dapted from The Toy Theatre
by G. K. Chesterton
There is only one reason why all grown-up people do not play with toys; and it is a fair reason. The reason is that playing with toys takes so very much more time and trouble than anything else. Playing as children means playing is the most serious thing in the world; and as soon as we have small duties or small sorrows we have to abandon to some extent so enormous and ambitious a plan of life. We have enough strength for politics and commerce and art and philosophy; we have not enough strength for play. This is a truth which every one will recognize who, as a child, has ever played with anything at all. My journalistic work, which earns money, is not pursued with such awful persistence as that work which earned nothing.
Take the case of blocks. If you publish a book tomorrow, your work may be laborious, but it is fundamentally frivolous. It is not serious as the work of a child piling one block on the other is serious; for the simple reason that if your book is a bad book, no one will ever be able ultimately and entirely to prove to you. Whereas if the balance of block is a bad balance of blocks, it will simply tumble down. And if I know anything of children, they will work to build again. Whereas, if I know anything of authors, nothing would induce you to write your book again, or even to think of it again if you could help it.
How does the author view playing with toys?
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He argues that it is more important than journalistic work.
He believes it is waste of time that does not produce results.
He thinks that adults enjoy playing as much as children do.
He considers it an endeavor that shows persistence.
1 answer
1 answer