![]() ![]() He advised that children should be reared by their parents and tutors and kept away from the servants to train them to be logical and non-superstitious. For evidence, see John Locke's warning in his 1693 book Some Thoughts Concerning Education that nursemaids were wont to frighten children with tales of "goblins, spectres, and apparitions," causing them to become superstitious (see p. Ghost stories were certainly part of the early modern childhood experience. Children wore costumes and participated in these festivals long before today's Halloween-mania. Costumes and masks were often worn during the celebrations of these holy days in order to imitate or placate the spirits. Samhain became All Hallows' Eve, today's Halloween. The ancient Celts believed that the dead walked on Samhain and could be dangerous to the living. In the Greek myths which were told to both adults and children, people went to the gates of Hades and offered fresh blood to draw the shades (ghosts) out of Hades so they could talk to them and get advice. Ghosts have always been around in tales told to children. ![]() ![]() Some discussions on Child_Lit and Facebook got me thinking about the question of when friendly ghosts appeared in children's books. ![]()
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