Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-04-20
A BOYS READING.

Reading, we are told, is for two
purposes-recreation and instruction.
I do not agree with those who be-
lieve that no effort should be made to
choose the very best books that can
be had, even when reading only for
recreation. Most boys read for
pleasure. They do their studying in
connection with their school work
and after a hard day with history,
grammar, arithmetic, etc., the aver
age American boy naturally does not
feel like wading into Guizot's History
of France, even il his father does
think he should.
The boy wants story and he wants
a good one, with much of action and
much of detail, for the boy wants to
read about the way things are done,
while his father only wants to know
what is done.
There are many good stories for
boys-so many that no American boy
should ever put up with a poor one.
l don't believe in hard and fast rules
az to what a boy should read. Unless
he gets way off the proper track he
should be his own chooser. A boy
who reads Horatio Alger or Henty
all the time is way off the track; not
that these authors do not write good
stories, for they do; but l have met
boys who were really craDks on the
subject of one author. Be broad,
boys! Get the ideas of many authors.
Now, to recommend few books
which think every boy should read.
OF course, as I have said, every boy
must be a law unto himself, within
proper bounds. l merely give sug-
gestions.
William o. Stoddard has written
many stories for boys. You can feel
safe on almost any of them. "Saltillo
Boys" was an especially good story.
! It had the kind of action that boys
like and it's moral tone was very high.
School life is subject of which boys
never grow tired, however weary
they may get of the actual thing
Saltillo Boy 8" is one of the very best
school stories ever written. Every
boy, presumably, has heard OF Mr..
Stoddard's "Crowded Out o. Crofield,"
and most American boys have read
it. If you have not done so, you
have at least, ne good story ahead OF
you. Mr.. s oddard has written a
great many other stories, all Of which
are away above the average. His
characters seem to have some life,
some individuality about them
Nearly all heroes of boys stories pos
sess the same qualities: they can play
ball, run, jump, fish, cut wood, skate,
o. do most anything better than any
other boy in the Story. They always
have frank, open faces, which make
the rich man OF the story entrust then
with important work, and this they
always accomplish perfectly, despite
all opposition. 1t is a real artist who
can MAKE his characters like the boy
and girls of real life. Mr.. StoddarC
does this unusually well.
"Tom Pudding" by Brande
Mathews, is a good story. Mr.
Mathews is quite an authority on thu
use of English, SO, of course, his stor.
is we'll written. But there isn't any
thing sold fogy" about "Tom Pauld
int ;" if its author is professor. l
tells of a search for lost treasure
made by Tom and his uncle, and
tells it in a way that keeps you read
. ing, even il the rest of til
, boys are out skating. The plot
. very strong and is worked out in
might be disappointed in the ending
but it is better than the tiresom
"happy ever after" kind.
: In spite of Mr.. KIpliDg's ridicult
l boys will probably continue to rea
, stories of English school life, STU
:, liam Home" "St Winifred's," an
Erie" All of the m get at the hear
: OF the schooiboy and portray his trial
and his temptations very strongly
indeed. They show clearly the differ
$ ehce between good and bad CO npaI
: ions and the results which folio
:. wrong. doing, but there is nothing {
:. "preachy" nature about them. A
= boys would enter with hearty symps
: thy into the life of Eric Williams, th
u hero of Eric" Boys stories, as
:. rule, do not have much of pathos, bU
d Ere does, and we can see th
: young reader feeling bad over Eric
u evil course, just girls cry over lit
Eva in "Uncle Toms Cabin. Pc.