The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-13

If you were a boy again what books would you
readf This is pertinent question because the public
schools nowadays try to keep track of boys reading
and if it is not up to the mark, endeavor to guide
his taste into better channels 1t seems to me this Is
good constructive work the part OF the schools
and must be productive of excellent results: One Of
the plans used in the New York schools is to invite
the boys to write compositions their reading The
superintendent reads the essays submitted not with
the idea of marking the pupils but to gain knowl-
edge OF what they are reading and what are the
mental results. One boy recently wrote amusing
criticism Of Conan Doyle's sketches of Brigadier
Gerard.
at is medium-sized BOOK he wrote, with
dark red 1t bears the of Brigadier
Gerard.' It is the most interesting book read,
sad in parts funny in others. However, there is a
mistake and that is that his life is not connected.
1t only tells of the main expoits.'
The boys criticism shows the difference of view
point Of the auhor and the reader To Conan Doyle,
Brigadier Gerard only peg which to hang
glittering adventures. To the boy he real
all his life.
This boy would probably approve of the plan of
"John Halifax, Gentleman who is carried by the
author from childhood thru to the time when he be-
grandfather himself But there lots of dull
spots for boys in 81 John Halifax" while there is
always something doing in g Brigadier Gerard
Mulochs patience of detail Barres appreciation OF
youth and Dumas capacity for weaving plots,
Wouldn't he write stunning books for the YOUTH
r But to the reading of other days. I asked
mature person. educator who is probably interested
in this effort to learn what the boys of today are
reading, whether he conscious of having read
anything in his youth which was positively harmful
He remembered few books which he wished he had
not read. There was a time in his life when ne
read monographs the Indian question bound in
yellow paper. He remembered having acquired from
one of these books and having used at home the
exclamation "vamose the ranch.'' He had not the
remotest idea what it meant, but its utterance led
to inquiry from his father. Little by little the story
came out and after painful interview in the wood
shed he decided to read the Bible every once in
while. The Indian novels were being purveyed from
the postofice by the of the postmaster, who had
set up stand in the and was flooding the little
town with this sort of literature Father complained
to the postmaster, and informed that it was no.
body's business what his did And father, who
had talent for making trouble, went into politics.
the final result of this incident being change Of
postmasters and political feud in the town which may
be going yet for anything he knows to the contrary
Then he went thru the period Of reading the
innocuous tales in the Bonner Ledger and the New
York Weekly 'But the curious and gratifying
thing he added, ''is that 1 have not the faintest
remembrance of those Stories while believe can
substantially recite 'Ivanhoe.' I do everything
with it except to pronounce the of the Templar
aloud AS for Dumas, I used to be able to sing the
Three Musketeers,' tho 1 do not consider it re-
markaby good book for boys There is cheap
stuff in all three of those books Dumas does not
appear to have come to take himself seriously until
he wrote the last of the trilogy.'
But after all is said for or against the classic
writers of tales such as Scott Dickens, Dumas Stew
enson and the rest it is found by the schools that
Horatio Alger remains the favorite Of the boys as
Louisa NJ Acott does of the girls. Now Alger makes
the school teachers tired and they wish the children
would read him. tho he has not been excluded from
the libraries His boys good boys, but of the
Smart Alecky order. The hero always leaves home to
10 md is held reSDOnSible
more lads running away from home than any other
writer. But Ager never ran away from home himself
He Just stayed by his parents until they put him
thru school and college and made Unitarian minister
A bow in the school referred to above wrote con-
corning Algers books: The moral is very good for
wealth and it also shows that honesty is the best
policy Another Alger review concludes: After
few days Paul himself started necktie stand and
became rich'
The painful aspect of these books is that they hold
up immediate wealth not only the one thing de.
sirable but as feasible green boy without capital
or experience. If he will but away from home
success is assured
But the legitimate is not entirely neglected by
boys. One youth who had browsed thru the plays
and written a classical essay "The Merchant OF
Venice even ventured into that dark realm, Shaks
perian biography. civilian shakspere,' he re-
marked with confidence, "was born at Stratfordon
Avon in 1864. He received his knowledge and learn
ment at the free grammar school of Stratford. He
has written many plays and published them in different
languages. After his marriage he became great
actor in London and received 200 pounds week. y
From all the testimony it would appear that it is
better for boys not to read the authors who make
speciality of writing for them These authors fall
into silly habit of writing down to their con
stituency. They also adopt false views of life which
they see will appeal to their constituency They dc
to the unsophsticated and far they make
any impression at all it is bad one: The writers
who have written truthfully have on the whole done
more for boys than the specialists even II they dd
nse some words which the young reader stumbled
over and construct sentences which nobody shor
Of trained phlologist could comprehend
- james Gray.