Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-10-05

hear your child saying of Erving's 'I.ife of
Washington" Franklins Autobiography,
Prescott's Conquest of. Mexico" Kane's
Arctic Adventures" or Livingstones "Afri-
can Travels"
"Why this is an interesting story
Then you know your point is gained. a
taste for good reading being created, trash IL
no longer u temptation.
Surround your child with an atmosphere of
books. The child on whose play rows of
good books smile down from the stting-room
bookcase, who finds the best magazines lying
temptingly about the sitting-room table whom
"Harper's Weekly" invites to study an illus
tratad history of the world. who is sent TO the
big dictionary or encyclopedia to look out
things for himself, can hardly help growing
up an intelligent, cultivated person.
Read the children's books aud papers your
self. even q had almost said especially their
Sunday school books. External vigilance il
the price of safety" As | write these closing
sentences n man throws into the yard one of
the coarse weekly story papers from the huge
bundle he carries. A flood of poor and vile
literature, especially Of such literature for the
young. deluges our land. It is thrown in at
our doors, thrust in our laps in the cars. its
coarse pictures and flashy titles placard nvit-
ingly all the walls of the city. Even he who
runs may read that which shall do him any
thing but good.
Simple prohibition is worse than useless
The prohibited book or paper has at once the
charms of forbidden fruit, and is kept under
the pillow, or in the school desk, and read
surreptitiously. The boys mind must be edu-
Gated to instnctively loatho this reading
Ridicule is the most effective instrument
against it, Tell the boy he shall nat read the
weekly story paper and he will at once deter
4, IL, at oil hu1n,.,1g Int ,,,I al
some passages in presence of the family, with
suitable comments compliment his literary
tastes. ask him in what part of the city Mike
the Monkey and his friends live, and whether
on the whole, he would like to associate with
them in real life Ask him if the thousand
dollar bill episode strikes him as natural and
probable Boys have plenty of common
sense and are keenly alive to rdicule Very
soon the boy will be ashamed even to own
that he ever enjoyed this thieves literature
Then supply him with attractive reading of
n better sort. and lead him gradually on to
higher and higher literary culture.
This nineteenth century of ours is a busy
time. Every one is hurried, and is trying to
do double work in some fashion. And it
takes deal of time to look over the children's
books know what they read and what they
ought to read.
"'Boys will be boys'-but not for long;
oh could We bear about us
This th6ught-how very soon our boys
VIII lean to do without us,
certainly we should feel it a slight sacrifice to
give little time now to this branch of their
training. when its Importance is so vital.
Let the sermon, the law-office, the store, the
housekeeping and fashionable calls suffer, if
need be. but take care of the children. Bend
the twig as you would incline the tree.
If we desire our boys to grow up into no.
BILE, intelligent pure-minded men, our girls to
bloom out in II sweet, strong, helpful woman
hood, we must look out for the MOughts they
are thinking to-day Let the reading be sweet
and wholesome. Then sweet and wholesome
will be the thoughts and the life.
p. 7Horne.