Bambi - Classic Childhood Sailing Ship

Author: Felix Salten
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Many years ago, at a national conference in Yantai, Shandong, I proposed a view: Children's literature writers are the shapers of future national character. In recent years, I revised this concept and made a new definition: The mission of children's literature lies in providing humanity with a sound foundation of good human nature. I now prefer this statement because it is broader and more aligned with the spiritual world of children's literature. In other words, the purpose of children's literature is to lay the "spiritual foundation" for people. This series of "Classic Children's Books from the Double-Masted Ship" selects classics from world children's literature, which are undoubtedly a spiritual feast for young people. These books are the kind I mentioned that can provide humanity with a sound foundation of good human nature. These books are books within books. I once called such books "King Books." Now, let's first discuss the basic aspects of this so-called sound foundation of good human nature—moral sense.
Literature was chosen by humanity as a spiritual form precisely because it was found to be beneficial in transforming and purifying human nature. From its inception to the present, literature has played an immeasurable role in shaping and refining human nature. In the spiritual world of modern humanity, much of the beauty and radiance comes from literature. In the fine qualities of human beings today, we can discern the traces left by literature with just a little reflection. Without literature, there would be no modern world, no modern humanity. Without literature, humanity would still be lost in vastness and dimness, entangled in the confusion of ignorance, and living in a purely animalistic existence devoid of taste and interest. Literature must have moral sense, and children's literature must have it even more. It must be acknowledged that inherent human nature is far from being so lovely and beautiful. In fact, it may be the opposite. Human nature is filled with a significant amount of evil. These elements hinder humanity's progress toward higher levels of civilization. To maintain the existence and development of humanity, the elite among us realized that morality must be upheld in human society. The emergence of this concept made it possible for humanity to advance toward civilization. Over the centuries, the meaning of morality has evolved and changed, but it has gradually settled into some fundamental and constant elements: selflessness, integrity, compassion for the weak, helping those in need, opposing tyranny, resisting bullying, pursuing equality, yearning for freedom, respecting individuality, and nurturing benevolence. These moral principles, along with other spiritual forms (such as philosophy and ethics), effectively restrain the evils of human nature and continuously improve it.
Taste. Literature seems to have more power than any other spiritual form in cultivating taste in humanity. "The waves rise gently, white birds descend leisurely." "Sparse shadows slant across the clear water, faint fragrance drifts in the dusk." "The orioles also love the coolness of the new season, singing through the shadows of green mountains." With concise words, literature can instantly inject the essence of taste into the blood and soul of people. Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe, Tagore, Hemingway, Turgenev, Lu Xun, Shen Congwen, and Kawabata Yasunari—each generation of outstanding writers, with their noble and refined words, transformed our lives into lives of taste. They turned lifeless existence and mediocre objects into things of aesthetic appreciation. Taste has changed human nature, elevating it in quality. And the cultivation of taste should begin in childhood. Taste belongs to the realm of aesthetics. My views have always been consistent—I believe that the power of beauty, the power of aesthetics, is no less than the power of thought. Even the deepest thoughts can become common knowledge, but only one thing never ages—beauty. However, in the current context of China, there is a very strange phenomenon: "beauty" has become a very pretentious term. This is extremely strange. I simply cannot understand: What is wrong with people? Why do they avoid and denigrate beauty? What kind of mindset drives them? Is it truly that literature is completely ineffective in elevating the taste and refinement of a nation? Let's leave adult literature alone for now and let it be. But when it comes to children's literature, we must speak out. Without laying this foundation, it is not possible. Without this foundation, human nature would be in dire straits. The gap in aesthetic education is one of the great failures of Chinese education. This failure has far-reaching consequences.
When Cai Yuanpei served as Minister of Education in the Republic of China, he proposed the idea of promoting the five types of education (moral, intellectual, physical, worldview, and aesthetic) at the National Education Conference. Among these, aesthetic education was included. However, it sparked fierce debate and was almost rejected. Later, it was only accepted as a principle for primary and secondary schools, not as a national education policy. Over time, the understanding of aesthetic education became increasingly narrow, eventually being reduced to being equated with fine arts and music. In Cai Yuanpei's view, the five types of education formed a perfect system for cultivating a superior human nature. Moral, intellectual, and physical education were the lower half, while worldview and aesthetic education were the upper half. However, the upper half was cut off. China's education system became incomplete.
Emotional education. Classical literature has always entrusted itself to a core word: moving. For centuries, classical literature has written about moving stories. But since the rise of modern literature, it no longer does this. Classical literature moves us precisely because of its spirit of compassion and its compassionate sentiments. Human society has advanced to where it is today, but it has also lost or damaged much. The loss and damage are particularly evident in various emotions—passion, enthusiasm, compassion—even among children raised in this material and cultural environment (so-called "new humans") have raised concerns among anthropologists. One reason for these concerns is the fading of compassion (they have not yet developed a spirit of compassion). We have seen that today's children seem to have little impulse to engage in such noble behaviors. The signs indicate that the process of modernization is not perfect. The benefits humanity enjoys today as a result of modernization come at a great cost. The weakening of emotions is a prominent example. We have asserted that literature lies in providing and creating a sound foundation of good human nature for the existence of human society. And this "foundation" must naturally include an important element: compassion.
Considering the three basic aspects mentioned above, the works selected for "Classic Children's Books from the Double-Masted Ship" are ideal models. They strike a balance among the three. This balance is also a balance of the human spirit, a balance of humanity.