Evening star., 1927-05-21
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BookloUer.

| Many of the books now being pub
| lished for present-day children not
only exemplify all that Is best in
printing and illustration. but are also
| in subject matter thoroughly modern,
simple, natural, without cant or di-
dacticism. In most OF these respects
they differ markedly from the chill
dren's books of earlier days. many of
which are almost grotesque when
| judged by the standards Of today. An
account Of Early American Chill
dren's Books" forms a chapter of DR.
A. S. w. Rosenbach's story of his
exploits as a collector Of and dealer
In book rarities, now appearing Sc.
rally in the Saturday Evening Post.
The Booklover hopes that when the
| lished in book form, with the illustra-
tions which have added so much to
| the interest.
The author began collecting early
children's books when child. His
uncle, who inspired him to become q
collector and a dealer in rare books,
gave him on birthdays and other an
niversaries, not contemporaneously
| published books. but old children's
books, and urged him to add by pur-
chase to his collection. DR.. Rosen-
bach relates that when he was about
| companion who was visiting him
spied his books and began to paw
them over and finally to write crude
letters of the alphabet along the mar
gins. This was too much. he relates.
II flew at him like a wildcat Only
the immediate Intervention of the COM
bined families saved him from ami
hilation." One of the fascinating fea-
lures Of these tiny volumes is the
fact that they give such naive sam
Piles Of the mental food on which
our. ancestors lived when they we're
young. For example, a small volume
published in 1873 by Samuel Phillips,
! called History Of Our Lord and
| Savior, Jesus Christ. Epitomized; for
the Use Of Children in the South Par
ish of Andover," sets before the lambs
under his care 60 pages Of indigestible
food. consisting Of questions on and
answers to the most abstruse meta
/ physical, philosophical and other con-
| troVerSial ubjeCtS--subjectS still un-
solved today. Another item in his
collection is a pamphlet printed in
1717, entitled "A Legacy for Children,
being Some of the Last Expressions
and Dying Sayings of Hannah Hill.
Junr. Of the City Of Philadelphia
. Aged Eleven Years and near
| Three Months" Little Hannah took
several days to die, during which she
claimed the undivided attention Of
every member of her family, giving
| them moral advice and telling them
what they should and should not do
after she had departed. "The Coun-
Gil which she gave, to her Dear and
only Sister and Cousin. Lord Zachary,
| xx-hn fc6n arly
grave and pithy."
| DIR. Rosenbach's collection of 500
early American children's books
| which are dated from 1852 to 1910. is
| now on exhibition at the New York
Public Library. These books reveal
| the change, not only in juvenile read
ing matter, but also the change from
| the child Of Puritan New England
| to the child Of our own day-from
Virtuous William, The Obedient Prem.
tice and Patty Primrose to Tom Saw
| yer, Huck Finn, Penrod and Rebecca
| Of Sunnybrook Farm. The earliest
| book in the collection is "The Rule
OF the New-Creature. To be Prac-
ticed every day in all the Particulars
| Of which are Ten" which starts off
as follows: BE sensible Of thy Orig
inal Corruption daily, how 1t inclines
thee to evil, and indisposeth thee to
good; groan under it. and bewail it
| as Paul did. Also take special
| notice OF your actual sins. or daily
| infirmities, in Thought, Word, Deed.
Endeavor to make your peace with
| God for them before you go to bed"
Another book. originally published in
| England. an American edition Of
which was printed by Benjamin
Franklin in 1749, was the Rev James
| Janeway's "A Token for Children,
being an Exact Account of the Con-
version. Holy and Exemplary Lives
and Joyous Deaths of several Young
| Children" Since many editions were
published. the author expresses the
opinion that 1t was the certain means
Of saving many children from hell
and damnation. Cotton Mather wrote
continuation OF Janeway. entitled
"A Token for the Children Of New
dren, in whom the Fear of God was
remarkably budding before they died;
in several parts Of New England.
Preserved and Published for the En-.
| couragement of Piety in other Chill
dren." In another book for children,
publihed in 1714, DR.. Rosenbach
found embedded in a waste of theo-
| logical discussion for infants the fol-
lowing: 20 Children of New England.
Poor Hearts; You are going to Hell
indeed: But will it. not be dreadful
thing to go to He'll from New Eng
| land?' Besides books on religion,
which seem TO predominant. the col
lection contains "The School of Good
Manners Composed for the Help of
Parents in teaching their Children
! how to carry it in their place during
their Minority" published in Boston
in 1772. Among the gems OF etiquette,
under the heading of Behaviour at
the Table. 1t admonishes: "Spit not,
| cough not, nor blow thy nose at
table, if it may be avoided Be-
haviour when in Company Is not quite
so strict: spit not in the room,
but in the corner" For Behaviour
at School one must "Ba%l not aloud
in making complaints and Jog not
the table or desk on which another
writes
Rhodes scholarships, the ever
growing flood of student-tourists and
the World War have all brought in
creas sing knowledge to the public of
the United States about the educa-
tional institutions of England. 1t is
no longer possible to say, as Charles
Astor Bristed said in 1873. when he
worte his book. Five Years in an
English University: "Very little is
accurately known in this country
about the English Universities" Or
is it. after all. still possible to say
that? Whatever the case. his book
is very interesting even now, and
much that he tells of English uni
versity traditions then is still true,
so firm are the roots of oxford and
Cambridge in the past. Charles Astor
Bristed was five years at Trinity Col
lege, Cambridge, from 1S40 to 1S45,
and was graduated a foundation
scholar. The boat races. supper
parties, dinners in Hall. cricket and