Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-11

The spirited manner In which adults
Of this generation have sprung to the
defense Of the old-time fairy tales
makes it seem far from likely that there
will be any wholesale tampering with
these classics, even though Miss Marie
Duggan Of the bureau Of educational
service Of the Teachers College Of Co
Of "mawkish sentimentality." From
the same college comes a stanch de-
render of the stories-Prof. Annie
Moore, who teaches childrens courses in
literature. And it seems that she has
tn majority opinion on her side.
AS the Albany Evening News states
the case, Miss Duggan would Danish
Mother Goose and fairy tales and have
some sort of simplified Shakespeare and
International and inSpirational tales
about the real world and about boys and
girls who eat spinach and grow strong"
The News thinks otherwise: Certainly
we grown-ups like to read fairy stories
of a sort, although we no longer believe
in fairies. There is no reason why we
should take Santa Claus and the fairies
away from the little ones. Anything
that makes childhood happier ought to
remain. 1t is not necessary to make
this hard, factual world any harder"
concludes the News.
X y y
After considering some of the mod
ernized" material suggeSted-the story
Of Juniors pajamas, for instance. start
ing with the picking Of the cotton and
going on through the various processes
till the pajamaS land in Juniors ward
robe; and the new alphabet books, with
"A" standing for adding machine, "B"
for bank and CO. for cheque-the Buff
falo Evening News ironically says:
why not come down to stern matter Of
fact with Junior right at the start? On
Saturday mornings why not take him
around to the counting houses for in
spiration? BY doing weekly
round of the counting houses Junior
will develop spirit so happy and a
sense Of values so true that he will
become source of sweetness and
light"
In a similar vein the Des Moines
Tribune-Capital suggests: "If the idea
is that Jack the Giant Killer and kin
bred tales are too gory," that Jack
might be metamorphoSed from a slayer,
dripped with blood. into perhaps tariff
reformer. Under this plan Little Tommy
Tittlemouse, who f1shed in other mems
preserves, and Tom the Piper's Son, the
eminent pig thief, would be changed into
1AOA4CoO LVCAC wiz A4cAlCu lCkIbI~
mate waters to feed a widowed mother,
or who Joined the Meredith Pig Club
with great profit to themselves and
their families. Absurd and uninforma-
tive poems like the discussion Of the
garden of Mary Quite Contrary would
be so changed as to inculcate construc-
tive information about the cultivation Of
radishes or brussels sprouts"
X x
The Detroit News asks a practical
question: Before making up q read
ing program for children, why not con-
suit the children" And answers it
with the observation that the average
child will put up with just so much
Improvement and then he Is likely to
rebel, and all the good effects are
spoiled,
I'm this machine age, that thinks so
much in terms Of wheels and motors,
may it not be that to- much emphasis
has already been placed on practical
things in the education Of the very
young and too little on the things that
are purely fanciful?" inquiries the ST.