PENNY DREADFUL TOO MORAL

Evening Star, Issue 20655, 1 December 1930, Page 13

PENNY DREADFUL TOO MORAL

A defence--and criticism—of the “penny dreadful” was made by Mr Rodney Bennett in a lecture on the teaching of English at the City > of London Vacation Course on Education at tho Holborn Restaurant, says the ‘ Observer.’ Ho begged tho teachers in his class not to bo superior, for that was so easy when teaching children literature. They should make the point of offering their children plenty ot variety in literature, and on no account should they attempt to force their likes upon tho children. Ho saw no reason why the children should not bo given good detective stories.” “After all,” Mr Bennett declared, “ Cabinet Ministers revel in detective stories, and the late Prime Minister, I have been told, is very fond of them. A lot of nonsense is talked about the influence of the ‘penny dreadful.’ Magistrates specialise in that sort of nonsense. Wo look down upon the errand' boy who leans against his bicycle reading a much-dog-eared. “penny dreadful.’ Well, let him go on reading it, and be thankful that he is reading anything at all. The only thing against the ‘ penny dreadful ’ is that _it is so incredibly moral. Everything is loaded on tho side of the angels, and yon always know what tho end is going to be. Remember these boys’ lives are dull enough, and if the ‘ penny dreadful ’ enlivens things a little for them, well, good Ipck to them.” Turning to poetry, Mr Bennett said that a great disservice was done to poetry by Teiinyson When he allowed his hair to grow long and took to wearing a velvet coat and a large hat. “By doing this he took poetry a long step away from ordinary life,” he added.