Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-15
THE REALM OF BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Eleanor Gates, the author of THE
Plowman'' and Cupid" Is living in
the Santa Cruz Mountains conducting
an interesting experiment in horse
| breeding. The Western horse, Mrs.
| Gates says, was direct descendant Of
| Arabs or part Arabs. She has taken
| ten pure Arab steeds into California
| for the purpose of raising the pure
stock and the part Arab, thus follow
| ing, she says, the footsteps of Lord
Eyron's granddaughter, Lady Anne
| Blunt, who has had great Arabian
studs both IN England and near Cairo.
| The raising of horses is to be Mrs
| Gates's recreation and business, but
| she does not intend to let it interfere
| with her writing.
In New York city, says Harper's
Weekly, the library system of our pub
| lie schools shows larger circulation
| Of books than any other library in the
| world. And this great organization
| exists to inculcate an interest in good
| literature in the children of New York
| Ii Chicago Il similar system has been
| built up Of remarkable magnitude ard
| efficiency. But this generous oppor-
tunity for education. which means so
peculiarly much to the great foreign
| population of these cities. finds re
markable illustrations throughout
many OF the western states. 1t is not
| only in the towns, but perhaps even
more effectively at the crossroads, that
| the little school libraries are teaching
wisdom and light from DAY to day III
tales and verses and popular child
Histories which arrest interest and aD-
peal TO imagination. The little district
schOolhouse, With five pupils and a IL
! brary of 100 books has, an eloquence
more convincing than some stately Ii
hrary building burdened with costs of
maintenance. The methods and scope
| of these reading circles, school libra
ries, teachers libraries and travelling
libraries will he explained in articles
dealing with Indiana, Ohio, Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota as
| typical Illustrations of Il great system
maintained by earnest, broad minded
| and efficient men and women, who are
wisely making reading a pleasure in
| stead OF Investing English literature
with the repellent character which i
| is assuming in our eastern private
ward entrance requirements IN English
| The excellent work done in certain
| other states we can only leave to be
| inferred from the types presented, but
| we think that the pictures which ~.c
| shall present will be sufficiently il
| Illuminating and significant not only TO
arrest attention. but also to cause Sc
riohs misgivirgs along the somewhat
| complacent Atlantic Seaboard when the
| iitt rary chances of western children
are directly compared with those in the
| cast. one emphatic feature Of all this
use OF books is the constant effort 10
place ethical or civic or other sound
ideals before this multitude of readers.
The stories wherein perseverance, pluck
and energy have paved the hcros
way, triumph of right, the lessons to
he unconSciously drawn from great
lives and deeds of hiStory-the love Of
)country, knowledge of the past, and the
present responsibilities of citizens, the
wonders of modern scence-these are
among the Influences conveyed through
The school library books circulating
daily from city to crossroads through
out the heart of our country. III is a
civic work, Il moral work, q great
movement which may we'll be summar-
lied as the making of good citizens.
Rex Beach, the author. contributes
the following incident to the present
keen discussion as to the equality of
the sexes. 1t seems that in Alaska
there are plenty of women, and some
of them wear mems clothes and hit
the trail along with their brother men
"Mother Woods" says Mr. Beach,
"WaS one oil the greatest characters
and the worst nuisance we had up
there She was a tall. gaunt, absolute
ly tirclcss female in boomers. She
took in every, stampede and located
some valuable properties, and the
miners We're none too fond Of her On
one OF the coolest days ever known up
there q man staggered into the shelter
where Mother Woods and some miners
had taken refuge from a fierce blizzard
and begged them to go to q party in
distress in the storm. None of the
boys wanted to go. At this Mother
Woods stood up. and what she said
was plenty. I'm certain | never heard
such choice of words before or since.
But she got those men out Of there for
very shame ana led them herself to
the rescue"
The Overland Monthly is celebrating
its forticth anniversary and is sending
out q little illustrated booklet in mem
Dry thereof From it we learn that
the magazine was founded in July,
1868. by Bret IIarte and Anton Roman
at that period the leading book pub
Usher of the Pacific slope. Associated
with Mr.. Harte in the editorial work
We're Mr.. Charles Warren Stoddard
and Mr.. Noah Brooks. while Miss Ina
Coolbrith. THE sweetest note in Cali
fornia literature" also had Il part in
the making of the magazine. Samuel
l.. Clemens who had been a writer on
the san Francisco Call. also assisted in
establishing overland through the con-
tribution Of long series of articles
under the nom de plume of Mark
Twain. For 40 years we are told.
Overland Monthly has mirrored the
passing romance of the West 1t was
Overland which first brought to the no