Children's Literature and Education by Véolav Stejskal If art represents a discussion between the creator and the observer, then the author writing for ohildren is in the most distressing position. He oan never be quite certain that he is not talking into thin air. He cannot de- pend on memory, nor can he depend entirely on his talent: time flies and the character and interests of children change. Real art, if it 1s to be compre- hensible te children, requires something more. To retain the children's heart and vision, to come to an understanding with children - certainly: but as long as art which is geared for children aims at forming the man, then it must know what that man should look 11ke and what oiroumstances he will live in. People active in Juvenile literature were always aware of this condition and have realized it more or less distinctly. Hence, educational theory and artistic experience are the basic pro- blems of children's literature today. It is characteristic, in the first place, ‘that everything which is considered unsuitable and barren in art for adults is considered desirable for children. It is decisive, then, that theorists such as educational psychologists first attempt to determine the assumptions of the work in question, the limits of its possibilities to, impart knowledge, and the amount of truth about life which can be revealed to children; technical devices and the vocabulary accessible to children must also be predetermined; it is im portant that theorists first choose a model of life, of the people, the ties and morals binding them which children should adopt. Only then can artists, mind- ful of these limitations, carry out their artistic proposals. W3/0765.67 - EDSBooks whieh were once written and published for children were con- sidered only as educational aids, created ad usum Delphini. In the future, artists will almost certainly require pedagogic help, and at least a cursory Knowledge of psychology and sociology. Legislative interference in art hi however, never been advantageous. If a scientist studying a child wants to reach generally accepted conclusions, he must look for and emphasize that which unites children of the fame age rather than that which differentiates them, in order to be able to establich a general truth having soientific, though not necessarily artistic significance. A child is, after all, a human being with a particular per- sonality characterized by a quick, sometimes overly hasty, development. And here is the great disproportion! childhood from two to fifteen extends over a long period and is highly varied! moral ripeness and resistance, rational and emotional maturity, firmness or vulnerability - all the: are undergoing constant change. On the other hand, in the study of the child, pedagogic de- duotions and artistio criticisms relying uncritically on this individuality are confronted by the strange phenomenon of "lasting childhood". Certainly, the study of the child carefully considers the peculiarities of ohildren of aif- ferent ages, but the conolusions reached have a mainly statio character. Con- trary to this, literature grasps life in motion. If literature grasps life in motion, this does not mean that it re- spects and reflects the changes of a person growing up in the biological sense. ‘The character and events of childhood change very noticeably also with the pro- rene of time, People living in the 17th century had a different childhoodf so did those at the end of the last century, and so did we here. And the children of today experience « childhood again quite different. From the sociologicaland historical point of view, the work of a children's writer is an activity of research and discovery. Literature written for children, like any Other branch of art, is a reality which literary theory, pedagogy and other spheres concerned with the study of the child, must take into consideration. Hypotheses in educational ‘theory are only temporary explanations. If new facts are introduced, these hypotheses must be abandoned or altered. Child study can mean much to the ar tist, not as a dictatorial quantity, hindering and restricting, but as a precious means of helping the artist unveil and confirm the true face of reality. Edueation has occupied an excessively important place in children's into art, a place which is not deserved. It represents intentional interfereno! the mental development of human beings. The term "education" influences, there- fore, one of the basic intentions of practically all oultural activity, whether it concerns adults or children. For educational purposes, children are, of course, more easily moulded than adults and so people are accustomed to testing everything within a child's reach to see if it is stamped “educational” and do not care whether they are right or wrong. Unfortunately, too often they forget that education 1s a sphere with its own problems, its own methods and laws. Edu cation can make use of the produots of other spheres of oulture and teohnios, but it most not deform them by forcing its own laws on them. The Italian philosopher, Benedetto Croce, said very suitably that “art educates only as long as it remains art and not if it becomes “educational art', because then it is nothing and nothing cannot educate.” Those who are concerned with art for children will probably aak them selves several basic questions: 1. In 4¢ olear to us what function literature, read by children and youth, has ‘today and how suocessfully it fulfils that function?