San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-29

the child searching for words with
which TO materialize the dreams that
were in her small brain, she encour-
aged the little person TO express in
words her feeling upon any subject
that interested her, and, without the
child's knowledge in the beginning,
she copied her exact expressions.
In the meantime Hilda lived the
life Of any ordinary child, going TO
school, romping and playing with her
fellows. given the advantages Of
home Of culture and refinement.
The result has been that this child
has given birth to a number of poetic
| conceptions that are as exquisite as
ever have emanated from any poet
living.
In one or two instances her work
has been placed in competition with
that of great poets Of the present day
and awarded a highly coveted prize
without those making the award
knowing that they were giving it TO a
child under ten years Of age. ..,.
Suppose - ...
Granted that this course of sympa-
thetic appreciation, encouragement
and proper education on the part of
the parents of this child shall be con-
tinued to maturity. there is every rea-
son to expect mental achievements of
beauty and brilliancy Of the very high
est order.
1t is possible that the great poet of
the future may be this child. Already
the world has been enriched in beauty
of thought and spiritual development
| by her conceptions.
Now take a reverse of this case. .
Suppose that this mother had been
interested in her personal concerns.
her housekeeping and her profession
to such an extent that she had no
| time TO give to the visions her small
girl wanted to paint for her.
Suppose that she had laughed at her
and told her that it was not possible
for anyone to write poetry without
having very special education in the
laws Of rhyme. rhythm, metre, ca
dence and the like, until the child felt
that it was hopeless to try to express
herself and became interested in other
matters and so ceased to watch for
the picture, to listen for the song, TO
try to materialize the dream.
Who is to say what wonderful beau
ty would have been lost to the world!
Discouraging Talent.
Yet this thing is going on every day
and hour - the boy trying to make
scientific experiments, with no facili-
ties; the boy wild to explore the fields
and the woods, the coming naturalist,
penned in a store or an office: the
child born with a God-given gift Of
music. discouraged, purposely diverted
TO other channels; the born actor,
either boy or girl. deliberately weanel
from art, stunted in development, by
parents of narrow religious views who
feel that an actor is one of the
damned: that Unborn genius must be
frustrated in order 10 return the soul
possessing it to the God who gave 1t,
without fruition.
Certainly I do not know what God
is going to say TO people responsible
for such a condition. re .'
The wonder things of the world, the
things that make life worth living. are
the things that the development of IN
especially endowed genius produces.
So | would most earnestly plead with
parents 10 watch their children care
fully. and. at any personal sacrifice,
no matter how great, to give them
| sympathetic encouragement, to help
them develop along any lines for which
they seem TO be suited by birth. -
1t is the easiest thing to detect in