Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1886-04-02
THE NEWSPAPER AS AN EDUOA
TIoNAL FACTOR.
A Paper Read by Mrs. Belle Horner Before
the Last Teachers I,,stifatc Hold
in Douglas County.


fetal to the cause of public education.
The time has long since passed when
condemned the educa-
ton Of the children. If the chill
dren and the parents had no education
who could read the newspapers On
thc other hand the newspapers of
America loan thcit influence ftos the
cause that will be reciprocal in bless
ings. One argument in behalf of the
introduction of papers into our public
schools is chat the matter they usually
contain is not stale Children, like
their parents, greatly prefer fresh
reading matter, to that which they have
to 90 over and over and over time and
again under the present arrangement.
The Youths Companion is now used in
many public schools instead of the
Third, Fourth and Fifth readers. AS
you all know, in Oregon, our school
books are adopted by the term of four
years. We have used the present sys-
tenn for the past five years and will
have them for at least three years
more. DO the grown people desire to
read the same thing over and over for
eight yearsl If not, why ask the chill
dren to do this? Do you really think
they will become any wiser or imbibe
a real love for reading as if they had
obtained it through another methodl
How much better would it be for each
pupil in Douglas county to know of
Crater lake with all its wonderful
scenery than to read one of the fairy
tales about the "Flower girl" Oh "Alid-
shipman" found in our Fourth reader;
and our Fourth reader is about as good
text book on the subject as IS pub
lished. Were the newspaper intro
duced each pupil would know of the
valuable land lying between here and
Coos Bay and would see and know
the benefits of railroad extending from
here to the coast; but instead of this
information we have the story Of ''Ich-
abod's ride" If children could read
more newspapers our young people
would know more about what is going
on in the world about them. But all
this may not be practicable yet in Ore
gon. In schools where they have no
libraries, if they had county news
papers the pupils could read them at
recess and noon and interest them
selves; and when during the day the
teacher might think best, let some one
Of the pupils read selection from the
paper. In schools where there are adj
vanced pupils studying grammar, let
each member write all the local items
of interest in the neighborhood that he
can during the week; and give them to
the teacher and have him correct and
select out of the whole number those of
an interesting character; then return
them to the pupils and let one copy and
send them to the county paper There
is not newspaper III the county that
would not be glad to receive the items
and in return would send copy of the
paper. And the teacher will find it to
be one of the most beneficial exercises
to be put to practice in his school
The pupils become thinkers and not
only learn to condense their thoughts
but also to put them in black and
white. They then read the paper,
become interested in it, and think fol
| themselves. When those children
| become men and women their views oi
religion, politics, and society in gen
eral are formed from stand point Of
reason, and not merely because theil
fathers trod that way before. Some
one may urge that the literature of the
county or state paper is not enough
refined. There was time when sucl
might have been said with truth O.
many journals in the United States
but that day has passed, and another
morning has dawned. The world ha!
progressed and to-day we have mucl
abler editors in the sanctum sane
forum of county newspaper thar
was once found in the office of journal
of more extensive circulation. To day
there are three newspapers in Dougla
county, and let us see by whom the,
are edited Oae of them is con
Quoted by two graduates from respect
able institutions of learning; one of tn
editors has held a chair in one of on
leading academies; another journal i
edited by highly polished Caledo
man whose words are carefully selecte'
and then knitted together with tha
terseness that is so admired by on
best authors; the other is managed b
an ex-tcacher who can preach like
bishop and write equally as well
| Now where is the parent SO fastidiou
as to be shocked by the nttaranees en-