| Show How v Serious Are The Funnies Josephine E Phillips What shall hall I do about my four four- four Id year year-Id ear Id Masons Mason's perfect obsession for the funnies a despairing mother inquired of the study child child group roup He lIe simply gloats over those horrid distorted pictures No- No Nobody No-lody No body grandfather grand would suspect that his grand grand- father was an artist Sometimes Iwonder I wonder if hes he's quite ri right ht J The study lea leader er laughed I IT guess hes he's normal enough Mrs Andrews But I agree with you the funnies seem to be here to stay and they do offer a problem to the thoughtful mother I tried slipping the comic sheets gut out ut and destroying de them before beCore Dick Dicky and Mary could get hold of oC them until I discovered they were poring over the very same series I at a neighbors neighbor's house Mrs Reynolds said ruefully Im sure they're going to ruin rHin Iason's taste for all that's beau beau- beautiful beautiful tiCul and artistic And Ive I've spent so much money and thought too choosing the illustrated best-illustrated books for him I suppose I must la lay down the law and absolutely forbid them lason is obedient What do you do about them in your home The leader had turn turn- turned turned ed d to Mrs Smith who seldom volun volunteered volunteered advice without an invitation invitation invitation tion but whose opinions were al- al always always al always ways worth listening to Well in a way we do nothing nd in another way we do a good deal Mr Smith and I sat down one with a batch of the comics and tried to analyze just what there was about them that made them attractive to most youngsters We boiled it down to something like this First the very crudeness of f the drawings gives ives exercise to the imagination and at the same time the pictures are quite ade- ade ade adequate quate and understandable to the child They are on a semi primitive semi level with him as you might say Then there is action expressed and anda anda anda a normal child is always eager for activity There is humor too Not very delicate or subtle humor per per- perhaps perhaps perhaps haps but nevertheless the kind tickles a childs child's fancy and that he can see sec through without particular mental effort There are exaggerated exaggerated situations that create su- su suspense suspense su suspense a form of fear and of all the instincts or emotions if you ou classify it that way fear is the most delightful to exl experience vi- vi vicariously vi vicariously Witness the growing rowing adult demand for mystery and de- de detective de detective stories I In short the fun fun- funnies funnies funnies nies seemed to us to furnish pleas pleasurable pleasurable little shortcuts to exper- exper experience experience exper in a make-believe make world which the child doesn't need to be- be belon belong be belong lon long in to enjoy Now we couldn't say teh or humor or action or fear I of this sort is harmful for the child We felt that what would be harmful harmful harm- harm harmful ful would be to over in inthe inthe inthe the childs child's mind the importance or wickedness of the comic strips by forbidding them The situation is similar to that at Thanksgiving and Christmas time with doting relatives about theres there's a n good deal of fancy indigestible food and cheap candy around And what do you do about that 1 Have an extra lot of good satisfying food at mealtimes to counteract it it As an antidote to the funnies I try to have plenty or of really good reading and look ing matter on hand I help the chil children children dren choose good pictures for th their ir rooms sometimes to see sro the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night and these We change every few months I sub sub- subscribe subscribe sub subscribe scribe to one of the better chil chil- children's chil- chil children's children's drens dren's magazines with excellent art work and written well-written stories These magazines with the help of good books do much toward satisfying the natural craving for humor and adventure Above all allI I try to k keep p our own home life so normal and merry that the fun nies will take their proper not proper very important or especially harm harm- harmful place ful-place ful place in it Mrs Irs Andrews sighed Some times times I think rising raising Mason right is going to be more a matter mater oi of exel exercising plain common than ot of either m mir mir- miracles mir miracles l- l acles or catastrophes for him Perhaps it is 13 the lead lead- leader leader leader er knowingly I take pleasure in the significance of kindergarten education as a fundamentally necessary necessary necessary essary step in the whole process of H education education H W Chase form former former former er President University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Is there a kindergarten in the public school for the children of your community If not write to the National Kindergarten Association Association Association tion 8 West Fortieth Street NewYork NewYork New NewYork York for advice and literature on how to obtain one |
