Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1912-12-26

thy step become less fleet.
And vanly shalt thou arch they neck thJ
| masters hand to meet
and
Twas here he bowed his glossy neck
when last saw him drink.
/ One had to keep remembering the
glorious ending, to steady ones voice
through such passages as that, and
can still recall how my threetSaached
as triumphantly painted out the lines
Who said that had given thee up? Who
said that thou vast sold?
! Us false.-'tis false, my Arab steed!
fling them back their gold!
The S. p. G. A. could go out of bus
mess if all children We're brought up
on such poems as that!
We admired Roland in How They
to Ak" What splendid creature he
was, to be sure; but it was the gall
Looping of the verse that pleased us
most.
j sprang to the stirrup, and Joris and he;
how those words pounded out!
AS time went on and our educations
made progress, we had more than one
lreading book. The older ones We're
never replaced in our affections, but
our new Fifth reader remember con-
itained selections that promptly became
favorites.
BY the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fed.
We read that with hushed voices Our
own recollectons did not go back TO the
days of the civil war. but those of our
parents did and when we read
Under the sod and the dew
Waiting the Judgment day;
Under the laurel. the Blue:
Under the willow. the GRAY.
tears sometimes came to the eyes Of
the older ones who We're listening.
The First Snowfall gave us tender
thoughts, also. but after Nell and 1
had chosen q few verses of that order.
Ned or Jack WAS pretty sure TO de-
mand, Lets end with 'Breathes there
the man With soul so dead" We girls
thrilled at that likewise and acclaimed,
This is my own, my native land" with
Il spirit that would be applauded in any
suffrage meeting.
Those were great hours, and I ques-
ton if i'm any other way we could have
gained so naturally response to high
thoughts of heroisn and vigorous
taste for the very sound of heroic words
and stately rhythm.
i wonder sometimes what is the mat
ter with my nieces and nephews. They
are bright and original youngsters
how could Jacks or Nelps children help
they like best to read they look stunned
for second and evidently are wonder-
ing what they can say that will be both
polite and truthful. After little
questioning, Dorothea remembers that
She likes The Child's Garden OF
Verses" and Jack. jr., thinks "Hia-
watha" is pretty good. I find that the
construction of the canoe is what he
especially appreciates. Margaret pre-
fers 1.-The 1dylls of the King" to Car
penter's Geographical reader!
find. further that they are reason
ably intelligent about the lines of au-
thors and about lists of their works.
and that they have really read good
many booSs-but there isn't thrill in
the family!
81 wish you would bring homo your
reading book tonight, Jack, and read
Il little to me if you have time" / once
ventured to say.
they're collected." showing we'll bred
surprise at such Il bold request.
Free textbooks. you know. my dear"
Jack. ST.. explains we don't have to
buy school books any more, except as
we pay taxes.
is that the trouble? I suspect 1T has
much 10 do with it. The children of
books IN hand only during the 20 or so
minutes of recitation; then they are
Collected. and Arithmetic BY a Ra-
tional Method takes their place.
How can the children have any
friendship with books under those cir
cumstances?
don't know what should be done
about it. surely do not want hard
worked and underpaid Mike Finnegan
to have to 60 without pair of shoes
in order to furnish Mike, jr, with an
anthology of poetry. But I am sorry
for Mike. ir. don't see how he can
never has chance to read over and
over again, marco Bozzaris" or "The
Arabs Farewell to His Steed."
AS for my nieces and nephews. they
are perhaps to be pitied nearly as
much. They have pretty array of IL
Illustrated editions Of children's books
upon their shelves. but they have no
great sense of familiarity with them.
They like" this or that story, but they
have no such love of high sounding
words, expressing valiant sentiments,
as thrilled the hearts of their parents
once upon time.
l suppose that they may become use
full citizens. but | shall always be sorry
for them. They will never know, am
convinced. quite that fine rapture
which might have been theirs If they
had been brought up With National
Preceptor or a Fifth reader OF their
very own.