With high esteem and full of respect I greet a genuine
story-teller; with intense gratitude I grasp him by the hand.
—FROEBEL
The school is joining hands with the children for fuller recognition of
the story and story-telling.
Note, by the way, that it is with the children. In an elder day
grown-ups, too, yielded themselves to the witchery of the story. But
printing and the book banished the wandering story-teller; with a little
progress in science came recoil from the superstitions and absurdities of
the folk tale; the increasing complexity of life bred in the superficial
thinker contempt for the unperplexed nursery fable; the intellectual
pedant found it distressingly naïve; pressure of affairs robbed the busy
man of any leisure for it. So, among peoples advancing in civilization,
the grown-ups gradually left the story more and more to the children.
And the children, wise youngsters that they are, have never allowed
themselves to outgrow it.
Is it not delightful to note that learning is bringing the adult back
to the story? The trend of thought to-day, urging him to look to the
natural beginnings of things, is taking him back to the story. The
historian searches it for early glimpses of fact; the philosopher sees
lasting wisdom in it; the literary seer marvels at the truth and beauty
of fairy-tale symbols of life; the busy man of affairs accompanies his
children to juvenile drama and nonsense opera. The art of story-telling
itself is again finding an audience among men and women, as well as
children. Best of all, the school, directing its effort toward the
natural development of the young child, is pressing the educational
properties of the story.
Reiteration of these properties now is timely. Psychology is throwing
clearer light on the education of the feelings and the taste; the story
should be helpful here. The thoughtful in the community are urging more
attention to the spiritualizing and humanizing subjects in the courses
of study; the story belongs in this class. Other favorable present
conditions will appear as the merits of the story are briefly set forth.