The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-07-03
MEN, WOMEN AND BOOKS.
EmTED IN THE INTEREST or THE CAIRO
PUBLIC LIBRARY.

report of the class OF books drawn from
the library during .ne month Of June:
History, 10; Biography, 4; Travel and
Description, 49, Poetry, / !; Essays, 2; Poll
tics, 1; Juvenile, 12; Fiction, As.
Very few libraries can show such large
per cent of substantial books read, and it
is matter OF of qualification that so many
ask at the library for something instruc-
tive. Here is one of the greatest Difficult
ties connected with the work of librarian.
Many of the young people who really want
solid reading have formed no idea Of what
they need. The best judgment should
be that Of the father or mother. But be-
fore expecting the greatest good to come
from the childs reading he should be told
what he shoaid read for. Books a5e not 60
use, but to teach us how to use ourselves.
We should read to get power and then skill
in understanding the thought that is in
everything. We call these thoughts
l ''ideas," and we have TO retit them to our
own minds. Do not give child mere
them right by telling them why they should
read, how TO read and what to read. After
the child learns to CLEAN ideas, then
strength will come by exercise and in the
end rare intelligence. In these little things
lie the secret of power A lady remarked,
when speaking of training her boy in read
ing, a never use for scrap paper the pieces
of saturday Night" and LEDGER"
that come into the house as
wrapping paper. All that goes
into the fire at once so all temptation is
removed" 1t is this constant care and
foresight that lays the foundation for solid
attachments in after years.
| III lNIEhESL IhiLDhhN IN buOD bODhs'
"Put before them only good books; keep
Others away from them.
"Tell them stories, and send them to the
books where the stories are to be found.
Read with them and talk with them
about what they read.
| "Never be too busy to hear their com.
ments or to enter into their enthusiasm.
"Give them books that will interest al
first, whether they instruct or not; form thu
taste tor reading, then direct it.
at Is amszing, how soon children vii
enjoy history and biography"
HAWTHORNE had an almost morbid
shyness and aversion to personal notoriety
He was very seldom seen on the streets OF
the village of Concord, except after dusk
Mr.. A. B. Alcott tells Of him that, in or.
der to absolutely seclude himself from in
truders and yet not be shut off himself
from all outlook upon the world and his
surroundings, he had had glass cupola OF
observatory built On the top of his house
where he had his few books and his study,
table placed. The stairway leading ia
this strange watchtower was exceedingly
narrow and difficult to ascent. A vague
tradition is alive in Concord to this day
that the only entrance to this retreat was
through trap-door, and that when the
commander desired perfect seclusion in his
fortress he used to secure it for himself by
valiantly but contentedly sitting on thi!
door!"
CERTAINLY the art of writing is tn,
most miraculous of all things man has de
vised. Odin's runes were the first form o
the work of hero; books, written words
are still miraculous runes, the latest form
In books lies the soul Of the whole past
when the body and material substance o
it has altogether vanished like a dream
Mighty fleets and armies, harbors and ar
senals, vast cities, high.domed, many
englned-they are precious, great; bu
what do they becomc9 Agamemon, tn
, many Agamemons, Periclesses, and thei
Greece; all IS gone now to some ruine'
fragments, dumb, mourniul wrecks an
blocks; but the books of Greece! Their
Greece, to every thinker, still very literal
lives; can be called up again into life, N
magic rune IS stranger than book A
, that mankind has done, thought, gained {
been; it is lying as in magic preservation
in the pages of books. They are the chos
en- possession ofmen.
Do not books still accomplish miracle
as runcs were tabled to do9 They persuad
men. Not the wretchedest circulating Ii