The Washington herald., 1910-08-23
Il DAELX:zz3
Book REVIEW
@THE CHILDREN.s PLUTARCH. .

In The Children's P1utarch" a great
service has been done TO young people.
for here is thrown open TO them whole
new world. This new adaptation of Plu-
tarchs wonderful stories preserves the
directness and color Of the original to
remarkable degree. Il is arranged by F.
J. Gould and is published in two volumes
called Tales OF the Greeks" and Tales
OF the Romans which can be read either
separately or together with equal interest
and profit. William Dean Howens has
provided an introduction to each volume.
The simplicity. the cleveruess. the buoy
ancy, and enjoyment OF life that pervade
these old Greek and Roman stories appeal
powerfully 10 the spirit Of youth both in
children and in grown-ups
Moreover, the tales have a seriousness.
a manliness, and historic splendor that
set them apart from all fairy tales and
legends whatsoever, though the style In
which they are told is as simple and at
tractive as thar OF the brothers Grimm.
The boy or girl is brought into contact
motives arc understandable. whose adven-
lures stir the imagination. II is a world
too. in which everything moves with a
certain stateiiness and majesty yet is
real. Children who like true stories Will
revel in these narratives, which have all
the appeal OF brilliance and novelty TO
the fanclfuL Thus FOR young people they
have something Of the spell that Shake
speare's histories" had for his contem-
poraries. They are histories, indeed, yet
they are dramatic and lifelike.
Besides the pleasure which every child
will derive from them. the tales have a
decided educational value. To read Plu-
tarch is 70 come in contact with the
Greeks and Romans as actual men ana
women. 1t is 10 lose that sense OF awe
associated with the term classical, 80
which makes the ancients seem forbid
ding. distant, and statuesque II is too
learn that ancient literature-just Ike
that Of to-day-is a thing to read and
feel and enjoy. Thus the reading OF Plu-
tarch in quite an effective way produces
that broadening Of the sympathies and
awakening OF the intelligence which are
the finest results OF classical study
Tales Of the Greeks" and Tales Of the
Romans" are from the Harper press and
illustrated by Walter Crane.
In an attempt to solve the question OF
what kind OF books boys like best. a re-
quest was sent 10 the library assistants.
in charge Of the rooms in New York
City asking them 10 make a list Of the
twenty-five books OF fiction most popular
among boys OF twelve TO nfteen years old.
The lists were made after careful con
sideration and without consultation and
represent very fairly the preference OF
the boys. The following are the twenty
FIVE books Tom Sawyer" by Mark
Twain; "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark
Twain: Cadet Days" by Gen. Charles
King; The Adventures Of Buffalo Bill,
by Col W. F. Cody; Robinson Crus6e, %
by Daniel Defoe; The Adventures OF
Sherlock Holmes" by a. Conan Doyle;
Treasure Island" by Stevenson; Grim
son Sweater" by Barbour; Behind the
Lines" by Barbour: Jack Among the
Indians" by Crinnen. "Halfback," by
Barbour: fast Mail" by Drysdale:
Substitute" by Camp; Pete. Cow
Puncher." by Ames; "Ivanhoe." by Scott
Captains Courageous" by Kipling
"Redskin and Cowboy" by Henty
/ story OF a Bad Boy" by Aldrich
Robin Hood" by PYLE: yale Cup" BY
/ Dudley; oliver Twist" by Dickens
Monte Cristo.' by Dumas Twenty
Leagues Under the Sea" by Verne; "Th,
spy" by Cooper; Kidnapped by Stew
enson.