Evening star., 1937-12-29
Hobbies Are
Valuable
To Child
Taking Pictures Is
One of the Best
For Any Age.
BY ANGELO PATRI,

A CHILD who has liking for some
pleasant occupation has good
chance to find that life has its joys.
If he has hobby to which he can
turn In moments of depression he has
an open door to the hills from which
cometh my help" And that is one Of
the first essentials to happy, healthy
living.
Encourage a child to follow what
ever interest he holds at the moment,
but don't feel bad because he drops it
and takes another. 1t is by such ex-
pertinent that he finds the thing he
wants. One experience feeds another,
SO the last is always the richer for
the first.
There are many, many fields Of in
terest for children. They are as varied
as the children themselves. Stamp
collections, breeding animals, collect
ing Of all sorts, making scrapbooks,
cultivating gardens, raising fish. There
are countless ways of escape from the
world and its business. To my mind,
taking pictures is the hobby that sup
plements other hobbies.
The school child finds his camera
most helpful. He can record expert.
ences, make records OF projects, rec
ords Of all sorts and enjoy the whole
proceeding immensely. 1t will serve
him in the laboratory, in the artroom,
in study period. It will furnish many
reference and lend timely aid in
preparation for the many written
papers. And apart from its usefulness
there is the satisfaction 1t affords a
child's beauty-loving soul. Every pic
ture that a child takes carries this
note within It,
Children who learn to use their
cameras learn to love the things they
picture The attention they give to
the subject brings it clearly to their
minds; they see it as they never saw
it before-beautiful worthy Of their
respect If not affection. That is very
valuable quality to instill in the mind
respect and affection for the people
and the things about us. It purifies
the spirit.
Using camera is harmless pas
time. It destroys nothing and It
creates fine qualities in the mind Of
the operator. am speaking now of
the child-operator, the amateur. It
gives far more than it takes. As a
birthday gift, bon voyage remem-
brance. it Is ideal. I commend 1t to
all worthy aunts and uncles and con-
scientious godmothers as useful, in
nocent, stimulating gift.
There are hobbies without number
that appeal to countless children. If
grown people would respect them
more, nourish them more, the chill
dren would be the better for it. We are
not doing enough in the way Of keep
ing youth pleasantly and profitably
employed. Our children as a group
are not filling their time sufficiently
with worthwhile experiences. Schools
are good as far as they go, but there
are worlds Of experiences waiting for
the children, left untried, unknown,
because nobody makes them accessible.
Make some Of these experiences
easy for children to acquire. Help
them to hobby. The cost is usually
little enough for the results. It may
help you to get this idea If you know
that an hour spent on ones hobby
enables one to work hours at ones
duty. Dutiful children need a lift.
Mr.. Patri will give personal atten-
ton to inquiries from parents and
school teachers on the care and de-
velopment Of children Write him In
care Of this paper, inclosing Scent
stamped, self-addressed envelope for
reply.
(Copyrisht, 1879