Evening star., 1915-05-23
UNCLE SAM AS A PROFESSOR OF LITERATURE

the one of the same name issued by the
children's bureau, and The Duty Of
Parents to their Children with Regard
TO Sex. The next bulletins in this
course will be on Helping the Home to
Do It's Best Work and .Amusements ir
the Home both of which will be avail
able soon. Copies of these pamphlets
will be distributed broadcast wher-
ever they will do the most good, and
they will be intended to supplement,
and aid the ten courses in reading al.
ready prepared or in process of prepa-
ration.
The first of these courses Is under
the general title. Great Literary
Bibles list of books SO pre-eminen,
for style and context that they form
the highest ideal of literature. The
works selected by the bureau to be
placed In this class are the Iliad' and
odyssey of Homer, the Divine Com
edy OF Dante. the greater works OF
Shakespeare and Goethe's Faust Each
OF these is the embodiment and revela-
ton OF the ideals of race, an age OF
civilization. They came out of The
hearts and minds of the people, fol-
whom their authors were only the
spokesmen. They are therefore sim
pie, fundamental and comprehensive
the bibles of literature
They appeal to the hearts and grin
the minds of all people, young or old
learned or unlearned, of all races and
creeds. They are human books. and
they take a firm hold on the human
life which we all live They are broad
minded books. Their authors saw life
steadily. and saw it whole Kings and
priests to God and humanity, they in
terpreted for man the eternal mys-
teries. Prophetic men, they stood on
the mountain tops and caught the
glow. of the ever dawning new day
Finely organized men, they felt the
heart-throb and pulse-beat of the hu-
man race. and understood the hopes
better than most. What is more, they
have set these emotions to the music
of rhythmic winged words.
These books should be read by all
who would know the worlds literature
and life. The bureau of education has,
therefore, chosen them for its first
course in reading, and invites all seri-
ous-minded young men and women to
join this. the first national reading cir
Gle, the members of which are expected
books at least twice within the next
three years. To each person giving
satisfactory evidence of having read
all the books on the list there will
be awarded certificate bearing the
seal of the United States bureau of
education and signed by myself.
The Shakespearean works included
in this course are The Merchant of
Venice Macbeth Hamlet and
'Othello.' In addition to the books 1
ment has prepared a secondary course
in literary bibles for the use of those
who have completed the first course.
This includes the Book of Job. the
Book of Isaiah, the Book of Deuterono-
my, Prometheus Bound of Aeschylus,'
lied.' Don Quixote,' select plays by
Moliere and Milton's Paradise Lost
These courses will, in a general
manner, include all that is best in the
literature of the world. compressed
into very small space. The ques-
ton now arises of how to treat the
subdivisions of literature, those books
whicht by their nature, are intended
for certain classes of readers.
ITO meet this difficulty the bureau of
education has prepared other lists OF
publications which will be issued from
time to time, and which will include
such subjects as reading courses for
parents, miscellaneous reading for
boys and girls, list of thirty books
of great fiction, American literature.
some of the worlds great heroes and
two courses dealing exclusively with
biography and history. In this manner
we hope to reach all classes and ages
of people, the serious minded as Wen
as the more frivolous, the young and
the old, those who read for amusemeh. ls, I
and those who read for education Ihe
result. we confidently hope. will be the
Improvement of the public mind where,
ever these courses are taken up and
followed"
Miss Lombard, who is in direct charge
of the Governments course in litera-
ture is Of the opinion that the reading
course for parents will be even more
popular than the other branches of this