were tired. A little girl I knew, coming home to lunch oue day to find a dish she especially disliked, exclaimed wearily, “If there’s anything I hate it’s turkey soup and Madonnas.” Boys and girls have different tastes, corresponding to their different interests. On the whole, however, we may be fairly sure that all children will like pictures of animals, pictures of child life, and pictures with story interest. Under these headings I have collected a quantity of available subjects for home and school use.
In our collecting we must never forget to choose good art. Though the child himself finds his chief delight in what the picture is about, we must take pains to note how it is made. We remember that it is not for to-day merely, but for the future, that we are building. Let the first pictures be such as will last a lifetime, so that the nan may never be ashamed of the treasures of his boyhood, enjoying them in increasing measure as he develops the higher appreciation of art.
The child’s enjoyment of pictures is unhampered by any prejudices or preconceived ideas. There is a certain advantage in having nothing to unlearn. The motives which actuate the adult do not affect him at all. It means nothing to him that a picture is by Raphael or Titian, as he has never heard of these worthies. When his love of beauty is aroused, it is an unaflected joy. We must never force our own tastes and opinions upon him. It is better to admire the wrong thing sincerely than the right thing insincerely. As the child learns more about the principles
