| Show russia removes fair fairy y bans childish classics restored though the russians were lvere hy by no means the first to consider nursery literature dan dangerous crous it if the belief Is widespread that tile world Is going mad counter la Is in a quarter least to bo be suspected hussla that country lifts has removed its ban on oil childrens classics find fairy titles I crusoe Is first on the list of nursery favorites farl tes to be reprinted by tit the hundred thousand it may be that tills this book will not come collie from tile the press just its as defoe wrote aro to it for it has nn an element clement of piety that soviet russia does docs not formally endorse robert lynd of the news chron icle london finds it to understand der stand how till the russian authora ties originally came to believe that reading loading the nursery classics was like 1110 13 1 to turn good bolshevik children into wicked reactionaries ile he points out that the emperors new clothes Is as sharp it n satire on the ways of court courtiers lers ns any communist could have written also lie ergues that ali t tile the marriage of a poor ninn man with a n princess or a poor girl with a king might bo be aed as propaganda tor human equality but ideas were rushing too fast in one direction for soviet officials to see it that way ue lie draws upon america Aine ilca tor for support tile the american republic has 1111 the perils implicit in fit fairy tales for a century and a half without ever cm having bad to revise the stories so ns as to arnle the beggar marry the president instead of the king find to leave leae cinderella living hap happily ever after as the lie wife of the mayor maior of new york mr lynd does the russians jus we in saying that they have not been the first people to suspect tile the presence of poison in nursery literature there have hae been puritans of so stern a cast that they looked on fairy tales as frivolous lies which it wa was a dan dangerous gergus to put into the hands of children it might also bo be added that modern radicals have come near tho the puritan ideal by conde condemning inning fairy tales for another reason that they give false ideals of life our early puritans may have known nothing of those stories and so did not condemn them but the substitutes they offered are shown in a recent book by dr A S rosen baab karly american childrens books upon which miss carolyn wells offers this comment in the new york Amerl american ban to me the book Is of absorbing interest because it convinces me of something I 1 have heretofore refu refused to believe in the stern and rockbound hearts ot of the pilgrim fathers I 1 felt the awful tales of theo their strict and rigorous training of young peo plo pie must be exaggerated if not post lively untrue but judging na as one may alit ciul must ly by the literature given to youth in fit those times it Is evident that the fathers were more cruet cruel to their than the younger generation of today Is to its parents parent s tile first book for children printed in america published in doston tit in 1682 was the of the alie new crea ture to ile he practiced ayery day in III all the particulars of it which A aro 0 ten the book begins begin thus 11 ilo 10 sensible of thy original corruption dally daily how flow it inclines thee to evil and Indispose th thee to good groan under it and bewall bewail it 1 I had no reason to be surprised surprise d at tit these ese admonitions for tit at my own sunday school I 1 recited from fill an ill infant catechism I 1 still rem lemein ber word for word one of its early questions was what are you then by nature to which in my glib reply liay for I 1 always knew my lessons was 11 1 I nm alit an all enemy of god it child ot of satan mid and nn an heir of liell hell at that time I 1 had reached the mature age of four 11 LIt literary crary digest dig g at |
