The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-04-23
HOME LIBRARIES.
Established Practicability of New Form
of Charitable Work.

Established Practicabllity of New Form
of Charitable Work.
The charity organization societies of
some of our large cities are gradually
extending their work among the poor
and passing beyond the lines of simple
benevolence. The Baltimore society is
cooperating with the industrial educa-
ton association and cooking schools in
efforts to teach the practical principles
of social science and to apply them to
every day life, and in Boston an excel
lent work has been done by the estab-
lishment OF home libraries.
A glance at this plan will serve to
show at once its simplicity and the
amount of good which it can undoubt-
edly accomplish. A bookcase large
enough to hold fifteen books and five
bound periodicals is fastened to the
wall in the living room of poor fami-
ly, boy or girl of the house, thirteen
or fourteen years old, being made IL
brarian and held responsible for the
care of the library.
A club is formed of ten of the chill
dren of the neighborhood, who meet
together once a week at the house
where the library is. At these weekly
meetings a visitor from the Children'a
Aid society, which supplies the books,
is always present The children then
return the books which were given out
at the last meeting, and take out Others
to be read at home. When this has
been done the visitor, who is generally
woman, tries to draw out the chill
dren's opinions of the books and to
quicken their interest in what has been
read.
She also plays games with them, and
sometimes teaches sewing to any who
may have a liking for it, The books
include fairy tales, stories of travel and
the lighter kind of history, and sc
when the children reach the age al
which they are permitted to use the
public library they have learned tt
read better class of books than they
would choose if they had not had tbs
training of the home library.
The cost of a library complete, will
forms for keeping the records, is only
S25. This plan is undoubtedly an eff
fective means of benefitting the poor
At an age when their character is form
ing, when their ordinary pursuits ant
amusements bring them into close con
tact with all that IS worst in the bywayl
of great city, they begin to realiz'
that there is something better ant
brighter beyond their own daily rou
tine, and are given an opportunity o
enjoying a legitimate and elevatinl
pleasure.
The books which they take home II
read are read by their parents and b,
their older brothers and sisters, and tn
little librarian in whose house the librar,
is placed ayrakens to a sense Of responsi
bility and orderliness. The improve
ment spreads to the rest of the family
and the home becomes brighter ant
more cheerful.
The first of these libraries was startec
in Boston four years ago and they nov
number forty-six. The society whicl
has charge of them says that "goo,
temper, good manners and cheerful
ness--what we must look for in chill
dren--follow directly in the train o
the work. Interest in reading the bes
books is developed, the children's prid
is stimulated by sense of organization
and proprietorship, home amusemen
and occupation become realities, tn
family tie is strengthened and ind
vidual character developed. "-Phila
delphia Record.