Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-01-02
SCHOOL LIBRARlES-WHAT CON.
TAIN: HOW USE.

CNCl ~ Voc hhAl
Carlyle again says: "The true uni
versity of these days is a collection OF
books" What is a book? A book is
brains boiled down, distilled and mix
ed with printers ink. A book means
civilization. 1t means language liked
and frozen-carved into an Immortal
beauty, embalmed and laid away on
the shelves of literary catacomos. A
book is the qu~intescence of a war;
many men working through n man.
many minds through m nilno.
Books are our second best friends;
they are teachers of wisdom VINO can
beguile our tedious hours n en-
tighten every toll. A book ID a gar
den, IN orchard, a store house. IL Is
company by the way and 1t Is a couh-
selor. Books are those faithful MIR
rors that reflect 10 our minds the
minds of sages and heroes. A gooo
book is the precious life blood OF a
master spirit treasured up on a pur-
pose for a life beyond. Next 10 d
friends discourse nc morsei IS more
delicious than a ripe book, n next
to acquiring good friends is the ac-
QUESTION of good b~ooks-books that
will charm and uplift, attract and mold
character, and make for cce on
the line of any worthy ambition. Such
books, like friends, we love best, con-
tinually show some lovely trait OF
character and should be digested and
turned into nourishment, making
them a part of our lives that live al
ways.
Let us cherish and lay hold of those
uoems which tell us of God, of nature,
of man. of love and pure joys, of the
sweet, the beautiful and the strong.
| Introduce your children to those de-
lightful intimacies that make the
world a neighborhood and literature a
conversation.
Reading matter that does not reach
| the emotions, the affections, the de-
! sires. and at the same time touch UP
| and arouse the loftiest feelings of the
| soul, lacks the essential of good read
ing matter for children. We believe
the reading of one good book to be Of
| vastly more benefit to the child thar
can ever be measured, making him
| kindIier, better hammered, more
| studious, more progressive, more sue
cessful and wiser.
The companion of great lives and
| thoughts in books must ever be ele'
waiting, and any effort to make this
companionship easy we may consider
good work. High aims and intellec'
tual ends are in themselves purifying,
| Only by inspiring lofty desires can
low desires be starved into extinction
In these days few problems are
more important in the home life ano
training than of the best books anc
how to get them. 1t is very possible
that intelligence may prevail where
there are many good books with bu'
| poor schools, but it is not to be ex-
pected that any school without thu
| help of books will furnish society will
intelligent, we'll informed men ans
women.
| School boards and parents should b'
urged to supply interesting maya
zines and youths papers that vii
tempt the lower grade pupils to reat
much more, both at home and a
school. Much reading is as essentia
| to learning to read as much practice
on musical instruments is essential t.
becoming master of them.
1t requires but slight observation t.
disclose why the children of n fam
lily grow up thoughtful, sensible ant
useful, while those of another ar
| fabby and indoIent of mind, if no
pernicious.
What fresh air is to the plant tn
domestic atmosphere is to the child
The home must not only be the shell
ter of the body but cradle of the mind
The warp and woof of the child min'
are to receive the imprints of knowl
edge and education from teachers, bu
long before that it's texture is sho
through and through with counties
threads that determine the pattern
the fabric, for a life time. The habi
of full, careful and accurate knowl
edge should be wisely impressed. Tn
habit of using words that fit tn
thought as garments fit the body,sen
fences that are not ragged, languag
that is pure English, free from Sian
or e~xaggeration is of priceless value
No school can teach it wholly. I
} foster a sound habit of thought and
pure habit of speech, you must hav
in the home, as in the school, thos
silent teachers, those priceless CON
panions, books. A home, howevt
costly, without this furniture for tn
mind is barbaric. It's splendor is WI
gar, its luxury enervating.
One who has always been accul
toned to the presence of good bool
unconsciously imbibes a love fl
, them. They may be few in numb
: but if we'll chosen and thoughtful
read will have a moulding infiuen'
upon the young life. Since knowledI
is infinite and the making of boo
. there is no end, it would seem t.
9 wise thing to do to read in those r
gions that most concern you and a
found by experience to be most val
n able for the building of your own ma
hood and the living of your best Iii
I'll The plan of encouraging the form
< ton or tie RABBIT os reading good
erature in the home embraces su
q results as the development of style
writing, the power of expressi
thoughts in honest English. What
mighty help then if the boy or girl C
listen week after week to the mastt
of English speech. 1t is during the
growing years that the power of a
probation is strongest, and so irresi
ible is the impulse that if nothing b
NJ ter is provided it will feed upon cha
ii Alvan F. sanborn has supplied
children with $500 books from a SIN
: library during one year, the libra
beng open from 7 a. m. to 1880 p.
y, every week day. He says that I
). continued demand for fairy stor