Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-12
LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS
Session of Department Having the Subject
in Charge.
Report of Committee Submitted-Ths
General Subject Considered by
s. S. Greene.

The first session of the library depart
ment was held yesterday afternoon in
Wesley Chapel, and was presided over by
L. d. Harvey of Milwaukee Chairman Jno.
c. Dana of Springfield. Mass, presented
| the report of the committee relations
| of public libraries to public schools. 1t was
recommended that the committee on this
! subject be continued, and that it be recon-
mended to make a careful examination of
the relations now existing between libraries
and schools, and examine with care into
| such questions as:
| How to induce librarians to acquaint
| themselves with the needs of the school
room. and how to induce teachers to make
| themselves more familiar with the POSSIBLE
tiles of public libraries.
| How to encourage normal schools to give
more instruction in the use of books in
| libraries.
How to induce high schools, colleges and
universities to establish schools of the
| book
How to promote the introduction of school
room libraries.
How to induce more public libraries to
open special departments for children and
| teachers.
How to increase the interest of parents in
the reading of their children.
! This general subject was considered by S.
S. Greene of the Worcester, Mass, free
! Both teachers and scholars could do bet
ter work if they had free access to books
| needed in preparation for school exercises:
| such access would make the remarks of
| teachers more instructive and entertaining,
and the studies of pupils more interesting
and profitable.
Teachers have many chances of awaken
| ing interests which may be satisfied by
giving scholars books obtained from IL
braries and of increasing thoroughness of
reading by occasionally examining them
| regarding the contents of interesting Ii
brary books read by them.
| The taste of children for good readi 1g
! will be cultivated if in all grades of schools
| they are allowed to fummage among we'll
selected collections of books obtained from
| libraries, and take home such they like.
Older members Of families find great
pleasure in reading the good books car
ried home from school by children.
A Useful Habit.
1t is very useful for teachers and schol-
ars to form the habit of going to libraries
to get answers to questions, to get material
for compositions and debates and to make
investigations large and small.
| Such kinds of work in which teachers
| have awaited themselves largely of the ia
cilities of libraries have been done for
| twenty-five years. The Free Public Lii
! brary of Worcester, Mass, was 6. pioneer
| in building up systematically close and
constant connection between libraries and
| schools Such connection now exists in
|
portions of the country.
Mr.. Greene explained at some length the
methods by which the work between Ii
| braries and schools is done.
| 1t was interesting to notice that a large
| use of pictures is being made in doing this
kind of work.
AdO1escent Period.
Miss Susan F. Chase of the Buffalo Nor
| NAL School read a paper dealing with the
| choice of reading matter for the early
adolescent years. The period of Adde'S
cence, which has great variation, might be
| roughly limited, she said, to extend from
about twelve years of age to twenty-four.
The early half of this period, from twelve
to eighteen, is a peculiarly trying one to
| parents and teachers. The new found en-
| ergies of youth find expression in so many
| unexpected ways the changes are SO sud
| den and SO revolutionary.
| How to utilize and direct these adolescent
energies is problem demanding concerted
| attention. The proper choice of reading
| during these years, as a help to the solu-
ton of this problem, is most important
| subject for study.
| Conditions That Are Settled.
A recent investigation into the facts of
adolescent reading has emphasized the fol-
| lowing conditions:
1. The power of environment in influ-
| encing literary tastes.
2. The book balrenness of the majority
| of homes.
| 3. The almost equal barrenness of many
| of our schools
4. The great appetite for reading between
| the years twelve to eighteen.
| 8. The enormous waste of reading energy
| within these years and the evils arising
| therefrom.
u. The amount of lazy enjoyment of read
| ing and the need of stimulation to thought.
| 7. The startling amount of surreptitious
IA
| s. The absolute necessity for intelligent
| and sympathetic guidance of adolescents
In their selection of reading matter.
| 8. Tie demand for educative centers
| where instruction may be given to parents
and teachers in the proper choice of read
| ing for young people,
Some Important Problems.
The investigation already referred to ma
| turally leads to certain large questions:
| What is the normal adolescent appetite for
| reading? How shall it be fed? What are
| the disease symptoms? What their
| remedy?
| At present our knowledge Is insufficient.
| Certain Investigations must be pushed.
Some questions as these must be answered.:
| What are young people actually reading?
| How far may individual tastes be employed
| to develop a love for pure and ennobling
| literature? How stimulate desire for
| reading when there is no native desire? In
| what way lead young people on in the
| choice Of better reading? How avoid the
| danger of over-stimulation and at the same
| time arouse enthusiasm? What amount of
| independence to allow in the choice of
| books? How shall we anticipate the temp
| tations to secret reading? How shall we
meet the demand for religious culture? At
! what age should the Bible be put into the
| hands of the reader? What should be our
| attitude toward love stories? Should i'm
| mature boys and girls be allowed to read
| the recent realistic literature? Shall we
| prohibit any reading matter? What should
| be our attitude toward indiscriminate read
| ing of the newspaper by boys and girls?
| These were but few of the questions
| waiting to be answered.
The discussion was opened by President
| Harvey, who announced that he had Sc
| cured the desired appropriation OF $500 for
| next year from the council of the N. E A.
Mr.. Spofford expressed his interest and
spoke of the opening Of the Library of Con-
| gress till 10 pm. He spoke also of the
library school in connection with Columbia
University. Others in the discussion were
F. A. Hutchins of Wisconsin, ]. H. Van
| do of