Show russia removes fairy bans childish classics restored though the russians were by no means the first to consider nursery literature bang dangerous erous it if the belief is widespread that the world Is 13 going mad counter evidence la Is furnished in a quarter least to be suspected russia that country has removed its ban on childrens classics and fairy tales robinson crusoe Is first on the list ol of nursery favorites to be reprinted by the hundred thousand it may be that this book will not come from the press just as detoe defoe wrote it for it has nn an element of piety that soviet russia does not formally endorse robert lynd of the news bews chron icle london finds it difficult to understand der stand how the russian authorities originally came to believe that reading the nursery classics was likely to turn good bolshevik children into wicked reactionaries lie ile points out that the emperors new clothes is as sharp a satire on the ways of 0 courtiers as any communist could have written also lie argues that the marriage of a poor man with a princess or a poor girl with a king might be used as propaganda for human izman equality but ideas were rushing too fast in one direction for soviet officials to see it that way ue ile draws upon america for support the american republic has survived the perils implicit in in fairy tales for a century and a half without ever having had bad to revise the stories so as to make the beggar maid marry the president instead of the king and to leave cinderella living happily ever after as the wife ol of the mayor of new kew york mr lynd does docs the russians justice in saying that they have not lot been the first people to suspect the presence of poison in nursery literature there have been puritans of so stern a cast that they looked on fairy airy tales as frivolous lies alch it was dangerous to put into the hands bands of children it might also be added that modern radicals have come near the puritan ideal by condemning fairy tales tor for another reason that they give false ideals of life our early puritans may have known nothing of these stories and so did not condemn them but the substitutes they offered are shown in a recent book by dr A S rosenbach early american childrens books cs upon which miss carolyn wells offers off ers this comment in the new york sorl american to me the book beoh Is of absorbing interest because it convinces me of something I 1 have heretofore refused to believe in the stern and rockbound hearts of the pilgrim fathers I 1 felt the awful tales of their strict lind and rigorous training of young peo pie roost must be exaggerated it if not positively untrue but judging as one may and must by the literature given to youth in those times it Is evident that the fathers were more cruel to their offspring than the younger youngai generation of today Is to its parents the first book for children printed in america published in boston in wis was the rule of the new crea ture to ee be practiced every day la in all the particulars of it which are ten tile the boole begins thus be sensible of thy original corruption daily I 1 how bow it inclines thee to evil and thee to goo good d groan under it and bewail it ILI 1 I had no reason to be surprised at these admonitions for at ray nay own sunday school I 1 recited from an infant catechism which I 1 still remember almost word for word one of its early questions was what are arc you then by na naturel turell to which my glib reply a for I 1 always knew my lessons les bons was 1 1 I am an enemy of god a child of satan and an heir of liell hen 1 at that time I 1 had reached the mature age of four couri literary digest |