master the
meaning of the printed forms, that he may discover the story for
himself; it gives him facts regarding unfamiliar things without which
knowledge the printed symbol means little; it leads him to the discovery
of unseen beauties in his environment; it develops his imagination; it
arouses his creative faculties; it aids him to grasp the deepest,
highest meaning of the world's literature; it opens up the undreamed
beauties of the vast world of art; it interprets abstract thoughts until
they become a part of his character, and CHARACTER is the true end of
all READING and of all EDUCATION.

_III. On the Use of the Pictures in "Journeys"_

Children love pictures, and they love to make them. We of riper years
are inclined to forget how very strong was our pictorial instinct when
we were young. A little girl may make on a sheet of paper a few
irregular lines not very well connected, wholly meaningless to us, and
see in them very plainly every lineament of her favorite doll. She sees
no lines, no paper, only her own precious doll. A little later she will
draw pictures to illustrate a story, and while we may see nothing in her
work, she sees enough to make the story more real, and is in this way
preparing herself to read more intelligently and with greater
appreciation as she grows older. We should not laugh at these crude
drawings, nor try to make them better. They express her ideas in her
way, and that is enough. On the other hand, we should encourage her to
try other pictures for other stories till she learns herself to distrust
her drawings, or finds a way to express herself so that others may
understand what she thinks and feels.

Pictures mean something, always. In the first place they show to him who
can read them what some one else has thought and felt. If they are meant
to illustrate something in literature, they may fail because the artist
has not caught the spirit of what he is trying to depict, or because he
lacks in execution. On our side, they may fail because we cannot
interpret his work, either from lack of understanding or from the
dullness of our sensibilities. Again, we may object to the artist's
interpretation of the literature, and his pictures may merely excite our
opposition. Usually, however, we see through the artist's eyes from a
new point of view, so that, even if we do not altogether approve what we
see, we are led to question and find for ourselves something new,
pleasing and helpful.