The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1893-02-23
The Kind Of Books Your
Boys are Reading ?
SOME STARTLING DISCLOSURES.
Let Marietta Parents Provide Whole
some Literature for their Boys and
Girls, as Well as Food.

to know what to read and what not
to read is equally SO. We are teach
ing the youth of this county to read.
4 Are we as teachers and parents also
cultivating taste for the proper
kind of reading and removing from
them. that which is injurious I
wonder ifyou, as a teacher, ever
inquire into and direct the reading
Of your pupils. wonder if You, as
parent,S know what your child
reads, if you over read to him or
give him book to read. Did you
ever give him an interesting book
for present? If you do not know
what he reads it is time you were
finding out, The investigation
might surprise you. Look among
your books at home and see If you
have any suitable for boy to read.
A man is morally bound to furnish
good reading fer his children In pro-
portion to his means. A man has
no more right to let his children
devour every poisonous book than
he has to let them eat unwhoiesome
food.
'>J To bring this matter practically
before the parents of the Cobb, |
made a little investigation among
some two hundred children, large
and small, short time ago. l had
them all to write me letter telling
me something of the books they had
read since last July and how they
ed them. On looking over the
b'letters / found that fifteen pupils,
and some of them were fifteen years
of age, had never read book ; some
who read nothing but newspapers;
many who read books Of the very
best class and others that were
reading the very vilest five cent
novels.
A large majority had read one or
more of the following: Robinson
/ Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson,
1 Mrs. Allcott's books, a few of Pan
/ sy's books, Little Lord Fontleroy,
Black Beatty, Sarah Crewe, Young
I Marooner, some of Dickens, Hans
I Andersoa's stories. A few of the
older oses had read some o! SCOTS,
a few hooks Of travel, and a very few
biographies, and historical works.
4 One young lady had read ten of the
B Duchess novels. Here is a good list
for boy OF twelve: "History of
+ United States, Stories of Our Coun-
! Try, Grandfather's stories, stories of
Heroic Deeds, stories of Other
n Lands, Tom Sawyer, and Two Little
Contederates." Compare that with
the following: 81 have read part
of Robinson Crusoe, and. The Lite of
Rube Burrows, Peck's Bad Boy,
Plucky Boys, Dead Wood Dick,
Dasbaway Charlie, Jesse James
Death Shot," | wonder if this boys
father knows that he has read these
books.
Here is another: II like Wild
West scenes, and Edith and the
Burglar. | made friend of Edith
because she was so good to the Bur-
glar." IE answer to the question
aDid you make any friends in the
books. several said that they had
made friends with Peck's Bad Boy,
because he was SO smart and funny.
One boy said he had lead over fifty
stories in the time mentioned.
y No wonder those boys give trouble
at home and at school when they
make heroes OF such imps.
I found "Once a Week." "New
York Weekly" "Fireside Compan>
ion." ''Log Cabin Series" "Beadle's
Dime and Pocket Series" "Old Cap
Collier" and other series of Detec-
tive stories familiar names to many
bows. On inquiry, our news dealers
tell me that forty or more of these
| weeklies are sold every week. One