The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-12-17
(Bx MRS. N. r.. PLAssMANNl

80
NHRISTMAS is drawing near, and
with it m the annual ques-
- ton: what shall we give the
children?" There are plenty of me-
chanical toys that will rejoice any
boys heart, and dolls in abundance
for the girls. But the pleasure de-
rived from these is transitory, at
best, although they are not without
their educational value. They are the
usual thing in the way of gifts, and
there neve was a time when there
was such a great variety of them
from which to choose. Children soon
outgrOw them. What is there of a
more lasting quality we can bestow?
This is the problem 1 was trying mental
ly to solve, when walking up the street, l
saw in a store this sentence printed on a
card. in large capital letters: "HOW HAP
Ply is THE CHILD WITH A BOOK" and
in this found my answer. Give the child
one well selected. book every Christmas
and all his life he will thank you.
l speak from experience on this subject.
My father was n book lover, and saw to it
that every birthday and Christmas should
he made memorable for his children with
books. | came to expect them on these
occasions, and shall never forget my ag-
grivcd feeling when my thirteenth Christ
mas saw no book.
We were then living in Bannack, Ida.
now Montana. 1t was 1863, and books in
that little mining town. were not regarded
as necessities of life. There was no book
store; no library; and what books had
found their way across the Plains, were
passed from hand to hand and read from
cover to cover at least once, and doubtless,
in numerous instances, many times.
In place of a book on that notable Christ
mas, | received a pair of stout shoes. There
was nothing fancy about them, not even
copper tips, which were at that time much
worn by children It goes without saying
/ was in sore need of new shoes, those l
wore from Ohio, were in a sad condition
from three months tramping through mud,
sagebruSh and sand; climbing mountains
wading streams, and treading rocky ways.
Yes, there was no doubt l needed them,
and they cost a good round sum in gold
but / hated them, and that Christmas was
no Christmas for me.
My earliest recollection Is of booklets
with attractive pictures, which rendered
the text | could not read, Ineligible. There
were also tracts and the New England
Primer, illustrated in less happy manner
The primer and the tracts were gifts OF
minister relatives, who cared less for art
than for the spiritual welfare of the young
recipient. The primer was Il constant de-
light, because of its rhyming verses with
their rude pictures, and l once committed
them all, from
"In Adams fall
We sinncd all. ("Sinned" in two syIl.
ahles evidently to render it more emphatic,
to-
"Zaccheus he
Did climb a tree
His Lord to. see" Which the unregenerat,
rendered more dramtic by adding
"The limb did break,
And he did fall,
And did not see his Lord at ALL"
Then followed in due time, the world
old fairy tales, Cinderella, Blue Beard
Arabian Nights and the others, and tn
modern ones of Hans Christian Anderson
/ know that MOteSSOri, or some Othe
teachers, object to Mother Goose, and fair,
tales. To my mind they help to train tn
imagination, so much needed to make en-
durable the stern realities of life. Nor doe
one out grow this taste for the marvellous
l one heard a prominent M%Ontanan remark
Il can today read a fairy tale with pleas
ure,' and the speaker was then over sixt
years of age.
Histories also figured in my gifts. Dick
ems Child's History Of England, an
Child's History Of Greece and Rome, tn
latter each in two beautiful scarlet-boun
volumes, prOfusely illustrated. Thus earl
l walked with the gods on Mount Olympus
From this Introduction, history and b
Ography, which is the history Of the ind
vtdual, derived additional interest which hs
accompanied me through the years. ! eve
enjoyed a quaint volume of FrOissart i
my fathers library. Later than hiStOr
came Shakespeare and the English an
American poets. Whatever taste l have
literature / attribute to these gifts.
Perhaps this l have written is too pc
sOnal in character, but / wish to NAL
clear what children like. I have know
many children, yet none so well as M