American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-07-06
BOYS LIBR ARY.

Boys like to read about Dr. Franklin;
and we will mention here one of DR..
Franklin's peculiarities, which they will
not fail to remember. He was very fond
of reading good books, ard when he was
not able to buy them for himself he Dor
rowed of his friends When he came to
be man he not only became a book
maker and publisher but he founded
libraries. There is one in Philadelphia,
called the Apprentices Library, and DR..
Franklin's statue, or a painting, used to
be conspicuously displayed at its front.
If boys wish to become wise and great,
very many of them can do so if they fol-
low DR.. Franklin's example, namely: save
their money and buy good books. and put
the knowledge which they contain into
their heads.
Our plan for the boys to get up library
for themselves is this Let ten or twenty
boys in a school or neighborhOod join,
and put in ten or twenty cents apiece,
and buy some excellent book, say the
Hand Book for Home Improvement"
or "Combe's Constitution of Man -
then let the boys meet, say five of them,
at the home of one, and read the book
aloud, each taking turns for twenty min
utes, and thus spend the evenings until
the book is completed. We have no
doubt that the mothers and sisters of boys
would be glad to hear such books read.
When one section of the library COM
pany mas finished the book, let it pass to
another section.
Such library company could send a re-
quest to publishers for list of books with
a stamp to pay return postage. The cata-
logue could be looked over, the titles and
prices of the books considered, and the
selections decided upon, and new book
be ordered as soon as one section of the
proprietors of the boys library had read
the first book. At the end of year the
library might consist of twenty, thirty, or
fifty volumes, all paid for, and owned by
a score of intelligent, enterprising boys.
Such library companies might be estab-
lished, perhaps five or six in a township
and each company could exchange books
with the other companies, so that all the
boys in town could read or hear read
all the books owned by several library
companies.
Reading aloud in company is an excel
lent training for the one who reads, and
as each would take his turn, so all would
get an equal benefit. Then if there were
any mispronouncrng of words, the hear
ers could correct the reader; and an I'M
abridged dictionary should be at hand to
refer to and settle any contested matter.
Boys must do something!! They will
spend their money, sometimes in rough
and unmanly sports, in smoking, beer
OF QUIET Vic Hcy
attend negro minstrel performances,
circuses, p!ay-houses, or other low forms
of coarse and vulgar fun, and in many
ways foolishly spend money which might
be put into a library. We venture the
opinion that the twenty boys who shall
thus get up library, and read it, and
understand it, while all the rest of the
boys in the place are managing as boys
generally do. will become the leaders of
that town, the members of Congress, the
lawyers, the ministers, the judges, the
model farmers, or the leading merchants.
If the boys of our country would adopt
this plan of ten or twenty joining their
little means together to buy a few good
books, and then read them aloud together,
we venture the opinion that the standard
of morals, intelligence, virtue and power
in our country would be more than
doubled in single generation.
Let there be such a library established
wherever five boys can be found to CO.
operate; and it will not be long before
five or fifteen other boys will come into
the measure. Chronological Journal.