The Washington herald., 1913-01-05
TASTE FOR THE CLASSIC
MUST BE CULTIVATED
Good Books in the Home Will Incul-
cate in Our Children Love for
Good Reading.

There was certain teacher of English
who had green hair and n portentious
manner. She sat lumpily IT her chair.
nodded wisely at her class and dissected
Hawthorne by the hour. For years the
members of that class carried within their
minds an active and deep-rooted preju-
dice against the great American novelist.
II the name Hawthorne were but men
toned there arose instantly a mental pic
ture of a schoolroom, a fat woman. and
a thin voice explaining Where was Lit
tie Annie? Little Annie was on the door
step. Now, where was Little Annie?,"'
A fifteen minutes reading Of the dainty
tale with whimsical appreciation and en-
thusiasm could have produced an undying
affection for the innocent child and an
intense desire to read more of the authors
writings. As it was, however. everybody
loathed Little Annie and gladly would
have found her dead rather than on the
doorstep.
One member of the class adored books:
Yet her distaste for Hawthorne because
OF that method OF dissecting was never
conquered. Yet she possessed fair
knowledge of American authors and a
decided preference for good literature. 1t
had come about In this way.
The Home Library.
In her home there was a small book
case containing a few standards, one or
two histories, and a long row of old
numbers OF the Century Magazine re-
bound in brown leather. Other than
Swiss Family Robinson" Alice In
Wonderland" and BLACK Beauty" there
were no books in the case suited to
child's comprehension. But the little girl
loved books, aRd wanting more and more
10 read all the time, she discovered the
old magazines and spent hours reading
the stories. looking at the pictures, and
even glancing through the articles on
travel and history. Thus, long before
she was twelve years old, she learned
to know William Dean Howells, Frank
r. Stockton. Frances Hodgson Burnett.
George w. Cable. Thomas Nelson Page,
Mark Twain. and a dozen others whose
names are associated with the best ef-
forts in modern American literature.
That early reading laid a firm founda-
ton for the exercise OF discriminating
taste in selection Of her books. Reading
only the best, she cultivated a natural
liking for what was well-written, and a
natural distaste for what was mediocre,
OF worthless In time the standards be-
came her favorites.
A taste for the classics must be culti-
waited In the home. small bookcase
containing Few, very rev OF the pest
authors, will do more TO inculcate in our
boys and girls a love for good books
than all the courses in English literature
provided in the school curriculum.
None Too Young.
No child Is too young for the classics
II at the age OF ten he cared 10 look over
volume of Shakespeare. only good
could come OF it. There isn't a book or
poem written by the masters in the
world of literature that is unsuitable.
AS long as the child. left to himself, finds
pleasure and interest in the old books.
he must be encouraged.
All the directing in the world cannot
do as much for cultivating his literary
taste as his own browsing and poking
about-reading this and skipping that.
but always gaining something valuable
which becomes a part Of himself and
aids materially in the miracle of his
growth and development.