The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1920-10-15
LIBRARY WORK
WITH CHILDREN

A comparatively new development
in the field Of social work is library
work with children. That grown-up
people needed the contact of spirit
with spirit" which we get from the
page of book has long been realiz-
ed. But that children might be bene-
fitted by this flow of mental and spiri-
tual life has been recognized in COM
paratively recent times. Library
work with children has come about
within the last thirty years.
There was a time when certain
libraries had posters saying "Child-
rem and dogs not admitted" A Won
derful awakening has come to library
workers since that day The librar-
ian now says s'Let us provide mental
food for every child, of kind and
quality suited to his age and temper
ament, and let us see that the child
gets this mental food when he needs
it, so that his spirit and soul may
grow upon it."
When the educational phase of lib
rary work became pre-eminent, the
Illuminating idea came at once
aducate citizens while they are young
provide books for children.
The first library to set aside room
for children's books and to provide
librarian for the children was the
Public Library of Brookline, Mass.
This was in 1890 Denver, Colo. fol-
lowed, and after that time the large
cities of our country circulate more
books to children than to adult people
The reasons for providing reading
matter for children are SO many that
only few may be mentioned
All children love books if they can
get to them before this love has been
starved; all adult persons do not re-
spond to the call Of literature. The
youthful mind is hungrier than that
of the grown-up person.
Children have more leisure for
reading than their parents have The
average man or woman does we'll to
get in abit of reading at the frazzled
end ola tired day. Children may Of
ten give their fresh morning hours to
this delightful occupation.
The ideas implanted in the mind
in childhood grow and enrich all
through life. They gather strength
and become part of the fabric of the
human makeup. If these ideas are,
noble-what may not result?
Again the youth must have his
hero. The maid must have her hero
inc. The boy will worship a real
hero,if this hero be brought to his ac
Guantance. If not, he will create
his own hero and live after his pat
tern. He will carry with him the
admiration and, unconsciously, the
imitation of the great men of all time
# knowledge of these men be
brought to his ken. In the absence
of such he may perhaps worship the
strength and the physical power of
the worst bully in school. The ~las-
sic will love ideals of beautiful wom
anhood if placed before her. With
out them she may set up as the object
Of her supreme admiration the girl at
school with the biggest hair puffs over
her ears-with the most powder on
her face.
For illustration, recall in Booth
Tarkington's "Penrod." This per-
fectly human boy, Penrod, formed a
remarkable liking for "rough-neck"
bully of a boy who tyrannized over
the smaller children at school. There
after Penrod went about staggering
and practicing the sayings of this
bully on his dog and the cook. The
family were distressed but could only
say in dismay "What is the matter
with Penrod?" This went from bad
to worse until one fine day Penrod