Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-16
TEACHING AMERICANS WHAT TO READ
ny FREDERIC j. IIASKIN

WASHINGTON, d. C.. May Is
There is public stenographer in
Virginia city who has read mos' Of
tho worlds grea, classics from .'Odys-
sey' To Adam Bcde," and Is still going
ahead at the rate OF two volumes Ia
week. His days arc made up OF short
hand and typewritinS and husiness
correspondence Of the driest sort, hut
1T night he is the companion OF the
gods and kings OF Greek romance: he
has fought the battles OF Ulysses and
followed Dante through All IN. circles
of Shell TO the throne of Beatrice: he
has Tilted NJ windruills with Don Oulx-
oic: he knows the word music OF
Shakespeare. the stately cadenccs of
Milton, tho singing satire OF Moliere.
This man used - read chiefly Sun
day newspapers and popular maya
zines, az do most Americans. Then he
got hold OF one OF the home-rcadlng
courses published by the United States
bureau -; Education. and determined
10 investigate som" OF the volumes list
ed there. At first he read them large
~ because he thought he ought TO do
so. finding them great deal more diff
hcult than the mild mental pabulum
TO which he was accustomed; but grad
ua!ly these words or great minds
caught and held his attention Thcr.
could he no better proof OF this than
the eagerness with which he continues
his studies and the elaborate reports
upon his reading which he sends reg
ulariy I" the Bureau OF Education He
has found new interest in life md
on" that VIII infinitely broaden AMI
enrich H. For ,ru. reading is above
All, an extension and enrichment OF
iit". All Of us live largely in our i'm
acinations. and the reading OF great
books is primarily imagining under
tho leadership Of great personalities.
Most Americans read what comes to
their hands and accept IL at the valua-
non or It's publishers They are lit
orally overwhelmed by II constant de-
luSe Of books and magazines widely
ana cievcrly advertised. They are
vaguely aware % the classic. as n row
OF dusty tones on Il top shell. In the
P"p'ic library which nobody ever reads.
Advertising Rent Hooks.
Now the Bureau of Education he
itcvcs that If these really great books
got a snare OF tho advertising-hnd 4,
fair start with the current flood of
MISUNDERSTANDING would win n share OF
readers and the literary taste ~ the
american people might in this way be
gradually improved
a sound literary taste Ia the hasis
or all cultural education. Furthermore
pubic with a Soand literary tas,.
VIII encourage authors who can satisfy
~ In the production Of literature
the United states is far behind almost
every other great nation in the world
me principal reason for this is that
the American people do not know n
good book from bad one. The FIRST
essential of national literature is a
pubic that can appreciate IL.
Ihat Americans of all sorts are able
to appreciate great books. the Bureau
OF Education has pretty conclusively
proved. They may not know good
books from bad ones, but when 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 10 the public were the worlds
great literary bibles" the classics of
all time. such as Dante's Divine Com
| edy." the "iliad." paradise Lost and
Goethe's Faust" This was rather
strong literary food for beginners, but
they took it with "A relish. There are
now several thousand persons follow
! ing these courses. and the bureau has
| files filled with their reports of prog
! ress.
All Types Interested.
| The readers include all types. from
! farm hands to professional men Of the
| highest standing. There are numer-
| Gus mechanics and other skilled labor
| ers. There are great many women
! who give their occupations as house
| keeper" Many neighborhood clubs
! have been formed for the purpose OF
! group reading, and many school teach
! ers have formed clubs among their Du-
! pills In the Dauphn High School, In
| Pennsylvania, there is q club OF ter
| members which has regularly sent in
| long reports carefully prepared in per
| and ink. Any high school boy who viii
do such work as that in addition tC
| his school studies must be genuinely
| interested.
The evidence that these great elias
sizes have really caught peoples in
terest Is plain throughout their cor
respondence with the bureau. Anothe
| striking thing Is the clear and choic,
English in which these letters are writ
ten. One can hardly associate dali.
! with the great classics without improv
ing his own powers of expression.
This correspondence would he a ricl
field OF study for a psychologist. |
shows that each one gets something
different from great book. On
woman admits that she has not grasp
cd the inner meaning OF the classics
but my mind has been enriched by
series Of wonderful mental pictures,
she adds. Another woman read tn
"Divine Comedy" of Dante, and wrot
a long letter cleverly rdiculing II
Having been dragged through hell b.
tho Bureau of Education, she said tina
she hoped for more merciful treatmcn
in the next lesson. She had not bee
At all impressed by the book. but
had stimulated her critical faculty an
given her an opportunity for self
preston.
These lists OF classics are not a
that the bureau has to offer by a.