Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-04-11
NEW FEATURES IN SCHOOL READERS
Interesting Newspaper SIX etches Retold
for Children and illustrated.

From the New York Sun.
"The compilers of school readers nowadays"
said q publisher, ''have to leave the field they
have hitherto cleaned, and turn to the columns
of the newspapers. Pictures Of curious features
of actual life are relished as much by the youth
full as by the adult mind. The wellworn ex-
cerpts from great authors are getting a bit stale
in the trade, and teachers are demanding
something that will quicken the interest of the
pupils.
We find many suggestions in the daily news
papers Do you remember the burning of the
climed telegraph pole and cut a wire, which
saved the lives Of some who were caught in the,
burning building? Here is paraphrase of the
newspaper story, told for a primary Glass; and
richly illustrated
This Brave Little Kate is the outgrowth of
newspaper clipping. Here is a costly engraving
OF little girl crawling on hands and knees
along n railroad track upon O high trestle work.
The rain is pouring and the sky is streaked
story is that OF girl who year or two ago
saved a train out west. Now, you would tell
this story in one way in the newspapers, but it
must be told In another way in a Second
Reader. This is the way it runs:
"Near a large town in the new part of our
country there is place where railroad track
crosses a brook on a high bridge. Not far from
this bridge lives the little girl 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 a train coming
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
fbinc val nem sme ttie gif1 was airaia than some
down toward the railroad track. When she got
there she found that the bridge was gone-that
that far below in the fOaming water lay the
engine and the train she had seen from the
window Now Kate had often watched the
them. AS she stood there by the broken bridge
it came into her mind that another train would
soon come rushing along.
The brave girl made up her mind to save
this other train if she could. She started to run
back to the nearest station, mile away. To
reach this station she had to cross long, high
bridge over broad river. 1t is not easy 10
cross this bridge even in the daytime, and this
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 beam 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 minute more the
cars came along, and the men of the station ran
out and stopped them.
"Wos not Kate a brave girl?
"There is action in such a story that SuStainS
the interest far better than pieces about dogs or
cats or ponies. Then, too, good pictures have
become necessary. The best resource of the
books. 1t costs 81 s. 600 to illustrate a recent
series of readers. Some of the engravings rival
infinite pains to contain all that the text sug-
gests and to fill the imagination of the child
at is customary to think of school-reader
making as the work of young women college
students, but in point OF fact it takes a man of
great powers of invention TO make a first-class
series OF readers. There is one successful author
OF school books. who to make his
readers collected and carefully studied every
school reader that he could find in this country