The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-10

reading at all, can be taught to loss
sood poetry. A boy OF SIX WIN no 80
fire of Hiauatha, and he Will love MS
own country all the better Tor Know
ing-.How well Horatius kept the
bridge. in the brave days or old.
Where can be found a more impress
siye lesson in truth telling IMAM AZ
Alice Cary's "Order for a Picture. :,
."rhe ewes of our mother-(take Soou
Iooking nor on the nestful Of eggs.
Nor the fluttering bird, held so fast by
the legs,
But straight through our faces down
to our lies,
And, oh, with such injured, r~eproach-
full SURPRISE"
And Phoebe Cary's little sermon on
stingineSs-
Il hen she took a tiny scrap OF dough
And rolled and rolled it fiat;
And baked it thin as a wafer
But she couldn't part with that
The Mountain and the Squirrel
has It's lesson of tolerance. Jane ray
Tor did not write very beautiful verse,
but many little fingers have been kept
in order by her "Meddlesome Matte
and a child does not miss the idea OF
debt paying in the Pied Piper or
Hamlin."
/ am puzzled to know why there
should be a distinction between boys
and girls books, When there is no such
line drawn in the literature Of their
elders. 1t must be Il device OF pub
fishers by which u~nreasoDlng parents
are beguiled into buying q book for
Tom and another for Dorothy when
one volume might answer for bOth.
These SO-called girls books are apt to
be either colorless or mOrbidly intro
spective; and while girls read them
with avldity, l think they serve no
other purpose thar to pave the way
for the present-day novel. On the other
hand, the better class Of boys books
almost always have some ethical value.
The athletic story and the book Of
! outdoor life carry their lessons OF
patient effort, clean bodies, temperate
habits, fair play. and manly accept
ance of defeat. OF these good healthy
boys books TON Brown at Rugby
still holds first place, but there are
man others Of real value: Aldrich's
"'Story of a Bad Boy" Howelfs "A
Boys Town." Kings Cadet Boys
Hush's 'Lakerim Athletic Club" and
THE Dozen from Lakerim,' Hamond's
"Pinky Perkins," DR.. Gordon's Glen
garry School Days. and that Wonder
full bit of character sketching, The
Hoosier School-master,"
There are two other classes of books,
not rightly coming within the scope OF
F, this paper. but too valuable to be pass
ed without a word.
The first Of these is that great num-
Der of bookshelf written. we'll print
ed, and we'll bound-which are pub
lished by the school boo companies
to be used as supplementary readers
They are written. or arranged, ~ peo-
pie who have made a special study OF
child needs, and they have the further
merit Of being moderate in price.
If you must buy q child's book with
out knowing just hat lies between
its covers. you can feel safe about any
of these supplementary readers.
The other class Of books that / viii
touch on very briefly is that literature
which introduces the child to the mag.
ical thing called style. The thing which
wakes him up to the fact that there is
a difference in books, not only in re-
gard to the thing told, but in the man.
ner of the telling. Such books as "Tht
Sketch Book The Alhambra,'
Brace Bridge Hail." THE Jungle
Books Puck of Pook's HILL r
wards and Fairies" THE Christina!
Book" rKidnapped' and Treasure Is
land" "Uncle Remus" and Little Mr.
Thimblefinger,' the Book Of Ruth, ant
the Psalm of David.
Let the boy have his own bookcase
or at least, his own shelf, and keep
list of the books read to or by hin
until he is old enough to keep tn
record for himself He will come t
take great pride in the titles thus re
: corded, and you will have infinite sat
~isfaction in thus helping him furnisl
his temple of the mind.
t rEEp
2 STUDIES IN PHILOLOGY.