Telling Stories to Children.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 282, 18 July 1888, Page 3

Telling Stories to Ch ildren.

Oxl word upon the character of stories told to children. They should never be of a depressing or terrifying character. Make the story of Little lied Riding Hood end happily, no matter how it ' turns out ' in the book. Theie i& good authoiiby foi believing that in the earliest versions of this story tho wolf, after devouring the heioine and her grandmother each at one enormous bite, was secured by the sportsman, -who porformed a slight surgical operation upon it, took out the two ladies who were not in the least hurt, and grateful for this timely service, and filled the wolf up with stones which made it rather difficult for him to get about. Tho author of this classic has certainly treated his subject in an original and able manner. What is needed now is that some antiquary should rise and prove that the fate of the babies in the woods was equally satisfactory. Children are full of pity and tenderness — they are not like us — and their innocent spirits should not be harrowed up with tales of woe. Neither should they be told ghost stories, or ' bear stories.' There are grown women who habitually skip into bed with a quick, nervous step, not because they think there are bears under the bed, but because for several years of their life they fancied that such might bo the case, and the force of habit is hard to overcome.