Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1888-12-19
Working Libraries for Public
Schools,


is to be remembered that human
life presents many sides to the
world and men may become fanat-
ical in many directions. If history
is valuable, SO is poetry, science and
fiction. What il true Of a child is
eminently true Of school. To
specify more particularly the lines
Foni which purchases should be made,
and these should be followed thro'
all grades, we present the following:
1. Books to supplement school
work. BY this is meant books bear
ing upon the special work Of the
different common school branches.
These we are compelled to teach and
should teach we'll. Pupils need to
supplement their work, and to have
the material at hand is a matter of
great moment. In this department
l may make special mention of ge-
ography and arithmetic. Books
bearing directly on work in geogra.
ply, and especially books of travel,
comprehend much Of the best child
literature. No department of school
reading should be encouraged more
thoroughly than this. l have lis.
tened to tencher hearing a. class
recite in geography where the sim
plest topics were treated in as clear
manner RS possible. The pupil
after repeated failure was again ard
again required to read the para
graph from the book and then tell
what was said. The pupil failed,
and why? simply because reading,
intelligent reading, lad been neg
lected in the earlier part of the work.
Nor is this condition limited to the
geography classes. 1t prevails in
the classes in arithmetic. Most of
the failures in this line of work come
from a failure to observe the condi-
tons laid down in the problem, and
the requirements demanded. The
conditions Of the problems are not
comprehended, because the language
is not understood.
|T2. Books on history. With
books on history group books on
biography as being the truest histo-
ry. So much has been written in
theze two lines, and so much effort
has been expended, for the express
purpose of meeting the wants of the
schools, that one can with difficulty
60 astray. These are referred to es-
pecially, because while other books
yield knowledge or cultivate the
sensibilities or the imagination, these
yield that highest product Of all
reading, lofty ideals, ideals made
powerful in influence by means Of
their embodiment in living forms.
8. Books on natural history.
Reference is here made to that great
department of literature for children
which bears upon the characters
tics and habits Of the lower living
creatures. The science of zoology is
one thing, but the story of these
multiplied forms of creation which
fill the air with song, or sparkle in
the sunlight, or become gorgeous
with color in the light of day, or
haunt the forests with their pres
ence, or cut the waters Of rivers and
Of seas, have always bssn fascinat-
ing to children properly trained.
4. Elementary science. By
these, such books are meant as lead
to a practical knowledge OF the for
ces ard forms around us.
5. The last division I would
make and the one on which would
place most stress, is what may be
called pure literature. I would SUBJ
divide this ar follows: (a) Imagin-
alive tales. Under this head l
would group those works Of imagi-
nation SO dear to children, so indis-
pensable to their happiness, as Rob-
inson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robin
son, Gulliver's Travels, Aesop's Fa-
bles, Cinderella, etc. (b) Fiction.
Closely allied. but differing in many
respects, ! would introduce some
fiction, not only because Of the ne
cessity from the nature Of children,
but as well to indicate to them what
fiction is most valuable. / may OBJ
serve that l would limit this some
what. But the Leather Stocking
Tales Of Cooper, and the Historical
Tales Of Scott, ETC., are too good to
be allowed to rest forever on the
shelves, simply because We have re-
fused to embrace the opportunity Of
introducing them to the children,
who will, indeed, otherwise read
novels in an extremely indiscrimi-
mating manner. 10 Poetry. con.
tend that no habit 10 Of greater val
We than that Of reading choice po-
ems. But the taste for poetry must
be cultivated. The child whose ear.