The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-03-27

censorship Of an urchin's literary &C
quaintances, and as for leading him.
there is probably no method better than
that Of our grandfathers-to turn him
loose IN mans library and LET him taste
its strong fare
There are, Of course, ell sorts OF books
for children. which the limits of this pa
per do not permit me to discuss at all.
There are histories. biographies, books of
travel, books on music and arts, all writ
zen Tor ehndren, and sometimes very use
rul In connection with their school work.
My own experience is, however, that if
q child has a real taste for books on
these lines, the simpler adult books are
much better for him, both because the
style is better and because they take him
farther. They are not written down to
him, but take him even q little beyond
what he is looking for.
AS to the numerous adaptations of the
classics written for children, opinions diff
fer. They are, Of course, intended as IN
PRODUCTIONS to the masterpieces of litera-
ture. But / should personally think them
no advantage to a child who had any
p1 aspect whatever of meeting those mas
terpieces in after years. To give the
child the plot of the 'Iliad" or Odyssey
or Of Shakespeare plays does give him
a certain superficial knowledge of the
books, but 1t gives nothing whatever Of
the spirit OF flavor of the works, and
takes away the first freshness of his
v
inals themselves. Shakespeare's plots are
not better, as plots, than Anthony Hope s,
and no more improving to The child. We
do have these adaptations In our library,
for there we try to provide for all sorts
Of children, and, more than all, for the
child who comes from a home where
books are neither read nor talked, and
whose education may be confined to his
earliest teens. We think it is better for
such children to have heard of Dante
ShakRSnpaTp HOr1ar a roll
if he never reads them; and cherish the
hope that what he reads about them In
the children's room may some time in
duee him to try the originals. 1 am very
sure, however, IL 1 had the entire con-
troll of any child's reading, he should get
his classics at first hand.
Buying Books for Children.
81 should like to say a few words here
about the buying of gift books for chill
dren. These words will be wholly COM
monplace, and I should consider them
entirely unnecessary IL it We're not for
the number Of worthless and unattractive
books which / see bestowed on unoffend-
ing children at Christmas time and as
birthday gifts. / quite understand how
it happens-Pve done it so often myself
We decide to give a child a book. We
have one or two in our minds when we
rush down at the last minute to get it.
Nothing Of the kind in stock. The obliging
n
a more or less attractive cover, which
he assures us was gotten out for this
special holiday season. We weakly pur-
chase ii, and find that the cover is the
only thing about it of the leas st possible
interest or value. None of which pre-
vents our inflicting 1t upon some con-
fiding child. Last Christmas time, in GO
Ing about the shops, | encountered only
one really worth while childs book-a
beautiful edition of the Arabian Nights
edited by Kate D. Wiggin and illustrated
oy Randall Parrish; a book any child |
would love to read and TO keep. / know
IF no better aid in selecting books for |
children than little book BY Mrs Ar |
lold called, Mothers List of Books for |
Children, published in 1909 1t is a valu- |
lble little book for librarians as well as |
Mothers. It is a carefully selected, broad |
minded list Of books and special editions |
or children, and / would recommend its |
Use BY any mother who buys books for |
Ter children and wishes to spend her 1
money to the best advantage. / would /
uggest that next holiday season, about /
TX weeks before Christmas. we make
tut from II or some other reliable source |
list of the children's books we intend |
Iuying. That we include in this list the
'est editions we can afford; that we
axe these lists to our several book deal
rs, and II they are not In stock request |
hat they be ordered Any of the books
n Mrs. Arnolds list, for instance, are I
asily obtainable. though our local book
nen very probably may not have them
n hand. A library for children can be
s good IN its way and as well worth
anding on as any other kind of
brary.
The Illustration of cBiIdren's books is
subject in itself. Better for child a
ook with no illustrations at all than
DOR ones. The Caldecott, the Walter
'rane and the Peter Newell Illustrations
re all OF the best, and the Kate Green
way books-the Babys Bouquet and the
'aby's Opera, are still to be had, Joy
D children and grown-ups alike; and let
s hope, n some slight degree, an anti
ote to the ubiquitous comic supplement-
''In closing I should very much appre-
late the privilege Of telling you some
hing Of the work of the chiidrens de-
artment Of our library. If you have
OF already visited 1t I hereby extend to
pom is a large, pleasant one. with low
helves on two sides Of II, to which the
hiidren may go themselves to select
heir books. In buying these books We