Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-10-28
OLD SCHOOL BOOKS.
The Queer Things Found In Them Before
They Come to the Pulp Mill.


Netr 10rE Herald.
What becomes of old school books that
are exchanged for new ones?' said E, G.
Lane, OF Appleton & Co, echoing the Her
AIDS INQUIRY. "0ld school books2 They
90 10 the paper mill for pulp. We have
sent tons OF them there during the last few
years, gathered in this city. You ought
to see the way they come in. The first
readers are pretty near pulp when we
get hold of them. In some cases it is
impossible to tell whether they are
first readers or Eastwood chips that
have been soaked. All of the printing on
the outside OF the covers has been scuffed
off, the fly leaves aud some Of the others
are torn out, the binding is chewed up, the
pages are indescribsbly dirty and full of
the Queertst lot of marks you ever saw
Pennies made by rubbing are on nearly
every Leaf Sometimes two-cent piece
has been used, but rarely nickel or dime
The pictures are enough to make horse
laugh-men and women with panels for
bodies and Get upon pegs, animals resem-
bling carpenters horses, houses Of exceed.
iugly composite architecture. and locomo-
tiveS and cars that, look asif they had just
come out Of bad wreck These are the books
that the little fellows chew and finger, and
lose ia the mud, and leave out in the
rain aad batter each other over the head
with. often catch myself wondering
which of these used-up little books started
on the road 20 learning our future mayors,
governors, great lawyers and editors. Sec
ond readers are almost as bad. They ere
not chswed up quite 80 much, and as q
rule the leaves are not torn out in such
reckless prcfusiou, showing bit of change
from the baby tendency to put everything
in the mouth that can be got there and 10
destroy everything else have noticed
that it is in the second readers that the
practice of filing up the o's with pencil
marks begins. and that the pictures have
little more resemblance 10 the objects they
are intended to represent. Johnnie
Smith; his book, is q common inscription
along here in the Handwriting of the pa
rents or teachers, but Johnny Smiths
reader can be found printed or scrawled
in dozen places.
The third readers are in fair state Of
preservation, ss school books go. Here
the pictures and names CT girls begin to
appear on TIE fly leaves or inside OF the
covers, and some sentimental passages are
underscored with pencil The fsc-similes
of coin run through the whole series, how
ever, and | guess the love OF money is
about the earliest, strongest and longest
STAYING passion the human race develops.
At least that is what the school books
show. In the fourth reader, as a rule,
We FIRST catch sight OF poeticsl quo
tstions scrubbed on the margins, these be
ing sometimes attempts at original Versih'
cation, bringing in the names OF Mary, En-
ms. Sadie, Laura, Netlie, or some other girl.
Here and there sre the remnant OF CONVEX
sations carried on by pencil and fesrfully
and completely p rstched out. There is ro-
nance there. Here also the rage for writ
ing cne's own name, which began in
the third reader, is found working tsvcc
with the white space Of the fly leaves. The
books used by boys can be quickly dislin-
ouished from those used BY girls. The lat
ter are generally better preserved as TO
binding and the pages are not so dirty,
but there is more scribbliug, especially OF
the COW aysstioual character. Names and
other words ia tie text are more often
changed By scratching oat OF altering let
ters too. In these books one could simost
follow the style in female wear by close
examination Of the pictures on the hy,
leaves and margins. George, Charley,
Harry, etc scrubbed here and there. tell
Of ths litls love affairs among the four
teen.yesr oids. ! majority Of the fifth
readers come in well preserved, with the
owner's name neatly written the proper
Mace, and with an almost entire absence
Of scribbling, except that in the books
used BY the girls. or young ladies, as they
must now be called, stolen conversations
have been easFied on and then erased by
rubber. Not many 81 tie fourth or FIFTH
readers are brought in for exchange, as
the older pupils ike to keep their books. l
dare say that in the dusty garrets or closets
of thousands Of homes are old schoolSooks
between whose covers, in one way or an
other. began the little romsnces which
ended in weddings and in time demand
tor more first readers"