The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-11
UNCLE SANS LITERARY CLUB
rhr TOPEKA STATE .tcrRNtLs
sNFORMaTION BUREAU
BY Frederic }. 1arkin. Director.
Washington. ID. c.

ra cling winds ard bowling coyotes.
AS we don't have money enough to
buy books in this new country, would
like very much to receive course In
reading. Would especially like Thir-
ty Books of Great Fiction l crave an
education so, but here We are prac-
tically cut off from the world except
by books and reading.A
This letter which came from lone
ly New Mexico woman to the United
States bureau of education not long
ago is only one in thousands of re-
quests for reading courses that are
constantly pouring into the files of
the bureau. Dressmakers in Oregon.
farmers in Kansas, ministers in Mis-
souri,. clerks in New Jersey AND min
ers in West Virginia are all anxious
to read the books listed in the gov
eminent reading courses.
AS a rule, the bureau does not I'M
dertake to supply the books. The
local libraries turnout the country are
supposed to do that. But in special
cases where individuals are unable to
get the books in any otheE way, l.
does send them. 1t kept the New
Mexico woman supplied in looks all
winter because she lived in wilder
ness where libraries had rot yet
| made their appearance. In another
case it sent books to a little invalid
boy whose mother was so busy earn
| ing living that she did not have time
/ to carry books back and forth from
How to Improve Conversation.
| The other day a young married
woman wrote to the bureau of edu-
cation and wanted to know how she
could improve her conversation. She
/ found it difficult to fcarry on a con-
versation with anybody, she said. The
| bureau had no precedent for such
/ case but it advised her to read as
much as possible, both in books and
| IN, the current newspapers and then to
think about what she read, that
she could enter into an intelligent dis
cusSion of current events.
She also wanted to know how she
could learn to play the piano so that
| she could earn living by it. She was
| p years old she said, ard she inquir-
| ed if that was too old to begin. The
| bureau was compelled to discourage
| this ambition. 1t advised her not to
consider the piano as means of
earning living, but to learn to play
for her own amusement and cOnfine
| her occupations to home making and
the bringing up of her children. 1t
suggested some helpful books along
| these lines.
This woman had never read any
thing except the cheapest sort of fic-
ton of the paper-back variety. She
was so ignorant of the world that she
believed she could earn a living by
playing an instrument she had prac-
ticed upon but a few months and
about which she knew nothing. I'm
der the guidance of the bureau of
education, she is now reading the Eng
list classics and several books on dec
Grafton in the home"
And this in a way shows why the
government is interesting itself in
what its citizens read. It knows that
| books have a tremendous influence in
molding the mind of the individual,
| and it would have that influence good
Instead of reading cheap fiction and
| impossible detective stories, the gov
eminent would prefer to have Ameri-
cans read Shakespeare and American
history, Moliere and political economy,
and, most of all, books on a subject
that sooner or later interests almost
everybody-the care of the child.
Ten Reading Courses.
At present the bureau of educa-
ton has ten reading courses. eight of
which, are ready for distribution.
| These include:
THE Great Literary Bibles.
masterpieces of the Worlds Lit
erature.
| "a Reading Course for Parents
/ miscellaneous Reading for Boys
| miscellaneous Reading for Girls
Thirty Books of Great Fiction.
| S-American Literature.
| 10-History.
OF these, it is interesting to note
that the reading course for parents
appears to be the most popular prob
| ably because the greatest humber of
| applications received are from per-
| sons whose occupation is home-mak-
| ing However, it is difficult to dis
| t1ngu1sh between the popularity of one
| course and that of another Thirty
Books of Great Fiction is in demand
by people of all walks of life School
teachers, lawyers, printers, stenogra-
pliers, railroad employees and night
|
whereas. the history course is most
, popular among farmers for seme~Tea-
| son, and the reading course for bows
| is greatly in demand among the girls.
| me Bureau of Education gives a
| certificate to anyone who takes one of
| the reading courses and passes a salts
factory examination. This certificate
| is a very mpressive-looking docu-
| ment with spread eagle at the top
over which is printed in large letters:
| The United States of America" Be
low the eagle the certificate reads.
| Department of the Interior-Bureau
of Education-This certificate is
awarded by the United States Bureau
OF Education to John Smith who has
| given satisfactory evidence that he
has completed, according to require
lments Reading Course No.
Now, this certificate means some
thing 1t means that you have had to
read very great many books and alb
| soIp lue principal points or those
J books before you can get it, You
can't just read a book and then for
get it. You have got to tell the Blu
reau of Education what that book was
| about, describe its principal charac-
ters, interest, philosophy Or argument,
| if it has any, and write your opinion
of it Some beoks-the books in the
| first reading course-must be read
l-twice before you can obtain a GER
tificate.
Neighbors Want to Read, Too.
The reading courses have not been
established long enough for many of
I these certificates to have been given
out, but wherever one has been given.
/ especially in a small town the effect
has been to stir up a largo amount of
4 competition. Numerous -equests foy
j reading courses have Immediately