The sun., 1919-07-13


family next door has. Surely there two three
in Johnnys grade at school. The United States
bows to the dollar and artistic talent stiles without
recognitiOn-but is our S-to-10-year-old specimen
sitting without iti You bet he ism t. Mother recog
nizes his talent Teacher pins his compositions on
the line of honor Father takes EN- downtown in his
pocket and makes nuisance of them: at Office and
club Sometimes5the local. newspaper prints Onesof
them, by request:
One Type in Childhood
Little Harold is going to be a Writer He will
make his mark when he grows up. No knowing
where he gets it from-neither his father nor l
could write anything to save US! CThis is a clumsy
burlesque of the crude examples. But the refined
examples, in homes where Art is enthroned are
worse, far worse, not only for the ncghbors' pneu-
mogaStricS, but for Harolds future which is the
important thing.)
Harold himself deserves examination, since,
strange as it seems, good many of him do under
take to write when they grow up. This mode of
precocious manifestation often sticks. Drawing sell
dom Does music rarely, except $50 scientists say
when the child has extra fine Well, typical
Little Harold is likely to be only child beside
that, in all probability he is physically rather
delicate and temperamentally decidedly sensitive
yomgster-the sort into whose youthful selves dis
agreeable impressions work like splinters whereas
agreeable ones expand them like so many small bal
loons-the sort who readily spoil and become
uncomfortable
That is the broad geography of the soul of most
Little Harolds writing their seventh grade compo-
sitions surprisingly well. Incidentally Harold may
be confirmed little iar-white lies at first for
fun, purposive lies soon as he finds that they save
him from unpleasantneSS Punishment for Them
whether the form is single fearful appeal to
his better nature Gas if he had oneI may only
make him subtler at it in future The lying is in his
favor, so far as writing prospects go; and dis
sent from the notion that curbing the propensity is
destroying embryo novelist. Whatever you do
the imagination behind the taradiddles remains.
Naturally Harold is absorbing some of the
grown-up recognition of his talent just as milk or
butter absorbs strong odor in the icebox. And
naturally he is expanding, in a way that will do
him no good His compositions are remarkable COM
positions. He is a remarkable boy. He comes to see
it himself Can you blame him 1t need not show in
him repulsivey at all He is still too young for
serious self-consciousness, and instead of Dragging
and making noise, as other boys do at his age he
hides his complacence deep inside, where it can
grow undisturbed, and presents to the world an
appealing quiet shyness.
Wing-Clipping Begun
Note that he is being formed in the habit of
writing for praise, instead of for sheer satisfaction
in doing it, and that the whole sorry process is
being carried along by force of the circumstance
that his small segment of the grown-up United
States wants first class author badly and values
more than most other sorts of distinguished in
dividuals. The parents may not know MAETER-
ILNCK from MARY JOHNSTON, or her from MYRTLE
REED. But Father knows that bright writing is a
credit to a progenitor, and Mother knows that
SHAKESPEARE and OWEN MEREDITH and DICKENS
and LEW WALLACE and LoNGFI1Aow were pc
culiarly and mysteriously Great Men. Teacher too
often doesn t know much about it still, she knows
that Harolds compositions make good showing
for her room, and the school superintendent knows
the rest.
In some homes Mother would rather Harold grew
up to be minister. In few a musician is pre-
ferred. But in most of them authorship has first
call in proud parental dreams. Let Harold at cut
loose with prose masterpiece and Fathers fond
bopn ne fol IN