Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-03-29

CuILDREN'S BooKS.-Childrcn's books
abound nowadays, but question II children
are as well oil rs when the libraries were
scantier. The opportunity for choice is so
large that parents are commonly too be-
wildered to make selection, and end by
taking the book the bookseller recon-
mends, or which recommends itself by
having the greatest number of pictures.
Or illustrated books there are now hund.
red where there used to be Que. lllustra.
tion is in itself good thing when the work
is as well done as We find it to-day, but ex.
cept for the smallest Juveniles, it ought not to
be made of more importance than the text.
Ii IS well known fact that many publish.
ers select pictures, and then order story
written to fit them; an author so hampered
can never produce 30 good work MS though
his invention were given free play, and the
result Of his labor is often of the poorest.
Comparatively few fathers and mothers in.
terest themselves seriously TO provide the
best possible mental food for the growing
intolligences in their charge. The want OF
a sense of responsibility in this matter IS
as astonishing as with regard to matters
| more important still. A child's mind il
Just as much dependent for its best devel.
opment on the quality of the food furnish
ed it ms its body is upon its physical
support. A child often gets more real
mental cnlture from browsing at will in its
fathers library than it gets from all its
school lessons. The school teaching is
mainly good for discipline of the mental
faculty, secondarily for information; while
the reading of books may be made a
| nnNUnrfpt nctY =.
well as Ior education of the higher qualities
OF the intellect.-imagination, humor and
the like. There is a notion OF necessity
for writing down TO the supposed level
of the childish Intelligence. which is quito
mistaken. A milk-and waterdlet is inferior
to ono of the milk undiuted ,Gguratively as
we'll rs literally speaking. A com pulsory
examining of the child's minds one thing,
and very bad ono; 10 surround it with
the best literature. and leave it to its
natural reaching out after what it can
comprehend and enjoy, is quite another,
and very desirable thing to be done.
Ihe intellect OF many grown persons, as
we'll as children, is dwarfed, or become.
fiabby, nerveless, and inactive, for want of
wholesome and substantial sustenance.
Children's reading, 1t seems 10 me, Is at
present especially defective in stimulus TO
the imagination. Fairy tales have not
the vogue they had twenty years ago. I
have seen children whose reading knew
was limited to that class of Aavorloss
literature go plentiful now. and it uas
plain that their prosaic little minds needed
above all things some of this culture Of
the fancy and imagination. They knew
nothing of those most fascinating plays of
childhood, in which my brother and
used to live out of ourselves and out of the
world Of every day, having transferred
our personality entirely for the timo being
into that of some favorites of felton,
Robin Hood and bis men, Friar Tuck, and
King Richard, or any of the long list of
Waverly novel heroes. A movo has been
made in tho right direction, OF late, by the
publication Of certain classes of literature
in form suited TO children'e capacity.
Such are the abridged edition of FroEssart's
Chronicle, Mallory's King Arthur, and
other books which have noticed on book.
sellers counters. Some of these arc, un-
fortunately. gotten up with so much
elegance that people of moderate means
canont indulge In their purchase. Tho
established favoritss In tho line Of fairy
tales ought never 10 be allowed to get out
Of print for the newly written ones do not
approach the old ones in merit.-April
atlantic.