"Uncle" and "Auntie" to Thousands

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 43, 11 May 1928, Page 16

"Uncle" and "Auntie" to Thousands

A Hobby that Brings its Own Reward

FA RADIO Aunt or Radio Uuele is H personage to be envied. ‘they €tyey o pleasure thet few people are privilege? to lave, for it is not everyone whe is suitable to be a rad‘o uncle or aunt The requisite gift in that direction may be classed among the talents, the use and development of which bring great enjoyment to the POssessul ‘very uncle and aunt says: "1 just love the work," and it is always a wrench for an uncle or ait i>» sever the invisible radio link which binds him or her to thousands of children It is work which }rings its own reward Judging from the amount of correspondence received, roa deasting would seem to be responsible for the reviving of the apparently lost ‘art of letter writing, for manv thousands of children are vow writing regularly. These letters, full of the candour and confidences of childhood, are very interesting and are a great source of delight and satisfaction to the uncles and aunts who receive them. A Child’s Candour, A very young lady, with the precocity which denotes genius as a critica) listener, wrote (exact copy) :-- "dear Cinderella I did not think much of -’s singing please see that he gets taugh proply.’’ Her mother felt impelled to add the following note :-- "] feel 1 must explain that my little girl's candid letter to you was entirely her own production, and was not prompted in atfly way eithe: by her father or by me. 1 apologise to — for my daughter’s candour, but being her father’s daugliter I suppose [I shall have to get used to it. We feel that the letter was too good to suppress."? AS it a young lady or a budding courtier who wrote to an aunty in this way :- "JT am sending you this peach because I think you are just as sweet. I love to listen to your lovely laugh,

and 1 think vou are the loveliest of wi the Aunts and Uncles:" Yhis young correspondent tells the faintis Alasloty ¢ "Tam ten sears old and ix standard tour. 1am the youngest of our ‘tamily of six. IL have two brothers and three sisters, my eldest brother is twenty-five; my eldest sister is twenty-two; my second eldest sister is eighteen, my third eldest sister is fifteen; my younger brother is thirteen and is in standard six. Too Old At Six Years! Just a few words to ask you if you will please let me join your Radio family. -L am eight. years old and my birthday is on December 29, I ime three sisters. Bess, Jean, and May, and my brothers are Glen, Bob, and Walter. Walter is only six years old, but he says he is too old to join because he is going to grow whiskers. His birthday is on

ebruary 2. He doesn’t believe there is a Cinderella, and he says he will wait to see if this letter acts, and then he will write. Please tell me a name fo1 our canary." Post-haste, Walter writes: "I alter my mind about joining, it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t believe about you, I have had Margaret to play with me.’’ Comparisons Are High Praise. "To-nigin I was listening in and iigara you sing about ‘Dawn on the arm,’ I think it was, and also heard you say you never had people ring up and congratulate you on your singing I believe your singing very nearly surpassed Cinderella's, and that says a lot, mind you, Uncle Tom. Please sing again soon. I am = staying with my uncle, so that is how I am able to listenin. I am sorry to say that at my home we have no Radio set, because of ‘circumstances.? You will understand, because you seein to know all about. circumstances.

from, Yet it comes down at tle "We lave just returned from a farm at IXanoki, where we spent an enjoyable holiday. Tivery night iny brother and I listened in to your bed-time stories over a heautiful valve set that they had there. When we arrived home last Monday we found that our Daddy had put one up for us, so we still can hear your interesting stories." Sometimes the children put posers to the Uncles: "What is the name of the seven stars, shaped like a saucepan, that usually appear in the sky every night ?" "According to science, the earth turns round on its axis at the rate of about twenty miles, a minute, What about when a lark goes up in the sky and stays there about a quarter of an hour. Why, if it is true that the earth was turning round at that rate all the time when the bird comes down it would find itself hundreds of miles away from the place where it went up

same spot," A Mother’s Request "Tl WANT you to do a fayour for me, It seems very cheeky to ask you, but the trouble is this: my eldest boy is rather a dreamer at school, atid the cons€quetice is . that he is not as far as he should be; he has just gone into Standard 1. It is not as though he is a dull child; in fact, his work ‘is no trouble at all if he likes to put his mind to it. ‘The teacher -has promised to put him into Standard 2 if he works hard, so I was wondering if you would give him a gentle little shake up, as he seems more impressed by anything a stranger says.’"? ; Radio Means Happiness. "We have just installed a twovaive wireless set, and we never thought that so many happy and pleasant hours could be spent. within the ‘four rooms of our home, We feel we must love our Daddy and Mummy more, because of this new-found happiness." Two Jonely children express theme selves eloquently regarding Radio: "We have no one to play wtih us as the nearest houSe is three miles away. So the wireless is our big play fellow." Appreciation from Parents. "WE must thank you for the pleasure, and enjoyment which you have giyen to all the children-and also to a large number of adults."’ "We wish to thank you very much for the happy time you give the children--we Mothers and Daddies enjoy it as much as the children."’ "We live in a very lonely valley at the head of the Peninsula. Our nearest neighbour is miles eway, so you will understand how very much we appreciate our wireless sect. We value the children’s sessions and song service very highly. We lis-ten-in to every word from ‘Good evening, everybody.’ to ‘Good night,’ and when the rain and wind howl around our mountain top, the announcer’s voice is marvellously friendly and real."