El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-16
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

How to Dress a Doll" was so greatly
in demand in an OHIO children l4OE a
~ that it had to be reissued a numDer
OF times within three months A SINH
Tar book telling how 70 construct an
electric machine was almost equaliy
as popular with the boys during tnelf
summer vacation
10 work OF the chiIdren's library IS
more important than story telling. It
reaches the children at their earliest
age and attracts them to the lloEary y
The story telling lady generally Is
looked upON by the children as more
Of a personal friend than the School
teacher because there is more INK
malLty and freedom in their relation
ship. 1t Is the story telling Whlch
comes nearest to the homes and many
a family of adults has been brought
within reach Of the library and Deen
benefited By 10 through the interest
the children took in the stories told
Many Mothers clubs have been formed
as adJuncts to the story Lelllng pro-
grams Of the public library ana
through these have been circulated
books from the adult department and.
IN many instances. home libraries have
been arranged as a result OF the inter
est the children took In the stories
they heard at the library
Another Indirect good Is done py
the children's library through the
habits OF personal neatness required
Many OF the children who are most ap-
preciative Of book privileges come
from homes where little attention Is
given to personal cleanliness MOST
Libraries are equipped with wash rooms
and no child with dirty hands IS per
-mitted to handle a book In New
England library mounted pictures are
given as rev ards TO the cnllureu VINO
keen their library cards clean and un-
creased for three months This small
beginning OF carefulness in almost
every case results In children who have
first wandered into the library dirty
and uukempt. showing much improve
nj h Hrr Hnr n
surprising to the librarian that unioy
looking children viii take so much
care TO AVOID sOiling a book
Children show much ingenuity IN
describing a book when they are NOT
quite sure OF the title. II would not
take an experienced librarian TO think
OF The Pied piper Of Hamelin" when
q child asked for The kidnaper
book" First he drove all the rats
away and then he stole the children
but "hOW to keep IL when you get IT.
the way a school boy asked for To
Have and to Hold which his mother
wanted to read was more pulling.
THE pound OF flesh book" is often
ask for Its other name is The
Merchant OF Venice"
A number Of chidren's Libraries have
been partially established or supported
BY special contributions, but the larg-
est beQuest on record for this object
Providence from Nicholas Sheldon. who
left $40 000 20 develop the children 5
department OF that library. Like the
travelling library. the childrens libra
ry IS an institution that IS being mucn
copied by other nations. At one time
the English characterized juvenile
literature as foolish and unnecessarily
extraVagant- Now all the larger
libraries are adding Iii to their coIIec-
lions. late report from Auckland,
New Zealand, states that a juvenile de-
partment has been added to the Vel
=, lington public library OF that city.
Do
partment VIII not be absolutely free
however. An annual fee OF two shil-
lings and six pence is charged for Its
privileges