Vintage

The most important thing we've learned,

So far as children are concerned,

Is never never never let

Them near your television set.

Better yet just don't install

The idiotic thing at all.

In almost every house we been

We've seen them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,

And stare until their eyes pop out.

Past week we saw at someones place,

A dozen eyeballs on the floor.

They sit and stare and stare and sit,

until they're hypnotized by it.

Until they're absolutely drunk,

With all that shocking ghastly junk.

Oh yes we know it keeps them still,

They don't climb out the window sill.

They never fight or kick or punch.

They leave you free to cook the lunch

and wash the dishes in the sink,

But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly what

this does to your beloved tot.

It rots the senses in the head.

It kills imagination dead.

It clogs and clutters up the mind.

It makes a child so dull and blind.

He can no longer understand

A fanstasy a fairyland.

His brain becomes as soft as cheese.

His powers of thinking rust and freeze.

He cannot think he only sees.

Alright you'll cry alright you'll say.

But if we take the set away ,

What shall we do to entertain

Our darling children?  Please explain.

We'll answer this by asking you

what use't the darling once to do?

How use't they keep themselves contented

Before this monster was invented?

Have you forgotten don't you know

We'll say it very loud and slow.

THEY USED TO READ THEY'D READ AND READ

AND THEN PROCEED TO READ SOME MORE.

Great Scott!  Gadzooks!!

One half thier lives was reading books

The nursery shelves held books galore.

Books cluttered up the nursery floor

And in the  bedroom by the bed ,

More books were waiting to be read.

The younger ones had beardrichs potter,

With Mr. Todd the dirty rotter.

And squirrle napkin, pigling bland,

And Mrs. Figgywinkle, and

Just how the camel got his hump,

And how the monkey lost his rump,

And Mr. Toad and bless my soul,

Was Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole

Oh books what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago

So please oh, please we beg we pray,

Go throw your T.V. set away.

And in it's place you can install,

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books

Ignoring all the dirty looks,

The screams, the yells, the bites, the kicks,

And children hitting you with sticks.

Fear not because we promise you

That in about a week or two

Of having nothing else to do,

They'll now begin to feel the need

Of having something good to read.

And once they start Oh boy! Oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joy

That fills their hearts they'll grow so keen.

They'll wonder what they'd ever seen.

In that ridicules machine,

That nauseating, foul, unclean,

Repulsive, television screen.

And later each and every kid,

Will love you more for what you did.