Page:How to show pictures to children (IA howtoshowpictur00hurl).pdf/15

PREFACE

The first suggestion for this little book came from Miss Elizabeth McCracken, editor of Home Progress, whose enthusiasm and sympathy have been a constant inspiration. In her wide correspondence with mothers in regard to the training of children, she discovered the need of a book giving practical advice about pictures for children. A similar report came from the libraries, where the same need had long been noticed at the consulting-desks. The call from art educators and public school teachers has been equally urgent. As the custom of hanging pictures in the schoolroom has become almost universal, the demand has arisen for helpful information in matters of art. I am especially grateful to Mr. Henry Turner Bailey, editor of the School Arts Magazine, and Mr. James Frederick Hopkins, director of the Massachusetts Normal Art School, for their words of encouragement and counsel. My chapter on the “Use of Pictures in the Schoolroom” owes much to valuable advice from some experienced teachers. Miss Mary Austin, of the New Bedford High School, a pioneer in the use of pictures to illustrate historical study, has shown me how much can be done in this line. Miss Josephine B. Stuart, supervisor of the Primary Schools in New Bedford, has coöperated cordially in pointing out the many advantages of pictures in the lower grades. To her, and to Miss Lucy Bedlow, director of drawing in