Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-15

depicted in these Introductory manuals of
science, rendering the pursuit more inter-
esting, and cultivating the habits OF OBJ
servation of form and of proportion. In the
minds of the young. Pupils who have never
accomplished anything in schools have been
reused by interest in Illustrated natural
histories to take an eager interest in learn
ing all about birds and animals. This al
ways leads on and up to other study, since
the mind that Is once awakened to obSer-
vat;on and to thought needs only slight
guidance to develop an unappeasable hun
ger for finding out all about things.
The ancient maxim that sit Is only the
first step that costs" is especially true in
the great art of education. 1t matters little
what it Is that first awakens the intellect
the great fact Is that 1t is awakened, and
sleeps no more thenceforward. mottled
birds egg found on the way to school, ex-
cites the little finder to ascertain the name
Of the bird that laid it. The school or the
teacher supplies no means Of finding out,
but the public library has books upon birds.
with colored plates OF their eggs, and eager
search ensues. until the young student is
rewarded by finding the very bird, with it's
name, plumage. habits, size and season, all
described. That child has taken an enorm-
GUS step forward on the road to knowledge.
which will never be forgotten.
Cooperation Between School and Lii
brary.
Instances might be multiplied Indefinitely
of such valuable aids to research afforded
by libraries, all along the innumerable roads
travelled by students of every age in search
of Information. One Of the most profitable
of school exercises is to take up successive
ly the great men and notable women of the
past. and by effective and practical aid Of
the libraries. to find out what is best worth
knowing about Columbus, Franklin Wal
ter Scott, Irving. Prescott Bancroft, Long
fellow. Hawthorne, Whittier. Emerson.
Lowell, Victor Hugo, or others too numer-
Gus to name Reading Longfellow's Evan
geline will lead one to search out the his
tory and geography of Acadia, and SO fix
indeibly the practical facts concerned, as
well as the imagery of a fine poem. So in
the notable events of history, if a study is
made of the English commonwealth. or the
French revolution, or the war between the
United States and England IN 1s12-15, the
library will supply the student with copious
materials for illustration.
Not alone In the fields of science history
biography, but in the attractive fields of
literature also can the libraries aid and
supplement the teachings Of the school,
fine poem a simple, humorous or pa
thetic story, told with artless grace or
notable literary skill, when read aloud by
q teacher in school, awakens q desire In
many to have the same book at home to
! read, reread and perhaps commit to mem
Org the finer passages. What more in
spiration or pleasing reading than some Of
Longfellows poems, or the Vicar of Wake
fenSe
roso. or Saintine's Picciola. or selections
from the poems of Holmes. Whittier. Kip
ling or Lowell? For all these and similar
wants the library has an unfailing supply.
A Great Literary Stimulus.
AS a practical Illustration Of the extern
sive use of books by schools in some ad-
vanced communities. 1 may note that Lii
brarian Green of the Worcester (Mass.)
Public Library said that in 1891 that his
average daily account of the books loaned
to schools in two busy winter months
showed over 600 volumes thus in daily use
This, too. was In addition to all that was
drawn out by pupils on their own indie
pendent cards as borrowers. Such rec
ord speaks volumes.
In the same CITY, where the Massachu-
sets State Normal School is located. "a
per cent of the scholars visited the library
to look up subjects connected with their
studies.
A forcible argument for librarians TAX
ing an interest In reading Tor schools Is
that both parents and teachers often neg
lect to see that the young get only proper
books to read. The children themselves
are quite ignorant what to choose, and If
left to themselves are hkely to choose I'M
wisely or to read story papers or quite I'M
improving books. Their parents, busted
they are commonly give no thought to the
matter and are quite destitute Of that
knowledge of the various classes OF books
know and to discriminate. Teachers them
selves do not possess this special knowledge,
except in rare instances. and have to be-
come far more cenversant with libraries
than Is usual, in order 10 acquire II.
Pernicious Books.
That the very young, left to themselves,
will choose many bad or worthless books is
shown in the account OF a principal of a
school in San Francisco. who found that 90
be dYav N fbo
library by pupils had been dime novels, or
other worthless literature. The wide prev
alence of the dime novel evil appeared in
the report of the reading of 1000 boys in
a western New York city. Out of this
number 472 (or nearly one-half) were In
the habit of devourfng this pernicious trash,
procured In most cases by purchase at the
news stands The matter was taken up by
teachers and, by wise direction and by aid
of the public library. the reading Of these
useful candidates for citiZe ship was led
into more improving fields. To lead mind
into the formative stage from the low to
the high, from tales OF wild adventures to
the best stories for the young. Is by no
means difficult. Take book that you
know is wholesome and entertaining. and it
will be eagerly read by almost every one.
There is an endless variety OF good books
adapted to the most rudimentary capacity.
Even young minds can become interested
In the works Of standard writers. II the
proper selection Is made. Wonderful Is
the stimulus which the reading Of q purely
" ritten, fascinating book gives to the young
| mind 1t opens the way for more books
and for the infinite growth. All that Is
| needed is to set the youth In the right
direction and he will go forward with rapid
strides of his own accord. This teaching
how to read is really the most profitable
part of any education: and one book eager
ly read through has often proved more vail
| liable than all the textbooks that ever
/ were printed.