HOW TO SHOW PICTURES
TO CHILDREN
I
INTRODUCTION
In preparing the Riverside Art Series for publication some years ago, I first came to a full realization of what a picture may mean in a child’s life. It is like a magic carpet transporting him to distant realms, or like Aladdin’s lamp bringing him for the time being his heart’s desire. No figure is too fanciful to express the wondrous capacity it has for quickening the imagination and giving joy. We can hardly overstate its influence upon the mind and character. It is sometimes said that this is a mechanical age and ours is a mercenary, not an art-loving, people. But this is not the testimony which comes from the home and school. The children all love pictures, love to look at them, love to hear about them, love to possess them. And we, who have the shaping of their youthful tastes, are eager to guide them aright. We want to consider what pictures our children like best, and why; what pictures we want them to like, and why; how we can cultivate their taste for the best art, and where we can find the material. Such questions concern the deep issues of life. If the child’s single moment of pleasure were all that was to be con-
