In elementary school the children all loved the story hour. If they were misbehaving, the teacher would threaten to forgo the story hour and soon there was complete quiet in the classroom.

As adults we have not gotten over our love for wondrous tales and anecdotes of interest. In bygone days the radio would give us afternoon soap operas and in the evenings mystery and adventure. Television has now overpowered us with hundreds of channels and loads of news stories, crime sagas, courtroom dramas and the never ending soap operas with all their twists and turns.

The art of storytelling is a true gift. Some people can relate a yarn and have the audiences' salivary juices flowing as they wait for the narration to end. In the last half century the best politician storytellers were FDR, JFK, Adlai Stevenson and Ronald Reagan. Their timing was precise and their message came through clearly.

Others try to tell a story and puncture the suspense in the first sentence. Some can tell a story and some can't. It is no crime to ruin a good story but it is no virtue either. Jimmy Carter and Dwight Eisenhower were sleep inducers.

Embellishment is almost a necessity when relating an experience, especially a dull event. Holding your audience is a must and if you feel they are fading away, a little spice will carry you through. Overdoing it and fibbing is frowned upon. However, comedy is based on overstatement. Ask Jackie Mason.

Should each tale have a moral? Not necessarily. Aesop the Greek made a good living attaching principles to stories about animals. In a book about the horrors of the Vietnam War by Tim O'Brien, he stated, "If a war story is moral, don't believe it." All war stories are in the spell of memory and imagination. In the years after a war, history slips a bit and words and thoughts fade.

We also have the "Rashomon Factor." It is based on a Japanese story in which four people saw the same event in four different ways. The life experience of each viewer is unique and each observes from a dissimilar point of perception. No one is wrong, no one is 100 percent right. We speak of the "eye of the observer." However, in courtrooms circumstantial evidence is preferred over that of an eye witness.

In Africa, stories were told to the village historian. He passed them along, verbally and probably added a bit of his personality and prejudice. The main gist probably remained true. Stories are important to all civilizations. They cement the bonds between generations.

The Old Testament recorded written stories of the Hebrews. Having it on paper (or papyrus) does not always guarantee perfection and absolute veracity in the human being who is the scribe.

Stories, histories, chronicles, fables, narrations and yarns intrigue us. They are a method of communication to people speaking the same language. They add fun, excitement and humor to our lives and they are a true necessity of existence. Jay Leno and David Letterman put America to bed every night.

The farmer in the field and the Wall Street banker return home in the evening with the tales of their daily experiences.

When I read the obituary column it is like reading a book of short stories. Each person carries their own life story. It is unique and wonderful! We all love a good story.