Evening star., 1915-05-23

service. because 1t will appeal to the
homemakers, who have hitherto had
little to guide them in their troubles or
aid them in solving their problems.
I'VE believe" said Miss Lombard.
that fathers and mothers who have
gained experience through parenthood
would welcome suggestions as 70
methods for the fullest development OF
the physical, mental and spiritual life
of the children. That was the reason
for compiling this list of books. whlcn
have proved valuable to many parents.
books which will help fathers ana
mothers to understand and cope Win
the problems which they nnd racing
tended to be exhaustive. Many helpful
books are not included in 1t. However,
the list is typical and these books can
not fail to be very helpful.
Included in this list one finds books
dealing with the practical problems OF
motherhood. marriage and the sex
problem. the development OF chill
dren, care of babies. training boys ana
girls, domestic economy, cioenihs'
domestic science and number OF ene
bulletins of the Department OF ASrl-
culture on canning. preserving ana
fruit growing. The latter are incluoeo
because OF their bearing on the proper
education of children in the rural dis
tricts.
eve expect that the course in gem
eral fiction which we have prepared
and are about to give to the public Will
probably be the most widely foilo"eo
of all these lists" said Miss Lombard.
Fiction, of course. is more generaiis
cared for than fact. no matter now III
teresting the latter may be. we ali
love to lose ourselves in some thriillns
novel of adventure or romance, and the
bureau, realizing this primary desire'
has decided to direct 1t into the proper
channels by authorizing list Of thirty
books which bear the stamp OF approx
al Of this division.
THE list includes practically every
variety of fiction. with the posslole
exception Of detective stories and pure
ly sex problems. The different perloos
of fiction are all represented, the list
including volumes ranging from "ihe
Arabian Nights' and 'Clar1ssa Harlowe
to Treasure Island =.
THE descriptive style of fiction IS
represented by Adam Bede, the vicar
The ordeal of Richard Feveref; the
school of adventure by Treasure
island The Pilot Tale of Two
Cities Last of the Mohicans and
With Fire and Sword; Pilgrims Prog
ress supplies the allegorical element.
while the geographical range of the
authors is as wide as the subjects Sc
lected. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina' IS
Russia's contribution to the list: France
is represented by The Three Muske-
teers' and 'Pere Goriot; Slenkiewlcz'
dition. England gave number OF
the leading works. including Guy Man
nefing,' Henry Esmonde, Lorna Doone,
Pride and Prejudice 'Cloister and the
Hearth and Vanity Fair, while Amer
roaring Camp "A Modern Instance
The Scarlet Letter, Kidnapped and
Treasure Island
"It is the intention of the government
to follow these lists, already prepared,
by several others now in the course OF
preparation The best books for boys
and girls will also be treated in this
manner, as will American literature.
the worlds heroes and biographical
and historical subjects. Some Of these
courses will necessarily overlap, but
every effort will be made to keep them
separate and distinct.
THE government now possesses
comics of q number of the books on
these lists, notably those on the read
ing course for parents. These books,
of course, are distinct from the vol
umes in the Congressional Library, and
it is the aim of this division to supply
them to persons who are unable to buy
or borrow them. The government does
not intend to start a circulating library.
but it does intend to help deserving
persons as much as possible. and hard
ly day passes that we do not receive
nurses or women in outlying sections
Of the country-people who are finan-
cially unable to purchase the books.
but who will be benefited by reading
them and who can be depended upon to
return them in good condition. Perhaps
in time this may grow into regular
governmental service. / am sure that
it would be a good one, and most ben
eficial to the people at large. for there
is nothing that would be of more use
to the nation as a whole than to have
its citizens well grounded in the sub
jects which We have taken up in this
reading course