Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-20

Every week day this summer dozens
Of children pass Ia and out of the Chill
drcn's Department of the Wilmington
Institute Free Library They tiptoe
around the shelves 10 search of new
book, they hold whispered arguments
at the tables, they read IA blissful alb
sorption, needing nothing but the pxcii-
ing tales A silence never austere,
broods over the place The quiet is
broken oaly by gentle request for =
book, or an occasional half-siiiied
giggle
1t is Miss Nan Langc or her assistant
Miss Zaidee Miller who at the desk,
preserves the plcaaant silence She
never scpIds. but her quiet word ~
effective. Never too busy 10 adyiae a
little reader, she II = introduced raore
than one child 70 the delights of good
reading, for many children have no idea
Just what they want 70 read. Of course
certain children always decide for them
selves, while the representative Of
Every Evening WIS there small lad
begged two copies Of magazine 70 the
de4l< end holding them out demanded,
| Can | take out more than two Popular
| Mechanics 20 read at one hmel
| Another day little chap whose nge
appeared to be niae or ten, presented
q complete edition OF WOrdsworths s
Poems TO be stamped.
care you getting the poetry for your
mother" asked Miss Lance Its for
myself" explained the youngster, i
wa1t to road it !"
/ Demands for Wordsworth are lnfrc-
oucnt however The boys under twelve
want sea stories, base ball stories, and
| thrilling adventure After twelve, they
relish detective stories, The younger
girls prefer stories about other girls and
stories Of college life. fhe popularity Of
the latter type Of story Is waning, how
| ever. This may be attributed 70 the
fact that more girls go to college them.
| selves and see that the majority 0i
these books misrepresent college lie.
II may also be due 70 more social iife ~
high schools, that now offer the club
parties. and stunts which fascinated m
the boarding school stories. Aiter giri
| il twelve or thirteen. she wants love
story pure and simple. RomaDces q
| the Revolutionary or Civil War period
are always IL demand but only 2 lew
girls ask for historical novels of any
other epochs.
Both BOYS and girls want 70 read
| stories which they have seen r. the
movies. That is the only appeal the
| librarian can make for Romona'
Girls will read it only because they saw
| the photoplay This admission prepares
| for the confession that the Wilmington
bows read better books than the girls.
Moreover, more boys than girls ire
| auent the library. The boys irstinctlvely
pick adventure stories, and prefer CLASSIC
/ 10 trash. That is, the copies OF steven
1 sons Treasurer Isiand" and hid
Mapped Howard PyIe's Men OF Iron
1 Durnas's 'aCount Of Monte Cristo, ard
/ Three Musketeers," Cooper, Dickens
4 and other famous writers are nsually
/ IN circulation. Miss Iange denied the
! suggestion that growing boys had q
1 better choice Of books than adolesceni
girls. 'sThe girls could read Romona,
| Lorna Doone," Dickens and plenty oi
good books, but they won't have them.
| They bring the book back and say that
they cant get inteSsted IN them
/ MANY children ask for new books
rather than classics. OF course, fairy
tales are always well loved.
The ChiIdren's s Department Is too
small for a story hour to be made a
| regular feature, although Miss l4ange
knows all about story telling. In the
New Library Building, the children
room will be four times as large as the
present quarters and then stories can be
/ told. The room m use now Is pleasant
| IN spite of cramped conditions. Six
/ long tables are fitted with low chairs
!, where little readers may enjoy book
| IN comfort. Around the wall are book.
| shelves all within reach o. childish
arms, filed with books for children
/ One section is devoted to gay picture
1 ftooks aud easy stories for toddlers, ane
/ another. fascinating section has NOTHING
i tut fairy tales and legends. A collection
/ af expensive and beautiful books on the
/ Mary Williams Memorial book shell
founded in 1908, may be used only by
parents or teachers On the walls arr
Howard PYLE and Maxheld Parrish