The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1882-01-12
What the Boys Are Reading.

PRESIDENT Garnel0 once SAID: that the
first volume he ever read.-the founda-
ton of his library-was THE Pirates
Own Book If his youth had been de-
ferred until this time, he might have be-
gun his literary pursuits by reading the
Pirates Own Newspaper. The boys
have, to great extent, stopped reading
dime novels, and are now reading tlashy
newspapers specially gotten up to create
and satisfy an appetite for stories of
criminal adventure.
At almost any newsstand half dozen
of these pernicious prints may be found
displayed. The number and the evil
dences of prosperity which they all con-
tain are surprising. But there is very
little variety in their contents. They all
celebrate the virtues of the small-boy-
who-is-not- afraid of the police. This
small boy is very smart. He knows
more than his father, and can outwit
any man by his superior cunning. He
usually goes about heavily armed, and
shoots with unerring accuracy. He is
not above getting drunk and chewing
tobacco, but even in his cups his sagac-
ity never deserts him. He despises
schools and learning, and looks upon
teacher as an inferior "cop." His vo-
cabulary of slang is unabridged. He is
up to any racket and is not ''phaseG'
by any "chump.'
Five of these interesting periodicals
are before the writer. The titles of
some of the serials now running through
their columns are instructive. Some of
them are: 1.-The Young Bank Clerk; or,
The Mystery of the Money Vault;
Man, Woman. or Demon: Merry
Matt; or, The Will-o' -the-Wisp of
Wine; .'Old Merciless, the Man Hun
ter" by the author of 1.-The Boss De-
tective"; yankee Donovan; or, The
Unknown Champion of the Prize Ring:
dynamite Dan; or, The Young Irish
American; Tony Bangles; or, The
Biggest Dare Devil in New York;
Little Ferret; or, The Boy Detective';
'sBastinado; or, The Terror of Mexico;
dancing Dick; or, Bootblack and
Actor; 'sMarked for Life; or, The Mvs-
terious Protector; The Boy Beast
Tanner: or, Tommy Beans Travels with
the Circus; "Archie Alden: or. The In
fernal Machine and the Doomed Ship.
The illustrations are quite as exciting
as the stories. The favOrite scene is "a
plCtuIe VI d SclN SlHdh' uOy, OE cfcH VI
girl, holding off crowd of big men
with brace of revolvers. There is a
life-and-death struggle on the edge of
a "beetling'' precipice; a hand-tO-hand
conflict with knives on. ship-board; a
street scene in New York with two
drunken boys in the foreground and
large and varied assortment of as
saults with deadly weapon with intent
to kill.
This kind of literature is worse than
the dime novels, because it is studied
glorifcation of the worst phases of
criminal life in the large cities. There
was something romantic in the pirates
career. 1t was sea-faring life, and its
scene was shadowy and remote. The
boys couldn't become pirates if they
would. and most of them at once recog-
nized the hopelessness of attempting to
be anything so grand and splendid. But
there is not an equal difficulty in enter
ing upon a career of crime in large
city. The boy who persists in this am
bition will be very likely to succeed.
The guardians of the morals of the
youth should see to it that the vendors
of flash literature for boys are met on
IHclT oWH SIOuHuS. Inc uOyS sHoulu
have a weekly newspaper of their own
that is not too good for human natures
daily food nor too bad for any boy to
read. The error of respectable publish
ers has been on the side of preaching
and stiffness. They have put the boys
newspapers too much in the hands of
women. A boy likes stories of advent
ure. He must and will have them, and
they may be given to him with perfect
safety if they are judiciously chosen.
The line should be drawn only at crimi-
nal adventure. We are beginning to
see that Indian stories and sea-going
tales are comparatively harmless. The
danger lies in the praise Of vices which
may be easily practiced at home. Why
will not the publishers recall the admo-
milton of Mr.. Chadband to little Joe:
+" You are boy-a human boy?" Most
of the respectable Juvenile publications
are not, we regret to say, intended for
the perusal of "human'' boys; and the
flash writers have been shrewd enough
to see this and to cultivate carefully the
neglected field Chicago Tribune.
AT the close of the Revolutionary
War the Maryland Legislatures passed
!