Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-08
WHAT DO YOU READ =?
By Frederic ]. Haskin
[Continued from Editorial Page]


American people might in this way be
gradually improved.
A sound literary taste is the basis
of all cultural education. Further
more, a public with a sound literary
taste will encourage authors who can
satisfy 1t. In this production of lit
erature the United States is far be-
hind almost every other geat nation
in the world. The principal reason
for this is that the American people do
not know a good book from a bad one.
The first essential of a national liter
ature is a public that can appreciate
it.
That Americans of all sorts are able
to appreciate great books the Bureau
of Educatio1 has pretty conclusively
proved. They may not know good
books from bad ones; but .yhen the
classics are put in their hands they
read them with genuine interest, and
obtain real inspiration from them.
The home reading course was begun
by the Bureau of Education about a
year ago. The first lists of books Of
fered to the public were the worlds
great literary bibles" the classics of
all time, such as Dante's Divine Com
edy, the Had, Paradise Lost and
Goethe's Faust. This was rather
strong literary food for beginners; but
they took it with relish. There are
now several thousand persons follow
ing these courses. and the Bureau has
files filled with their reports of prog
ress. The readers include all types
from farmhands to professional men
of the highest standing. There are
numerous mechanics and other skill
ed laborers. There are a great MANY
women who give their occupations as
housekeepers. Many neighbor-
hood clubs have been formed for the
purpose of group reading, and MANY
school teachers have formed clubs
among their pupils. In the Dauphin
high school, in Pennsylvania, there is
club of ten members which has reg
ularly sent in long reports carefully
prepaed in pen ana ink. ANY high
school boy who will do such work as
that in addition to his school studies
must be genuinely interested.
The evidence that these great clas-
sizes have really caught peoples inter-
est is plain throughout their CORES
pondence with the Bureau. Another
striking thing is the clear and choice
English in which these letters are writ
ten. One can hardly associate dailv
with the great classics without i'm
proving his own powers Of expression.
This correspondence would be a rich
field of study for a psychologist. It
shows that each one gets something
different from a great book. one
woman admits that sne has not grasp
ed the inner meaning of the classics.
but my mind has been enriched by a
series of wonderful mental pictures"
she adds. Another woman read the
Divine Comedy of Dante, and wrote a
long letter cleverly ridiculing it. Hav
ing been dragged through hell by the
Bureau of Education, she said that she
hoped for more merciful treatment in
the next lesson. She had not been at
all impressed by the book, but it had
stimulated her critical faculty and Civ
en- her an opportunity for self-ex-
preston.
These lists of classics are not all
that the bureau has to offer by anv
means. 1t has also lists of books of
great practical value, lists of the
worlds great fiction. and lists of books
for boys and for girls who wish to sup
plement their school work at home.
These lists may be obtained by any
one, and with each one goes an an
plication blank, for membership in the
Home Reading Circles. Other lists
are constantly in preparation, and
members will be notified when these
are ready A course in American
history. prepared with the aid of a
number of university professors, is to
be ready in the Fall.