Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-27
CHILDREN READ BOOKS
OF VARIED CHARACTER
7" HAT do children read nowadays?
w If you really wish to know

IL SOo bSeAiy H'Sh ~ fAAAS'
confer with the superintendent
of any good children's library-room.
A few minutes so devoted will forever
lay at least half the ghost of the long
standing belief that the ordinary child,
left to him or herself, will eat only
candles and other "sweet stuffs," read
only fairy tales and Diamond Dick
literature
Children are interested in a wide
variety of topics, fairy tales and the
lighter literature generally being sought
in rather small proportion. In proof
of this the following list of subjects
and requests handed in at the desk on
a single, randomly selected morning is
submitted:
List of books about Aztecs
Books for essay Indians.
Little Journey Series.
Something on Spain.
Story of Pippa Passes.
Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Latin Schools History Of
Book to take home, on ship subsidies
College education for business women
Homes of primitive man.
Ballads of Robin Hood.
Story of pig and sheep who set up house.
keeping.
Lincoln as a lawyer
Something inventions
Life of Edison.
Breakfast foods as related to botany.
Essay on irrigation.
Just So Series.
Modern Vikings.
History of eleventh amendment.
Recommend a book for a boy OF II.
How to make bronze statues.
Christmas stories.
Fast mail.
Motor Boy Series.
Arabian Nights.
Some books by Kaler.
Where Is the civil service commission
Assassination of President Lincoln.
Wizard of o.
Biography of General Lee.
Causes of the American reyQluton.
Our treatment of the Indians.
Carborundum
Story of Robin Hood.
illustrated nursery rhymes
Why young people ranging from 10
II in age should be interested In some
OF the topics mentioned is explained py
the fact that much Of the desired ma
terial is used in connection with school
and club debates, essays, themes, etc.
Tn many schools the children are al
lowed to choose their own topics for
Composition or discussion though In
the main encouraged to keep somewhat
in the lines of their class studies or
supplementary reading. TINS fact ac-
counts for some of the strange and un-
Cnllullke UQSSllOiiS libPOdiANSo ~
library attendants, who are regarded
as general authorities upon all matters,
from the weather to questions OF eti-
ouette, anu who frequently are asked
to settle all sorts of verbal competitions
and contests, as we'll as umpire Vexed
matters of spelling and punctuation.
The afternoon of the day marked by the
list of topics given number or sur
prising subjects for debate also were
brought to the librarians notice.
These subjects included woman suff-
rage, ship subsidies, Grant versus
Lee" municipal ownership of railroads,
shakespeare versus Milton" increase
of the American navy, and Home Rule
for Ireland" And success or failure OF
interclass or interschool debates, grave
ly important to the young debaters in
more than one meaning, depended upon
the assistance provided by the Thomas
Hughes room and it's helpful superin-
tendent, while the need for quick work
was equally imperative.
There is no doubt that school children
are taught to think for themselves, and
that with reasonable speed, to say
nothing of how and where to secure
necessary facts or information. One
tall, thin-faced boy, out of school on
'study permit" and patiently working
4,