Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-05-26
MIR. HOrne's Paper.

upon with appreciation, OF even without grave
9lsapproval. They are business enterprises CON
uuSteu 10 secure the largest possible cientage.
ana hence they are filed, notwth what il morally
ana intellectually uplifting, but with what will
The number of new books published every year
Is so enormous as to make one wonder If neonIe
can we round to read them all. Fiction leads with
percentage more than twice as large as any
other department of literature and a very great
portion OF II is of the most ephemera and even
harmful kind The common dea is that every
body reads books but in point of fact the nerent-
age OF people who are readers of books in any
reaI sense is small, probably not more than one
elghth. The conclusions reached in the opening
portion of his paper the essayst thus summarized;
read print ~ w
3D. the greater portion of their reading ia rom
tined to the newspapers and to other publications
OF more or less harmful and ephemerdl char
acter.
Sd, the reading of books as habit can INA at.
population.
4th, a large per cent of those who read books as
habit read only literature that is vapid and tran
STORY II not positively harmful.
9TH, this is an evil to be deplored and one which
II is our duty to strive to remedy so far as lies in
our power.
Statistics recently published by the agent of the
Massachusetts board of education showed dis
couragingly large proportion of pupils out of 1912
VINO were mterrogated, that had read no books
OF history, biography travel, or kood poems
while the great majority had read little else than
hcuon and this largely of the cheap and trashy
! kind The fact was noted that good quality of
| books had been read by pupils who had proper
| instruction in literature in the schools, or who
| were under elevatiug home influence and direction
The conclusion of the agent, from whom the es-
sayist quoted was that ito cultivate a taste for
| thoughtful and wewritten books, and thereby
| prevent the reading of books that weaken and de
moralize the mind is the great work of the school,
and am happy In believing that some teachers
are accomplishing much in that direction
1.-THE Actual Work" of the Schools.
Mr.. Horne combatted forcibly the idea, so com.
monty held, that children in the schools should do
| nothing outside their routine school work, and
| that the whole emphasis should be placed on 1.-THE
| three RS and the processes and branches grow
ing out of them. rs it good doctrine. he said,
Ito send our children to school to acquire the
mechanical process of how to read, and never
| suggest to them what to reads Is 1t not bad
| doctrine: Is II not dangerous wrong, to lead
child up to the confines OF bewildering book land
| and then without chart compass TO guide him,
let him start upon his journey through 1t and take
| his chances as to where he will come out: Such
policy cannot be wise. Ii loses sight completely
of the true purpose OF the public schools. Their
| prime object is to lay the foundation for good
| citizenship. But good citizenship implies intelli
| gent citizenship, and there can be no better
promise of intelligent citizenship than properly
and strongly developed taste in young man or
| woman for good literature. IL is well-nigh impos
sible for one to be a persistent and thoughtful
reader of good books and not be good and intel
| lgent citizen. Our schools are doing their best
work where their faces steadily turned to that
life which comes after the life OF the school-room
| when they aim not simply to educate the child,
but to teach him to educate himself.
