us; and the least we ought to give him to
this end is the maximum at our disposal.

A form of imagination supposed to be "proper" to childhood, and almost
universally recognized as creative imagination, is that spontaneous
work of the infant mind by which children attribute desirable
characteristics to objects which do not possess them.

Who has not seen a child riding upon and whipping his father's
walking-stick, as if he were mounted upon a real horse? There we have
a proof of "imagination" in the child! What pleasure it gives to
children to construct a splendid coach with chairs and armchairs; and
while some recline inside, looking out with delight at an imaginary
landscape, or bowing to an applauding crowd, other children, perched
on the backs of chairs, beat the air as if they were whipping fiery
horses. Here is another proof of "imagination."

But if we observe rich children, who own quiet ponies, and drive out
habitually in carriages and motor-cars, we shall find that they look
with a touch of contempt at the child who is running about whipping a
stick in great excitement; they would be astonished to see the delight
of children who imagine themselves to be drawn along by stationary
armchairs. They would say of such children: "They are very poor; they
act thus because they have no horses or carriages." An adult resigns
himself to his lot; a child creates an illusion. But this is not a
proof of imagination, it is a proof of an unsatisfied desire; it is
not an activity bound up with gifts of nature; it is a manifestation
of conscious, sensitive poverty. No one, we may be sure, will say that
in order to educate a rich child we should take away his pony and give
him a stick. Nor is it necessary to prevent the poor child from being
content with his stick. If a poor man, a beggar, had nothing but dry
bread to eat, and if he placed himself by the grated window of a rich
underground kitchen because when he smelt its savory odors he imagined
himself to be eating excellent dishes together with his bread, who
could prevent him? But no one would say that in order to develop the
imaginative activity of the fortunate persons for whom the actual
dishes were destined, it would be well to take away their meat and
give them bread and fragrance.

A poor mother who was devoted to her little child offered him the
piece of bread which was all she had to give in this manner: she
divided it into two portions, and gave them to him in