ReTRo HouSeWiFe

The gift may take some thought. Again it depends on the home situation and on the age and tastes of the child. One gift should always be bestowed, a book. Boy or girl, old or young, a child needs a book, and it should be the best possible one on the market.

For this special occasion it ought to be a special book. It should be lovely in itself, clear type, good paper, a fine strong binding that insures lasting life. And it should be a classic. The flood of books that pour out on the market like grain from a hopper serve their purpose of entertainment and instruction. Few of them serve the spiritual being of the child and that is the most important mission a book can have.

This does not mean that the book must be religious in tone and content. It does mean that it implies in its treatment of characters, in the quality of the story,
that goodness and beauty of character are essential to successful living. It does mean that a child lays the book down with a feeling of admiration for these qualities. It does mean that he retains for the health and the strength of his mind a feeling for good writing, good words and clean thoughts. A book that has this effect is a classic by my definition of that term.

"Treasure Island" is a fine adventure story, thrilling without being shocking. "David Copperfield" is a great story that can be read and re-read for a lifetime. "Heidi" is the story of a simple child of sturdy, lovely character, a book that never grows old. "Robin Hood" and "Robinson Crusoe" are fine tales for older boys; "The Wind in the Willows," for a nature loving child.

Get the best edition possible of some such book and give the child a gift that will give him hours of peace, hours of contented happiness. (End of Angelo Patri Column)

Now how many of us would DARE present our child with a book for their birthday? I hope at least some of us would! If I think about what I have given my children recently, I have to admit that a book was not among the gifts! I am guilty of being caught up in the "the next toy has to out-do the last" wave and in doing so, have neglected the very basics. Character. A word we don't hear enough of these days. The last person I can think of that used that word in a speech is Martin Luther King, Jr. in his "I Have a Dream" speech. Hmmmm.....