PETER PAN AND THE CHILDREN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 777, 29 March 1910, Page 3

PETER PAN AND THE CHILDREN.

' 'What' - is' the.effect-of ■ith'e.'; : story 'of /"Peter Pan"on"a.child's -mind? ; '~ - One pould • have to be : a child, to tell, that", 'but■ one' •: thai .the little .ones |take it'very, seriously,.and 'that.from the jjnoment'hana;, the faithful dog' nurse, ienters.. the';nursery' and turns ,up 'the electric light, to that 1 moment, at tho last,.''when' Wendy -'flies' off/from -the house '''among;, the tree .tops with-.her (well-worn broom, and th 6 fairies'' come *ut to dance, like stars in the glimmer- . 'ingVdark,,everything in the story seems Absolutely' real. •_''.;. J?br r the. matter'of that, .some of. the .jjrowffups too were quite .convinced of ithe reality of it.aH, and ori'several occasions . their '. hearts were unfeignedly, thankful that the : house was : in darkness—as, for- instance, when pretty ,Weridy,'shot by. brio of the lost boys ihe, was' coming to "mother, .flutters to the ground like a beautiful white bird, and : lies there, still as. death;" or. when Peter "sends'.-Wendy and .her family home, and says, "Look the other way, toys, you- must;-not'.see your captain crying." ..-,; . -There was no doubt' about :the chilIdreh's. enjoyment of the. play, yesterday I afternoon. The house:was packed with •them, from small people of two-or three 'years-, upwards. . Little girls..,ln their. |best;. party frocks, enjoying the occaj«idn,'';'as, well' as. : 'the.rplay,: ; arid ilibsts of j-little.'.boys,;entirely' .-.absorbed,;in." the i£tory.^;;, ; ;...;';; "'.....^' i_,. : , ! '*i-'..A:^'';!..'_'.;._'' The .'-family ..circle-viiv'as'j wonderful vto, ieee-rsimply ,packed,-with;.eager,-;.'.inter-. .lest^^cnildreri,:^.who^'':relishe^-^.erei7 : " |poirit : bf'the 'crushed:themselves against ; ':thei failings.'in.: front, |and-'almost hung over.the edge in their" .'texoitement.' -One' 'felt. very.;, glad '".the : .railing was there, since only ,'!Pet'er iPan'v. children can -fly.' \ ;•■:-•.: . - ,-',.. ■•, The children took the ; first /act' very seriously,. bursting-into -a'"'roar l Of'de 3 ' light' when John Darling''wdiilif :iiot -Kl" 'himself be-tucked/ into; bed,.' but- nev.er jseeiig,. of/ cpursb,',;th£, subtle'; hunidufimeanjafof 'plfjer.;, people' sVen.teriairim.eht. _ One-Beyer, loses, sight:.of the.author In this play, but is' always conscious of .'him as ;the r ver'y : gcnius;of.story-telling;', who, knows'the' exact-effect' he wishes 'to■ produce;■ ahd'the •perfect way ; to do. it, :audj;,as':the ; themeydevielops, ..the growu-up"'.spectatof : .says 'over/and:over : again, ;"of,course^:that;.it w v hat a'.child iwouldi-love,' but- how,on earth, did he 'know.?V '.'^ r -:;:-;.r-v-i. : .>.■.'■;. '■• !■•

-'.The'-.pirate's .were'almost too'much' for some 1 of .'.the, children, 'buV'prdb'r. ably next tb: Peter,' Wend'v, ahd : Michael "'• they .were the best loved-of all.tho char- : ■ 5° ter ?j.. ; .for; they: -were:,.;, so ' satisfying'. :' .Aever.in- a -..'boy's.' most, bloodcurdling' • idreams was' there'.a -pirate more- livid ' and sinister than Hook", and'.'the'-small •'boys-gloated over liis every'ilook'and ' [action... Some-.of them, indeed, we're • overpowered by: him,..and one'groivn-up .' .who.came in .when hal/V ' over, '.discovered: a '.small..boy of seven ' or eight- ■;years old standing disconsolately near, the. entrance''to'the''dress - circle.with a most unhappy-look oil"his '. face. When be - was: asked -if he had ■ Men to see-./'Peter Pan,"' he'says'yes, "■ ■he hadj -and - swallowed' a" lump; - Did ' 'y° u I,k W*?*': Why:not?' He looked '■ down' shamqfaceclly, -and!::- said:- -"I - didn t like the pirates,', they; frightened ,: me, so I; ran-out..'' ;,,;,: - ,■„ -, -.; Well, he'was not the only one-who ' paid to author and-actors the compliment! of being convinced;that what he ißaw,was. not-play-acting, ■,but grini' .: earnest and if you' think' of •it, was he'not wise, when he' saw as villainous a set of-ruffians, as ever were .swayed by Captain .Kidd's will, spring • on to the stage—was-he not wise to ■; make. for."the door?- <'.■■■'. Others, there were .who. gloated over ' every: cut and thrust; and two small boys,sitting'on the steps spent the ii> ■terral.--after tho pirate' scene' in ev-' plaining again to each other, exactly now 'the/battlo had. been fought The'' -children's nerves were sadly tried when • ' as, Peter Pan lay sleeping on the bed in his deserted home, Hook crept stealthily down, and put poison in his medieme. The. small onlookers dreaded every moment-id see him. kill his foe, aud in the moment of tension a., boy voice, .shrilled, "Look, but -Peter.V - » ha t;:.a.': disappointment ;it must have been .when Peter did not look out. Of course, .thinking -it over afterwards, and . the -terrifyingness-'of the pirates, just, before we go to sleep at nights, J.J, s -- T , e ;y, comfort "ifi"*p- remember that . little; Michael was. able; till by himself •to kill the 'biggest,'pirate, and' it did look easy, the 'fay..the Scotch one was ' tipped overboard. ■ .; -. . . In'fact, all that-part was.Very satisfactory,, one. liked to ; see tho boys get the best of it,;,.aiid. they were such real ordinary.boys," they called each' other nicknames, and appealed to each other on every \ point, and they were just sne: when they said they "would stick to the Union Jack, and when they saw. the Hag go, up, it was as good as review or procession,, for making one feel patriotic- . ■•. It was not only a.day for the boys, though—no indeed. It was a vindication of the, rights of little girls and sisters, such as any snubbed, and contemned small, girl might be proud to see, and there's, no doubt that many a girl, was glad her brother was with her, when she saw with "what deference ' Peter-Pan made John aiid Michael treat Wendy. Probably that, . too, was a .point that would.gain importance with reflection.;/the, interest at the. time was ■ top groat to let'one moralise. Wendy ;herself was'the most charniin" . girl a boy-captain could wish to figjit for, just as Peter Pan Was so adorable that one felt quite cross with everyone for deserting him:. . But how one would like to,know, exactly what the children thought. Only one person knows that, and he wrote the play.