd into missionaries to carry the
gospel of beauty and good fellowship
into homes and lives often drab and
sordid If not inimical to the Stars
and Stripes. For in the wake of the
children come parents and guardians.
No less eagerly they drink in the
stories and help the children locate
In the museum the paintings, statuary,
architecture, the varied objects of ART
and historic beauty that inspired them,
until they are beginning to feel that
they are part owners OF the museums
creations of master minds. No longer
are the collections OF q ]. Pierpont
Morgan, Benjamin Altman, George
Hearn, Vanderbilt and like money
kings symbols to the aliens of tyran-
meal power, but rather souvenirs of
o gracious and thoughtful munificence
Miss Chandler Started Custom.
This Museum Story Hour is not to
be COMPOUNDED with that which obtains
In schools and library centres. Anna
Curtis Chandler is the live wire that
has put over the innovation and keeps
1t glowing. Having specialized at
Wellesley College in art, she came
with sheepskin to the museum staff
to identify and catalogue its photo O..
graphs. Meanwhile, with sub-con-
scious feeling that sometime, some-
how, she would concentrate on child
work, she followed the story writing,
story telling course at Columbia Uni
versity. Henry w. Kent, the mu.
scum secretary, who has genius for
discovery Of talent and putting il
where 1t will serve the museum most
effectively, suggested to Miss Chand-
Ter TO write and tell stories embody-
Ing museum objects.
Miss Chambers fertile brain re.
sponded. Upon the School Art League
IN the museum basement classroom
the experiment was tried out upon g
small group of children that quickly
outgrew in number the rooms capacity
30 instantaneous was the success thai
the museum as quickly as feasible tool
over the Story Hour from the Ar
School League and Mr.. Kent started
two series: one Saturday mornings fol
members children; the other Sunday
afternoons for children and adults O.