The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1908-05-28

one OF our large uul9ef5lVe5 rIaN0o w
one OF his classes twenty years ago that
ii would be better for people to read
even the "Fireside Companion" than
to have no reading at all. In those
days our rsral population had little or
nothing to read. Magazines were ex'
pensive, and the almanacs and county
papers made a very meager literary
F.! diet. Even the doubtful good of having
the cheap weekly papers thrust into
the dooryard was denied the average
farm home.
In these days, when the farmer is
Just as close to the heart OF the world
as the rest OF US, If he chooses to be,
he is greeted by bewidering oppor-
tunity for choice among mediocre and
even more vicious publications than
were common twenty years ago. There
are capable men and women, highly
cultivated and useful citizens, whose
early reading was largely of the char
acter then current in the cheap week
lies; but who shall dare to prophesy
that the youth OF today, whose literary
excursions take him into the company
of Cluster Brown" and "Happy HoU-
ligal." will have an even chance with
the youth OF a generation ago to devel-
op into a useful and law abiding citi-
zen2 The influences OF the dukes,
naughty countesses, staggering pirates
and common ruffians of those days was
certainly not SO quickly transmitted
into bad conduct as that of the current
yellow favorite.
Isolation had its advantages for the
people on our farms. Today, the farm
er' lad, only less than his city contem-
porary, has the worst that our times
afford thrust upon him. In the cities,
the public libraries are live to the ne
cessty of getting people to read, and
TO read that which is, at least, not dis
tinctly harmful, with strenuous efforts
to promote the more vigorous and help
full sort Of reading. That those IN
charge of travelling library systems are
fully conscious that wise selection of
the books means much to the common
wealths whose interests they serve,
may be seen from the character of the
books they are sending to the villages,
country school and farm houses. 1t is
recorded of one well selected and com.
bined collection of 40 volumes that in
three years it travelled over 1000 miles, |
and had 9lS recorded loans in % |
months of actual circulation in differ |
ent neighborhoods. Only "a per cent |
Of this circulation was fiction, so that |
IL o,o o,,oo,,rooipo f1,rau ebo,,, tbot en-
miscellaneous books are being read and
What the general result |
Of the circulation of this better class OF
books in more or less bookless commu-
mites Is, no one may definitely know,
put the librarian of any system of
raveling libraries could find in the cor
of her office innumerable
md eloquent testimonials of the good
work that is being done. So general is
he belief that this class of literature
will help people to live on farms and
n villages more intelligently, and
therefore, more contentedly, that state
workers in farmers institutes have per,
istently acted as advocates of travelling
braries, with excellent and immediate
esults in many cases.
Oregon now has 50 state travelling il
raries being sent to as many stations
throughout the state As these libra
les belong to the state there is no
barge for their use. Oregon people,
1herever they may be located, may
raw books from the Oregon Library
commission at Salem.