Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-02-21
LACK OF BOOKS
DEFEATS RILEY
HOPE FOR KIDS
Empty Shelves Confront
Youngsters in Library, Me-
mortal to Poet.
EVERY ONE CAN HELP
BY CHARLES E. RUSH. LIBRARIAN.

BY CHARLES E. RUSH. LIBRARIAN.
what a beautiful room this isP' ex-
claimed a visitor to the Riley room for
children at the Central Library.
"Yes, If there were only enough books
to 90 around" said q cheerful youngster
beside the counter waiting for good
book to be brought back.
Indianapolis gives much thought to
her children. She has sterilized and
fumigated their homes and their schools.
She feeds them daily with milk to keep
them well nourished. She has tried to
make hygienic everything that they touch.
She has exercised their muscles on play
grounds and kept fresh the very air that
they breathe. Great thought is put upon
their bodies, while their minds after
school hours are often left to take care
OF themselves. These youthful minds are
quite as active as their bodies and need
plenty Of proper nourishment.
The library is the natural provider of
this mental food. But the situation is in
deed pathetic. These little readers hun
cry for books are under nourished. They
can't get the fairy and animal stories
that their imaginations crave. Given any
encouragement whatever, such as a bright
cover, a rafting good story inside with
several attractive pictures, almost every
child will want to read From the age
of 10 to II children naturally are ON
nivOrous readers-so much so at times
that their anxious parents are sure they
are going to be lazy, good for-nothings
because they have to be pulled from their
books and made to do their tasks about
home. This is as 1t should be. II your
boy at this stage of his life shows these
symptoms be assured that he is perfect
ly normal and well balanced.
NEEDS ALL KINDS
OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS.
But the library is poorly equipped to
cope with these young tastes. 1t needs
thousands of children's books. When
Miss Carrie E, Scott, supervisor Of chill
dren's work in the Indianapolis Public
Library, was asked Of what books the
ehildren's room was in the greatest need
she said:
Literally all classes. children are
naturally not so careful in handling books
as their elders. though we try to instIu
this into them, and, Of course, chiIdren's
books wear out faster and must be re-
placed oftener."
The children's department has been
forced to hold up orders for 4.643 re-
placements of WORKOUT books, such old
iavOrites as Tom Sawyer" Little
Women" Robinson Crusoe" and Little
BLACK Sambo."
To show how books are at a premium
among our children just now, one little
boy was heard to hail a library attend
ant coming out of church with the loud
greeting;
well, I finally got itiT
Got what, sOnny?" asked the young
librarian when she was within speaking
distance
why, The Bears of Blue River and
its some story, believe mew
RIOT OVER HANDFUL
OF BOOKS.
An assistant in the chiIdren's room
heard 2 few days ago a mad riot in the
little folks corner. Going over, she rep
rimanded them sharply
Children, children. you can't act like
this in the library. What is the matter ?"
The matter was that there was but
handful of dirty books on their shelves
and these they had read time and again
One boy tore ur his card in disgust and
the librarian didn't much blame him.
Books are the tools with which to make
good citizens. We form clubs to discuss
how to rear our children. We engage
lecturers to tel US. We are dead in
earnest about these children OF ours. Blu,
there is such a simple way out. 1t is
this-keep a good book in the hands Of
each child. 1t will remove mountains Of
burdens from our backs.
There is scarcely a man, woman or
child. in this city who will not want to
have the fun of helping to suppress these
book riots among children. There are
parents who will want to fill the fairy
tale shelves, now so empty, as a beauti-
ful and fitting memorial to perpetuate
the memory of their child Others will
deem IL pity that children are growing
up with no intimate acquaintance with