The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-09-25

to turn our eyes to the "Oth=c half,
the rural haIf,-of our population
for although. until quite recently, no
one thought of the public library as a
possible rural institution. it a now
made an suspicious entry into this
new field. L IS destined 70 play an
important part among the twentieth
century forces,-ruraI mail delivery,
good roads. rural telephones, etc
that make for the uplift Of American
country life.
The need of the rural library must
be apparent to all who are familiar
with cOuntry school methods. Reading
is the magic key TO all our store
houses OF intellectual wealth; II is the
basis of all education. The true uni
yersity of these days says Carlyle,
rs a collection of bOOks." And it is
here. of all points in its curriculum.
that the country school has failed
most grievOusly,-it has not taught
the children to read. u use books. Do
not understand me to charge that the
rural school is literally and aVowcdly
disIoyaI 10 the first of the immortal
three RS. for it is not. But only in
the narrOwest sense does it teach
ErtllILSr-I tdt4iIS do lHe llEIC pLO-
uunCiatiOn of words and the Observ-
ance OF punctuation marks; the IN
lovely. mechanical side Of reading.
The brighter side of reading the cOun-
try pupil does not get; the city pupil
does. Aided by the prescribed supple
mental literature. and guided by the
teacher. the child of the tOWnsman
learns to find JOY in reading, learns
not only how to read. but actually
learns to read, TO use books. If YOU
know the country school rs the writer
does. YOU know the other side of this
picture. You know children who live
out q long chOOl career without
learning anything Of literature !e-
yOnd the monOtonoUs rehearsal Of dr.
text bOOk matter. Cold. hard net
about the boundaries Of foreign ate
the dates Of ancient battles, the r:.-s
Of the stock exchange, are regarded as
matters OF Importance. but the teacher
does not see that II is better to foster
a love of reading than to teach history
or geography. Or if ne sees the duty,
and longs to direct the child to the
beauties of literature, he is shackled by
the lack of facilities for such work.
Year after year. there is the same old
drill in the same old readers. no class
scs are studied auad there i no supple
mental reading to give the spice of va
riety.
1t is inevitable that children reared
in such schools come to regard reading
not as a luxury. but as ~drudgery. ard
grow up potentially, if not in the strict
est sense. ilIiterlte. Il confess" says
ThOreau. somewhere in his Walden
that I 90 not make any broad diStinc-
ton wecu the ~IIitsratenes OF my
tOWnsmau who cannot read at all and
the miterateness of him who has learn
ed only to read what is for children
and feeble iuteIIects." How much mar
rover. then. should be the distinction
between the 'i~Iliterateness OF him
who cannot read at all" and the Hitter
ateneSs OF him whose training has been
such that ne regards reading only as q
task TO be Stunned, People everywhere
are now beginning to see the mistake
pointed out. ten years ago, by PresI-
dent Eliot in his essay "Wherein Pop
ular Education Has Failed"
w have heretofore put too much
confidence in the mere acquisition Of
the arts of reading and writing. After
these arts are acquired. there is much
to be done to max them effective for
the development of the child's intelli-
geuce. If his reasoning power is to be
developed through reading, he must be
guided to the right sort of reading. The
school must teach not only how to read,
but what to read, and it must develop
a taste for wholesale reading"
II IS to remedy Just his defect thai
the rural school library has been in
PRODUCED into twenty-nine American
states. And though widely varying
plans have been adopted. in no Other
state, I dare say has more rapid pro
greSs been made or greater results &C
compIished in proportion to capital eX-
pended han in North Carolina. Fol
his reason I may be pardOned for re
ferring at some length 10 this NORTH
Carolina plan, which seems to be TIT
one best adapted to states having (
large rural population Il n small rev.
enue. The law as passed by the Gen
eraI Assembly of 1901 provides. in sub
stance
That wherever the friends or patron,
of any rural public school Contribut'
$40 or more for starting 4 library il
connection with the school, SO Of tn
district school fund shall also be Sc
par FOR the same purpose, while an
other SO Will be given from the stat
approprsation.-thuS insurinS at tn
outset n least $50 for each school libra
~: in many cases, of course. the pat
rOus contribute more than the mini
mum sum. $40. needed TO secure tn
$50 from other sources. The count
board of education then names som
competent person 10 manage the pros
pective library and buy the books IL
It, these to be chosen from a remark
ably we'll selected list Of stJndIr
works recently prepared by a commit
tea OF distinguished educators. TIL
same committee. by the way. obtaine
competitive bids from prominent pull
fishing houses. thus forcing prices I
St-.kiuEIy low figures. even Tor C!aS:
les. The smallest libraries ave seE
euty-Iv- or eight neat and substar
tally bound volumes.
BY The earnest efforts OF the Nor,
Carolina Literary and Historical Ass.
citation. an appropriation of five tho
sand dollars was obtained for the pal
ment of the states part Oh the eXper
mental plan just outlined, and in Sci
TENDER. 1901, The aDUrODriatiOu BEGAN