Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-07-23
What Books Shall Our Children Read3

What Books Shall Our Children Read
Read by Mrs. Margaret Taylor at meeting Q
the Seneca Club, South Paris.
One Of the most difficult problems o
the home to-day IL, What books shall VI
give our children to reada We are YER,
careful indeed about what our children
eat and what they wear, We choose TO
them just such colors or Q particula
style, We pay much attention to thei
hours for eating and sleeping, but WHIT
OF Us are equally careful about what W,
have in our homes for our children Il
read?
When q stranger calls at our homo ",
'nstinctively enquire Of ourselves WHIT
and what is he? Books are men ant
women transferred to paper, and before
We admit them to the sapctity of ou
homes 1t would be wise TO ask, Wha
are they and by whom were they writ
ten? Wise and good thoughts produc,
good intelligent men and women. Evi
thoughts bring forth also-but alwayI
after their kind, and therefore It is vel
to know your authors before you pu
their thoughts in the hands of YOU
children. Converse with evil men cor
rupts good manners, is an indisputabls
fact, and it's Just as true of books as Of
men. Who can tell the power of good
or bad one?
The little boy of long ago went to
school in a monastery. He had no
books. With the advent of the printing
press be had his first book. II consisted
OF the alphabet aud the Lords prayer
Not many years elapsed before 1t might
have been truthfully said "Of making
many books there is no end" for the lit
tie folks were quickly aud easily getting
what their souls craved. The printing
presses were kept busily humming adding
their contributions to the children's
literature, and we had in successive
stages the didactic Edgeworth books, the
dreary Sunday School books, the inform.
ing Rollo, the sensational Optic and
Alger, the driveling Elsie, with their
adoring armies of admirers, all now
placed in the dungeon of disfavor by dis
corning mothers.
The world Of to-day is convinced that
reading is a necessary part of child's
and that We cannot too soon
begin to inspire love for good litera-
ture. The child's book of to-day is as to
number, legion. Librarians are simply
buried in the output, books poor, indif-
ferent good, beautiful, alluring, com
pelling, and from this mass what few
for few they must be-shall we choose
for our children to read? Assuredly your
enters largely into this de-
Ntass. hat a mi oal
favorites which will be found in nearly
every list, however much the tastes Of
those making the selections may differ
In the past few years much has been
written and said regarding fairy stories.
Shall we read them to or allow our chill
iren to read them? large majority Of
writer's on this subject heartily approve
Of them, and recommend Grim's and
Andersen's fairy tales, especially for
children. Don't hurry
with your books of information. Old
heads on little shoulders have ceased to
be attractive. Let them have Mother
Goose and Caldecotts Hey Diddle Did
lie, Caldecott is also master-craftsman
ia making picture books, and his books
present lessons in good taste which
might help to lessen the demand for the
Buster Browns and Katzejammer kids
IF newspaper fame.
OF course the little folks must have
he nonsense books, for the Owl and the
Pussy Cat, and the Jumblies who went
20 sea in sieve. are far too delightful
,ot to have known in pinafors days, and
How would you like to 60 up in a
,wiug?" my bed is a boat" my
shadow" all those delightful verses of
must be added without
Then come trooping along
n long trail, Pied Piper, Alice in Won
ierland, The Little Prudy series, Ray
Ind Gerda, Robin Hood, Sir Galahad,
Hans Brinker, Tom Brown, etc, and
What memories to these belong. Never
% have raced with Hans for the silver
skates, never to have been exiled with
he man without country, or to wind
,ne's horn in the merry greenwood with
Robin Hood, or to have reverently jour
Keyed in search of the Holy Grail with
Sir Galahad, is to have missed much.
And fun, don't forget to add this, es-
,ecially if your little folks are inclined
% look on life seriously, and the right
,ind is to be found bubbling over in the
the Tar Babies, the Peterkins.
Clean, wholesome fun will do them
rood.
But the difficulty increases with age,
or so many books are thrust upon us
hat it seems impossible to choose from
hem all, but there still remains the true
ind the tried, like King Arthur and His
Tales from Shakespeare, Swiss
Family Robinson, Pilgrims Progress,
Christmas Carol, the Patty stories, the
Alcott stories, Rebecca of Sunny brook
Farm, the Carey books, and the Sherburn
stories, Mary Carey, Mrs. Riggs books,
md many others, clean, pure, whole
Iome stories, which certainly cannot be
aid of most of the stories of to-day, in
which the girls are dazzlingly beautiful,
md as rule wealthy, and the heroes
nay or may not be decent, but are re-
all the same.
Many of the athletic books of the
though overdrawn, are fine,
ind have proved helpful to the boys, and
my way, they are much to be preferred
10 the Optic and and Alger stories.
Again and again has the question been
.aised, shall our children read religious
novels? and by this term is meant novels
whose characters are drawn from the
Bible, and it never has nor ever will be
settled. There is this to be said In Its
avor, such stories create an interest in
he Bible; and this might as truthfully
Do said in its disfavor, that the char.
,cters necessarily are so over drawn and
distorted that one cannot recognize them
q the original.
We may teach our children to be skill
'ul with their hands, but the truth must
,ot be lost sight Of that richer and
liner development along all lines Is easier
'or the child who has known good books
han for the child who has known none
)r poor ones.
First, study your child, know along
what line he needs mental or moral de-
,elopment, then study the authors and
know which meets your need, and know
Tor Yourself that the man or woman
whose written or printed thoughts are to
influence the life entrusted to your guild
.nce, is clean, pure, honest, intelligent,
Tor words are but thoughts and a drop
If ink may make thousands, perhaps
millions, think.
NV Beloved.