News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-03-26
The Reading Habits of Children.
TFor the News and Citizen

For the News and Citizen.]
The habits in regard to reading
which "a child forms during the frs
fourteen or fifteen years of his life
will be the habits of the remainder O
his life. Some children have nc
books except their school books, anC
read little or none. Others read any
thing they happen to take up. Others
read stories, and lose the power O
reading anything solid. Very few
children learn to read with care and
discrimination. The most read only
for amusement, and as there are
plenty of bad books, they are weak.
ened in mind and often injured in
morals by reading
More attention should be paid to
literature in our common schools.
There are plenty of good books
which are not costly, and children
can be led by their parents and
teacher to form good habits of read
ing. Our schools teach children how
to read, but not what to read. Young
people leave school with little or no
knowledge of books, with no love for
| the best literature. In the modern
methods OF education this is being
done away with. Children are sup
piled with whole pieces of literature
instead OF the scrappy reading books
A literary taste is formed, and the
pupil learns to select the best books.
Now, if Vermont ever has schools
which are conducted upon the most
approved methods, it must come
about by forming an enlightened
public sentiment. So long as our
people lack information concerning
the best methods of school work, so
long will they content to have our
schools no better than they were for
ty years ago. The people need to be
taught what are the essentials of a
good school, and then they will not
be contented with poor schools. This
matter of reading is one of the most
important that is now being dis
cussed in educational circles. Great
pains are being taken to provide the
children with classical reading that
is suited to their understanding 1t
may be well, for me to call attention
w SOllic vi Tie vi UIltSb DOOhS.
To begin with, Houghton, Mifflin
q Co., have issued in the Riverside
Literature Series, selections from the
writings of Longfellow, Whittier.
Holmes, Hawthorne, Lowell, etc.
These are well printed; few are
bound, but the most of the nearly so
numbers are in paper covers. Most
of the numbers have notes, and the
selections are unabridged They are
designed for the fourth, fifth, and
sixth reader grades. Another valua-
BILE series in Classics for Children,
CHM & Co., Boston. In this list are
the writings of Huskin. Scott, r.
wing, Goldsmith, Kingsley, Lamb,
etc. The greatest care has been
used in editing these books for the
use of young people. Among the
editors are Edward Everett Hale,
Charlotte NJ. Yonge, Alfredo. Church,
etc. These volumes, numbering about
33, are well printed and all are
bound, while several are illustrated.
Still another series is the English
Classic Series, Efingham, Maynard,
x Co., TIL Broadway, New York. In
this series are selections from such
writer's as Addison, Bacon, Brown
ing, Burke, Burns, Gray, Macaulay,
Tennyson. etc. These are in paper
covers, except a few special numbers,
including Shakespeare The notes in
introduction and biographical sketch
es in his series are very valuable,
and the series is handsomely cotton
up. In these series are about 200
volumes of the best literature, and
surely there is no need for children
or young people to read trash when
such books can be purchased for
from u to 50 cents. CHM & Com
pany also issue a collection of stand
ard selections for memorizing, called |
open Sesame. 1t is in three volumes
and contains about one thousand |
pieces of the choicest prose and verse. |
. Poetry for Chil+3yen, lis a very good |
collection of poetry for the young. |
g American Poems contain some of
the best American poetry, with ex-
cellent not at low price Bry- |
ants translation of Homer's Odys-
sey is highly recommended for young
folks. 1t is almost the only one ofthe
worlds greatest masterpieces of lit
erature which is suitable for children.
The last three volumes are published
by Houghton, Miffiin & Co., Boston.
J. W. NEWTON.