Here the question naturally suggests itself, are
not the public schools doing now the very thing
you mention! In a measure they are, but IN my
Judgment not so far as they might. great
change is going on growing out of the changed
condition OF our public life and we are beginning
to recognize that a mere knowledge of the bare
rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic
does not constitute in itself even an apology for
an education The fetch of the supreme import
ance of the three RS has been hurled from its
sanctuary. School reading is no longer confined
TO the primer and the successive readers in the
line hQg a
its way into the daily recitatiOns, and the works
of our best authors lend their humanizng and
stimulating interest to the routine work OF school
life. We on the right track. but in the matter
| of literature we have yet made hardly begin
ming As a rule children like to read. 1t is prac-
| tically impossible TO keep most of them from IN
dulging this liking The great thing is TO direct il
into the right channel, and for reasons which are
clearly apparent-the lack of interest, of time OF
| opportunity. or of sufficient knowledge on the
part of parents-this direction must come largely
from the school ~
1T may be objected that it will take too much
of the teachers time, which is needed for t
actual work of the school ROOM Actual work
This is precisely what it should become. Not a
mere side-show depending on the passing interest
or caprice of the teacher but principal factor IL
the active work of the school room Who shat
question its claim to this position Let him ano
him alone who will establish the secondary lm,
! Dortance of the chds reading. For my part
: deem it of the highest Importance Properly
directed would assign IL place second 70 notn
, ing that we rate as part OF the actual worh
of the school roOm and would give 10 us ulrectloi
I a proper portion of actual school-room time; ano
: not allow it to take its chances with occasions
. suggestion BY teacher, friend or parent, DO not
o YOU teacher or parent, who see IN tine mere acu
oflesson learning and lesson reciting the SINE ftl
non of a chids education, do not be alarmed les
: the active schoolroom work should be neglected
1t would not be neglected, II would DE sVrehe'n
ened. fill. o.,l;.d ,b., s,,b
iect and who have not had ample opportunity
for observation, realize the amount on Ieauihs
which is done by school cmlureh, INC 80 esSe e -
!
, | his own pupils How important, then, that UNI
reading be wisely directed; that II De saved iron
wholesale deyour,nE Oh vaPu' so2ne na1ents ar
| yatchful in this regard some teachers are aleI
and helpful but the great majority OF S nilHIe'
= | receive no systematic guidance at an NltIiQu
. toDning to anatbematise the detestabe rubbish
in the shape of story papers and nan ale movers
without stopping to pay pasSlhg az
tannnt 10 mach of1he sOcalled juvenile llteralur
. to ~ found In abundance ON the shelves OF gu
+ nnbic and Sunday school libraries, without NOR
than glance Of pity at those I 4coHs Which are
, tbat sort of cant that only have the erect 10 tuI
: the healthy minded child against me very INN
. / for which il seeks to enlist us Supp'lE II VI
Il 10 N say with reference TO ali the forms
o socaIled juvenile literature tla 700 many " tS
are written expressly for children NUS t % W, n
= ore written more about them than TOT tnel, an
l. they defeat their own purpose by thelI cOiipe'
i failure TO enlist the sympathy OF Ie
IT the young Children 90 no. OH nTe g,idapce in rea
mo those already written, not for them aiohe' VI
II for every one.
" Mr.. Horne's own Method.
e Mr. Horne then proceeded to describe the ~, III
1t Of work which he has undertaken the pass \ &.
n 9TH the first year class in his own scho0i D,ei
~ ststed he meets the class the nIsl thins W. ~
le Nonday morning to talk over the reaGinlg 1o o
D. he nrtyious week A journal is eareiuliy nt
we he reading of each child; No attempt
U,ada 10 study any book critically put Oily 70 x
10 The nupils to read good literature IoI te piS"
re nra There is in it, aud 70 surround tne 'e"IG bf
- ,ents Whether few = many, win nea s 81 81
" and helpful atmosphere Each memDr' or "
r. az is Under a well considered promise uot
s. rsad any books of gene al literature eA9sp. w
~, ,'hicb have been approved by the tAcheI u
~ Wilt has been exceedingly satisfactory -
in Lass has entered into the plan vi eh1nu ias. as.
VS. nj its members are anxious TO 90 MS M ~
, al ad,ss h.st No child Is To read more wa"
~ Hnn1 each day nor less than one-ha lou,' =
Id ~ ~ tbsr. are reasons for varying thls OF
a. tronnng the reading altogether -,.,,,..,,, ,,l
- M knI " Mr. Horne said that the cIiluien "
he ssd to read ncrdinately out OF school npuIs ~
IL U.s.. more time at th-r disposal Tor otner dn
a. tsrs. The children who read less are tnco Js
~ M T,ad more: all read With more or rs rev Ma
u ~ and they read who esome hteIatiuie' CO "
rs ", thew seem to enjoy IL Thoroughly =" ~
Ter of cours-. and OF necessl. u M, &c
as hss h.en mainly of fction' Dht II so'iiT \,
| |'s,.~f al elias