Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1885-07-17
New Features In School Readers.

New York sun.
"The compilers of school readers
nowadays" said publisher have IN
leave the field they have hitherto
CLEANED, and turn to the columns OF
the newspapers. Pictures OF curious
features Of actual life are relished az
much by the youthful as the adult
mind. The well-worn excerpts from
great authors are getting a bit stale
In the trade, and teachers are demand
ing something that will quicken the in
terest of the pupils.
1--WE find many suggestions in the
daily newspapers. Do you re-
member the burning of the World
building, and how the boot black
climbed a telegraph pole and cut a
wire, which saved the lives of some
who wero caught in the burning build
ing? Here is paraphrase of the news
paper story told for primary class
and richly illustrated.
This Brave Little Kate is the out
growth of "A Newspaper clipping. Here
is a costly engraving of little girl
crawling on hands and knees along
railroad track upon high trestle
work. The rain is pouring. and the
sky is streaked with lightning. As
tho picture indicates, the story is that
of girl who a year or two ago saved
"a train out west. Now, you would tell
this story in one way in the newspapers
but il must be told in another way in
"A Second Reader This is the was it
runs:
Near large town in the new part
nf ~ IL "a nj
a railroad track crosses brook on
high bridge. Not far from this bridge
lives the little girl | am going TO tell
YOU about. Her name is Kate. One
stormy night not long ago, as little
Kate stood looking out of the window,
watching for her father to come home,
she saw that n train was coming along
the track. She could not see the cars
the night was too dark for that-but
she could see the bright light on the
front of the engine. While the little
girl was looking. and just As the train
had got to the brook near by, all at
once the engine light seemed to fall
and go out.
kate looked again, but no light
was to be seen. Then the little girl
was afraid that something was wrong.
She got lantern and ran down to-
ward the railroad track. When she
got there she found that the bridge
was gone-that the rain had washed it
away. Then Kate knew that far be-
low in the foaming water lay the en-
CINE and the train she had seen from
the window. Now, Kate had often
watched the trains go by, SO she knew
just when to watch for them. AS she
stood by the broken bridge, it came tea.
her mind that another train would soon
come rushing along.
1.-The brave girl made up her mind
to save this other train if she could.
She started to run back to the nearest
station, a mile away. To reach this
station, she had to cross a long, high
bridge over broad river. 1t is not
easy to cross this bridge, even in the
daytime, and this was night, a dark,
stormy night. Worse than all, just as
Kate got To the bridge, the wind blew
out the light in her lantern.
but little Kate did not give up. The
brave girl crept along the beams on
her hands and knees till she reached
the other side of the river. Then she
jumped to her feet and ran on again
till she came to the station. Her
clothes were torn and wet, and she
could hardly speak. All she could
say was, "Stop the train! Stop the
train" Then she fell fainting to the
ground. Kate was just in time. In n
minute more the ears came along, and
the men of the station ran out and
stopped them.
"Was not Kate brave girl?
There is an action in such a story
that sustains the interest far better
than pieces about dogs or eats or po-
MES. Then, too, good pictures have
become necessary. The best resource
Of the wood engraver's art is taxed
now for school books. Ii cost Sl5, 900
TO illustrate a recent series of readers.
Some of the engravings rival those in
the magazines. They are made with
infinite pains to contain all that the
text suggests and to fill the magma
ton of the child.
1T is customary to think Of school
reader making as the work of young
women or college students, but in
the point OF fact it takes n man Of
great powers of invention to make
tirst-class series of readers. There is
one successful author of school books,
who. to make up his series of readers.
collected and carefully studied every
school reader that he could find in this