Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
The Forde Files No. 149
An 1881 children's book shows that the concepts of diversity, compassion and tolerance are not modern inventions. Forde Files found a water-damaged children's book titled "Chatterbox," edited by British Anglican clergyman Erskine E. Clarke. The book contains stories of kindness and loyalty as well as intriguing items about foreign lands. A poem and illustration called "Gilbert sewing a Frill on Dora's Frock" cries out for understanding toward a boy whose inclinations run counter to the notion of what a boy should do (see poem below). Another illustration shows a Chaffinch who refused to leave its dead mate.