Review of The Secret Garden

Our family just finished reading the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I was so disappointed and I admit, a little shocked, at some of the passages in this book. I have heard great reviews on this book through the years and cannot remember hearing anything negative about it. This causes me to wonder if I’m the only one that has major reservations on whether our children should read this book. 

One of the worst chapters we read was titled “Magic”. If this isn’t like witchcraft but in disguise, I don’t know what could be. Colin, the boy who has been bedridden since he was born, is taken over with the magic of the secret garden (all the growing flowers, etc.). This is the place he had stood on his feet for the first time. Now he’s determined to do it again.

“Of course, there must be lots of Magic in the world,” he said wisely one day, “but people don’t know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen. I am going to try and experiment.”

A few paragraphs down he says, “The great scientific discoveries I am going to make,” he went on, “will be about Magic. Magic is a great thing, and scarcely anyone knows anything about it except a few people in old books…” “I am sure there is Magic in everything, only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us – like electricity and horses and steam.”

He then goes on to talk about how the garden was dead but then something ‘began pushing things up out of the soil’. He does not know what is doing all this so he calls it Magic.

The next page over they all sit down in a circle.

“The creatures’ have come,” said Colin gravely. “They want to help us.”

“Now we will begin,” he said. “Shall we sway backwards and forwards, Mary, as if we were dervishes?”

Ben Weatherstaff says he can’t sway because he’s ‘got th’ rheumatics.’ Colin says they will chant.

“Then I will chant,” he said. And he began, looking like a strange boy spirit. “The sun is shining – the sun is shining. That is the Magic. The flowers are growing – the roots are stirring. That is the Magic. Being alive is the Magic – being strong is the Magic. The Magic is in me – the Magic is in me. It is in me – it is in me. It’s in every one of us. It’s in Ben Weatherstaff’s back. Magic! Magic! Come and help!”   (sounds like a seance to me)

In the chapter “It's Mother” near the end of the book Dickon starts to sing the Doxology. Mary and Colin join in and even Ben Weatherstaff sings along with tears streaming down his face.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below,

Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host,

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Colin says to Dickon's mother:  “Do you believe in Magic?” asked Colin, after he had explained about Indian fakirs.  “I do hope you do.”

“That I do, lad,” she answered. “I never knowed it by that name, but what does th' name matter?  I warrant they call it a different name i' France an' a different one i' Germany.  Th' same thing as set th' seeds swellin' an' th' sun shinin' made thee a well lad an' it's th' Good Thing.  It isn't like us poor fools as think it matters if us is called out of our names.  Th' Big Good Thing doesn't stop to worrit, bless thee.  It goes on makin' worlds by th' million – worlds like us.  Never thee stop believin' in th' Big Good Thing an' knowin' th' world's full of it – an' call it what tha' likes.  Tha' wert singin' to it when I come into th' garden.” 

Colin tells her how joyful he felt singing the Doxology.  She says, “Th’ Magic listened when tha’ sung th’ Doxology. It would ha’ listened to anything tha’d sung. It was th’ joy that mattered. Eh! Lad, lad – what’s names to th’ Joy Maker,” and she gave his shoulders a quick, soft pat again.

This book bothers me. They take something that smacks very much of a seance and try to sugarcoat it. I believe this sends a wrong image to the children who read this book. To their impressionable minds it looks as if it were all just innocent child’s play; no harm done. I disagree. Playing around with the spirit world is never harmless.

Then they say it doesn't matter what name we call God.  This is the same thing our culture tries to tell us today.  There are no absolutes.  Everyone can worship God in the way they choose whether it be Buddha, Allah or Jesus. 

On the blog  Victorious Living there is an article about the occult  taken from the Teaching Home newsletter. I have only taken part of the article. If you want to read it in its entirety go here.

The list of 78 occultic practices on Christian Answers'

All real super-human power is either from God or Satan. There is no neutral power, nor is there any good power that comes from Satan (e.g., there are no good witches). This should be remembered when encountering attempts to call good “evil” and evil “good,” to blur the lines between good and evil (the so-called gray areas), or to condone choosing a “lesser” evil as a way of avoiding something “worse.”