The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-12-02
Literature for Boys and Girls.

Those who wculd give children for
daily diet only dry erusts, weli-pieked
bones, and slOPs, would be hoOted at
as barDarians-andr rightly too. Then
what can be said of the kinfiy and
respectable people who provide for
their young charges q mental food
which corresponds to the bones, the
crusts, and the slOps =? The quality
Of the literature specially prepared for
boys and girls In their early teens Is
not more remarkable than its quanti-
ty. 1t is too often flabby, gushing
and pretsntions. 1t attempts muscle
and ends in mush 1t adOrns the tale
at the expense of the moral, and IS as
far below the fine old English models
as 1t well can be. There's little that is
rich, strong and healthy sb ,ut il, and
yet it is the stuff, outside OF textbooks,
that chiefly helps to make tue brains
OF sehOol-boys and girls between the
ages Of twelve and sixteen. When
the supply fails Il e young people are
naturally not slow to take up those
novels which are even more weak
and gushing There is scarcely such
thing as vital and systematic in
structiOn in English literature 10
home and school. Readers certainly
do not offer it, and the average teach
er appears to take every little interest
in il. Even in the old and thorough
schools, the course of reading-if
there be one-is apt tn be pursued in
q perfunetOry fashion which leaves
the graduate without any quiekening
desire to seek for himself tine literary
-
Americans OF the better Glass have, as
q rule, bright minds and dOeile tastes I
yet the usual reading matter Of an
unpleasantly large number OF young
men and women Is made up of sensa-
tiOnal novels, snd the "entertaining
hings''-fashiOns and murders
among them-in the daily newspaper.
They are utterly ignorant as to the
real riches Of English writing; it Is
no wonder that their minds so quick
ly take on the conventional common
place tone.
1t Is useless to inhiet upon young
people q daily compulsory stint OF dry
history and drieF essay. The teacher
who Is really wise and accom- mplished
understands very well how to awaken
and to train an active and delighted
interest In the best thought and the
noblest literary manner. II nothing
but 3 novel appeals at preseRt to the
young girls capacity, give her a nov-
ell but let 1t be a standard in coll
eeption and execution. "rhe New
comes" II rather more worldly, Is
assuredly q sweeter and healthier
tonic than "Fhe Wide, Wide WoFld." /"
or even the fashionable Boston "Ju-
veniles." There IL not much danger
Of surfeiting children with writing
too old for them +; every teacher who
knows his business thoroughly knows
how the fields OF history may be made
to blossom under young eyes how
childish imaginations take fire be-
tween the flint of motive and the
steel of action when both are brilliant
ly rehearssd and how even the
bones Of Inference and deduction are
made lively by eager young minds.
Girls and boys who are not stupid
naturally delight in splendid desorip-
ton, in good sense and in simple
English. II, instead of all this, they
learn to love q diet of erusts and
slOp ps, it shows willful earelessness on
the part of friends and teaehers.-
NetO York Tribune.