The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-05-29
OUR NEW DEPART
MENT
Reviews of Classic Lit
erature
Rev. Theodore Halbert Wilson Is the
First to Acceed to Our Requests in
this Line

In our effort to broaden the useful
ness of this paper and increase it's
interest to our readers We have de-
termined to print brief reviews of
books that are worth reading. In
this department, we shall seek to
avoid the novel that is for the time
the best seller That is certain to
get all the attention it dsseryes-us-
ually very much more.
Our hope is to attract attention, by
the reviews We publish, to books that
are both interesting and educational,
and help them to get the early and
general attention which their true
value may seem to warrant.
What have you lately read that has
both interested and instructed you?
What message have you found in a
book, by recent reading or in years
gone by that you would like others
to receive? Tell our readers about
it by preparing a book review for
this column. You will find any vol
ume doubly interesting if you can talk
it over and interest others in this
manner
Rev. Theodore Halbert Wilson, pas
tor of the Island Avenue Congrega-
tional church, is the first to acceed
to our request for a review and We
wish to thank him for our readers
and for ourselves for this courtesy.
His impressions of The Girl In Her
Teens" follow this introduction.
The attention of parents, of teachers,
Of sociologists, and of ministers, is
centering upon the boys and the girls
of the adolescent period. Many
speakers and many writer's upon The
Boy Problem" and The Adolescent
Girl" and kindred subjects impart in
formation which often is only partially
true and usually is either too hysteri
cal or too technical to be a helpful
guide to the average teacher or parent.
1t is refreshing to pick up book like
The Girl in Her Teens" by Margaret
Slattery
Miss Slattery is a teacher of wide
experience with girls of the High
School age. She writes out of the
abundance of her own experience. In
reading the book, one would instinc-
lively feel this even though he knew
nothing about the author. The num-
erous references TO girls of the au-
thor's acquaintance impress the read
er favorably for he is brought into
the presence of living girls-Frances
Vivian, and others-who manifest the
very traits revealed by his daughters
or his pupils In reading the de-
scriptions here given one reads the
descriptions OF the girls whom he is
endeayoring to help. He sees their
physical needs, their mental makeup,
their spiritual longings. their social
aspirations. their relation to the Sun
day School and the Church and the
Bible and every day living, and the
kind of teacher whom they admire
and love.
II one opens the book with the eX-
pectation of finding set rules for the
treatment of these girls, he will be
woefully disappointed, for no such
tables of rules are to be found. But
IL one wishes thoroughly to see the
problem in all its ramitications, to be-
come more conversant with the point
OF view of the girls themselves. 10 re-
ceiye several fascinating hints and il
Eliminating suggestions as to salts
factory methods in guiding girls Of
the Teen period, all this will be found
in Miss Slattery's book. Miss Stat
terry knows girls, understands pa
rents. is herself a teacher, sympathi-
yes with and writes for all three.
a casual perusal of the book, even
without careful study of its rich sug-
gestions, enables one clearly TO und-
erstand the task before those who
would befriend girls, incites one 10
be truer- friend, and inspires one to