The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-02-09
Some Home Reading

This short month Of February with
its birthday of Washington and It's
birthday of Abraham Lincoln will sug-
gest to parents the importance Of famil-
iariring their children with the lives OF
these great men OF our own country,
For very small children the mother
has wealth OF poetry and fairy stories,
When we think OF the thousands OF chill
dren whose lives have been enriched by
'Hiawatha," It seems a pity that this
poem should be withheld from any child
The child must have his day dreams
and the mother who takes the time to
read the fairy story or the poem to her
child gives him foundation for his day
dreams As the boy grows older, he
naturally dreams Of achievement, per
haps II is aeroplanes that seems to be
the present tendency among the wide
awake boys,-it may be Of great bridges
or the mysteries of electricity that the
boy dreams All of this is very well,
What he learns OF great achievement
will not hurt him hut the careers OF
such men as Washington and Lincoln
will be helpful to every boy and girl
Every school child is familiar with
the story OF Washington and the hatchet.
They should know about Valley Forge,
While the children are interested in the
| lives of these great men whose birth
days they will celebrate this month. It
will he an easy matter for the parent
to interest them in the history OF such
men as Wellington. Lafayette, Stanley
Garibaldi and others who gave great
service 10 their country Then there
are the great women for both the boys
and the girls. Florence Nightingale,
Grace Darling. Sister Dora are heroines
that the children love to read about
But where, you ask, may such reading
be obtained? II there is a school library
such books as these should he in Il
If there is no school or circulating
library and the mothers OF the commun-
/ ity have no reading clubs, then the books
may be bought, Books naturally belong
in the equipment for child raising They
can no more be eliminated than the COW
can be eliminated from the farm Many
mother aments her own want OF eN-
perlence in the world OF books. You
may be one Of the people who have lost
ambition about reading because you
seem to forget as fast as YOU read !
think you will ind that this ceases 10
he true It YOU do your reading with
the family
II YOU share the book with the chill
dren you win have to talk about what
YOU have read for they will be sure to
talk to you about it.
II YOU establish home reading circle,
the work is apt TO be done in less time
than it usually takes to do Il for each
child wants to be in his place when the
reading begins As soon as a child is
old enough to share the reading aloud,
he can take turns with his parents so
the reading aloud will not be a task for
any one As far as practicable give
books to children for their very own
and teach them 10 love and respect them.
Never allow them TO turn the pages with
wetted fingers or turn the corner down
10 mark their place, nor 10 study the pic
lures by rubbing the fingers over the
surface They will soon learn to treat
their books with respect. No one can
enjoy a filthy book as much as a bright
clean one, and dozens OF people can read
the same book II each one has been
taught to take proper care OF IT,
When you consider the pleasure and
b profit that grown-ups and children de.
rive from reading a good book together
it seems that books are worth making
sacrifices for