Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1868-02-28
oliver Optic and his Books.


into wide aud constantly increasing
popularity, il is natural toinquire who he
Is, what he has written, and upon what
basis rest his claims for the patronage OF
the reading public. In these days, when
authors are
"Thicx as an,umnal leaves that sirew the brooks
In Valombrosa,"
and readers are critical, success must be,
to great extent, the reward Of some sort
Of ability; aud il this ability Is exercised
n healthy channels, the world Is the
gamer. Ile who, by the perusal OF a
book, magazine or paper, be he old OF
young. is incitcd to nobler deeds and as.
pirations. who feels that the good that Is
in him is drawn forth into practical oper-
alton, is to just that degree the authors
debtor. and oil the benefit 10 the world
resulting from these new views, or from
old views vitalized into action, is directly
traceable to him who made the printed
page the reflex of his own convictions.
When years of maturity are ,Eesched the
mind is ioss impressiblc, hrd good seed
too often falls 10 stony PLACES, or on soil
which has become hardened; and conse-
Quently il is natural TO find authors
preachers aud instructors making their
most earnest appeals TO the young, fully
believing in the truth Of the we'll tried
maxim that 'just as the twig Is bent the
tree is incliDed.' IL Is vastly easier 10
run the plough of reform through tender
soil. than through the hardened clods
filled with the evil roots of tough old sins
and bad habits.
Perhaps the most widely read of all our
writers for young people is Mr.. William
L. Adams, more generally known as "0l-
iver Optic Among the boys and girls
II is emphatically true that "not TO know
him proclaims ones self unknown"
Dust never accumulates on his books;
they never look new and clean but once,
aud then II is on the shelves Of the pub
fishers warerooms; they are found in we'll
nigh all families where there are young
folks who can read, aud "children cry for
them" Now this il either fortunate OF
unfortunate. good or evil, to be encour.
aged or TO be condemned, and how are We
to decide2
Who is "Oliyer optlc2' Surely he Il
no myth; he has ''local habitation and
a name" Mr.. Adams was born in Med.
way, Mass. July 80. 1922, and therefore
is forty-fve years of age. lie became a
school teacher at the age Of twenty, and
for twenty years occupied that responsible
position with credit 20 himself, and 10 the
satisfaction Of the parents whose children
were under his charge. For six years he
was principal of the Boylsion and Bow
ditch schools In Boston, aud at one time
had twelve hundred scholars and twenty
five teachers under his immediate super
vision. But not alone ia 'common
schools" has he labored; for twenty years
he has been a Sabbath school teacher, and
seven years superintendent. IL may
thon bo said with confidence rthnt be
should be we'll acquainted with The wants
Of the young. and with the most eihcicn:
methods Of imparting instruciisn.l Few
writer's have been brought so directly In
contact with the rising generation. or have
enjoyed such rich and varied experiences
OF child life, while II is easily seen that
the accumulation of incidents aud events
attendant upon public schools furnishes a
capital for an authors use rarely possess
od. II il doubtless true that Mr.. Adams's
books owe much OF their interest and val.
ue, much of their vivid naturalness 10
these causes, and II Is equally true that
with many persons similarly situated
these experiences would have produced
no practical results save In the daily rou.
tine of the school room. IIis quick aud
keenly appreciatiyo mind found there lie
full exercise, and when he entered the
arena of authorship his success was Ger
tain.
But what has "0liver Optic" writtenY
The first volume Of the "Boat Club Sc
ries was published In 1854, and an addi-
tional volume followed each year until
the series Was completed. From the be-
ginning the "Boat Club" has bad large
sale, aud 10 still one of the most popular
of tho many sets Of Juvenile books. Over
one hundred thousand volumes have been
sold, and "the end is not yet" Follow
ing closely came the WoodpaIe Sfories,'
the Grst volume OF which wafissued in
lsGa, and the sale has already reached