The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-06
THAT SOFT TIE BOYS.
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s,7r,i look. With - dark neu eolor cover,
10 hrnr. the name B~riendier Oerard, u ~
tho most Interesting book ! ever rad, ehd
IN fArta. funny In others. However,, tters
J. a mistake and this " that ha life n moi
connected. II only tells ~ tho main 81
tinits
llcr be confirmation ~ tho publisher's
theory that tho public demands sustained
interest and does rot care for volumes
~ short stories. The unhesitating conf
,rno with which thr young critic charges
up mistn ke 10 Sir Conan h BEAUTIFUL.
In order to get at tho pal unbiased lit
rrary tastes of the children In the element
ary ca44os Superintendent Leland % the
bureau Of libra rios. Of the public schools
.ome,imes asks the teachers 90 allow thu
children to write compositions on their
home reading. No instructions arc given
to the children. They are simply told to
write anything they like about anything
they have read at home.
The results Mr.. Leland studies TO find out
what the children really do like. particu-
hrly the boys. The girls read more than
the boys. and II they read juvenile books
at all must perforce read n great many
boys books, since there are fifty times
more boys books than girls books in ex-
~istenco.
A bunch Of thirty-seven Of these criti-
cisms came in from the boys in the eighth
grade in one of the Greenwich village
schools the other day. Among the thirty.
seven there was one OF Jack London's "The
Sea Wolf" one Greek legend. the sowing
Of the dragoon's teeth; n biography,
'Boyhood of L~incoln'; one Of Cooper's
novels, one OF Miss Mulock's, one each of
Robinson Crusoe, 1.-The Lady OF the Lake."
and Shakespeare's Julius Cesar and
two reviews Of the Merchant Of Venice
All the rest were boys books, and OF these
nine were by Alger-one-fourth Of the
whole.
This proportion would hold pretty well In
all such reports on home reading. Alger
is far and away the boys ~favorite, as Louisa
NJ. Aloott Is the girls.
This fondness is somewhat ~discourag-
ing to Mr.. Leland, as well as other libra
from the classroom libraries, he tries to
keep him out unless he Is demanded with
unusual ferooity.
''The old fashioned penny dreadful with
Jesse James heroes Ia, Of course, excluded
from the modern library said Mr.. Leland.
sand gone With is the oldtimeSunday school
book In which the good little boy always
died In the odor Of sanotity. But Alger
gives views Of life quite as false and I'M
real.
'His boys are goodboys. but on the smart
Aleoky order. The hero, who is always a
marvel Of Juvenile ability and industry.
always leaves homo TO seek his fortune
and always acquires it in miraculously short
order through his hard work and honesty.
'Alger has probably been responsible
for more boys running away from home
than any Pirates Own Book ever pub
lished. A case Of that kind was reported
only q few days ago in Denver, where two
boys Of good family disappeared, to the
agony Of their parents. When discovered
~ m ,liatap NJ DotnE In fha ,1N,,nfatna .,neu
hard up, indeed, they confessed with sobs
that 1t was Alger made them do it,
Nevertheless the boys continue to read
Alger, and their reasons crop out In ye-
nuously in their compositions.
In discussing some book read at home"
savs one sedately, Il have taken one OF
.Alger's books, Tom Tracy Alger is in
my opinion the best writer Of boys books
in the world"
He finishes a long review with the follow.
ing sentence Thus ends most Of Alger's
books, showing how a poor boy can rise
in the world. The reader also derives
much pleasure in yhe amusing and exciting
adventures"
THE authors name is Horatio Alger,
Jr.." plunges In another. 'The story ia
very interesting, and author uses very
plain and simple language. The moral Is
very good for any boy; 1t shows how a
boy can become o man Of wealth, and 1t
also shows that honesty is always the best
policy"
Another Alger review ends: AFTER a
few days Paul himself started a necktie
stan d and became rich"
'This book is written by Horatio Alger
the Jr., the famous writer Of stories for
boys" "a US another. THE characters in
the story connect so nicely that IL makes
a good impression on boys and even grown
In the realm Of the legitimate tho re-
views show the same spontaneous quality,
"Shylock, the Jew, lived in Venice, and
lived as a usurer," writes one boy. "Shy-
lock as much hated Antonio because ne
used to lend money without interest. When
they met on the street they would approach
each other with hard dealings. Antonio
on the other hand wa the kindest man
ever lived, and had an unwearied spirit in
doing oourtesies."
Once there was a Jew who lived in
Venice runs another. "He was a mean,
hard hearted man what never lend money
without taking great interest of. Antonio
went to Shylock n day n asked him
for the lend Of 5000 duoats,'
Another Shakespeare student lapses into
biography. william Shakespeare was born
st Stratford-on-Avon in 1854. He received
his knowledge and learnment at the free
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