Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-10-16

In Harry Behn, children have
not only found new poet but 6
new champion.
A slim, sensitive, sophisticated
middle-aged man, who has wha1
he calls "a nasty, small-boy look,
he has found himself. much tt
his surprise, compared with A
A. Milne and Robert Louis
Stevenson.
His first volume of poems, the
last of which was written at Least
Is years ago, has just made it.
appearance. and critics have ex.
tended themselves considerably ir
praising it's freshness and it:
charm, its wisdom and it's humor
Entitled THE Little Hill" it con.
tains exquisitely simple couplet.
of experiences common to child
hood and the discovery of nature
Mr.. Behn read a number Of
them to a delighted audience al
the Arts Club last week: They
were particularly taken with one
that began:
"TreeS are the kindest things I
knoD
They do no harm, they simply
groU."
There were many others, al
with that neW-minted look which
is the essential of children's
poetry. Mr.. Behn ayers that he
did not write them. He simply
"eavesdropped" on his own chill.
dren and translated" their bah.
blings. Pretty Pam, Prescott anc
Peter Boo" the trio who provided
the material, are all now grown
and Mr.. Behn is counting on Pam
who recently married, to present
him with grandchildren who will
provide him with more.
That is Harry Behn the chill
dren's poet. Harry Behn, the chill
dren's champion, says feelingly
that he thinks that the young ones
are getting the short end of it ir
the intellectual exchange between
children and their elders.
While not an advocate of pro.
gressive education, Mr.. Behr
doesn't hold with the adult meth.
cd of turning everything into {
lesson, like making a nice little
walk nature study. He want!
them to be let alone and lovee
and admired for being children.
They'll mature better for it, 1T
believes.
"We give them those horrible
radio programs and comic books.
Yes. We can't blame them fol
these things surely. And what d.
they give us? They give us thei
own wisdom. They have the kint
of simplicity which instinctivel!
recognizes that experience ism
simple.
| Children don't have enough
ambassadors in the psychiatri'
world" he says.
A Hollywood Alumnus.
An alumnus of Hollywood
where he spent nine years ant
wrote the scripts for THE BIZ
Parade" and La Boheme," which
he didn't consider writing at all
Mr.. Behn took his family to tn
University of Arizona, where h
taught English and radio writing
and managed the university radi'
station. Now ensconced in Green
wich, Conn, he is at work on hi
second play which will show tn,
spirit Of American democracy a
it is exemplifled in an American
family.
Pleased if a bit bemused at hi
delayed success as children
poet, Mr.. Behn cherishes one com.
ment above all the glowing re.
views he has received. It cam,
from a 7-year-old boy who re.
ceived The Little Hill" for hi.
birthday, and who le-boylike
declined to tell his parents whether
he liked it or not. He was over.
heard, however, as he turned i
over to the little girl next door
to say. Here. This will explain
how I feel about things"
Peter Bourne Hos Done
A Lot Of Name Changing
Consider the case of Petel
Bourne, recent visitor to Wash.
IN ~.