The club season lasts from the first of October to the end of May,and at present we have twenty-five boys'clubs and seventeen girls'clubs reported.Some of these are formal in organization with regularly appointed officers chosen,of course,by the boys and girls themselves.These officers hold their office for periods of varying length,some clubs electing new officers each month,others at the beginning of each club season.Some of the clubs are clubs only in name--entirely informal,but meeting regularly once or twice or oftener each month throughout the season to listen to the stories.Many of the clubs are entirely selfgoverning and they also arrange their own programs.The librarian who is the club leader is present as a member,but takes no active part in the entertainment of the club unless invited to do so.
And now just for a moment let us consider the kind of literature we are trying to interest the youngsters in.Being a radical it pleased me very much recently to come across the following passage in an interesting new book by Miss Rosalie V.Halsey,entitled "Forgotten books of the American nursery."Miss Halsey says:"Reading aloud was both a pastime and an education to families in those early days of the Republic.Although Mrs.
Quincy made every effort to procure Miss Edgeworth's stories for her family,because,in her opinion,they were better for reading aloud than were the works of Hannah More,Mrs.Trimmer and Mrs.
Chapone,she chose extracts from Shakespeare,Milton,Addison,and Goldsmith.Indeed,if it were possible to ask our great-grandparents what books they remembered reading in their childhood,I think we should find that beyond somewhat hazy recollections of Miss Edgeworth's books and Berquin's 'The looking glass for the mind'they would either mention 'Robinson Crusoe,'Newberry's 'Tales of Giles Gingerbread,''Little King Pippin,'and 'Goody Two-shoes'(written fifty years before their own childhood),or remember only the classic tales and sketches read to them by their parents."Now it seems to me that our great-grandparents were very lucky to have been so delightfully introduced to the great things in literature,and in these days when the art of reading aloud is almost a lost art how can we expect the modern child to turn with a natural appreciation to the best in literature when he is almost submerged by the mediocre and vulgar inside and outside the home,his appreciation undeveloped,not old enough in years or intelligence to comprehend the beauty we so delight in.We are disappointed when he does not respond,and wonder why.Is it not the result of forcing him to use these things before he is ready,and thus only fostering his distaste?
Believing this to be so,I have gone to work to try to induce the boys and girls to read more widely,and cultivate appreciation,by using this old-fashioned method of reading aloud or telling a part of the story and reading here and there bits of the text,thus letting the author tell his own story,and as far as we have been able we have tried to give the children the KIND of story they wanted--WHEN they wanted it--but in the best form in which it could be found.For instance Poe's "The purloined letter"when a detective story is asked for,followed by a story from Stevenson's "New Arabian nights"or "Island nights'
entertainments."
In eleven of the boys'clubs we have been using this year special collections of duplicate books,on topics suggested by the boys themselves.These collections have been kept together for from four to six weeks,and the stories that have been told or read from these books are mentioned in the notice,with a list of all the books in the collection and posted near where the books are shelved.The topics suggested by the boys are as follows:
railroad stories;ghost stories;humorous stories;adventure on land;heroes;adventure on sea;history stories,this last topic including Italy,France,England,Scotland,Germany,Canada,and "The winning of the West"in American history,and each group decided on which country they would read about.
On the lower West side,where the Irish-Americans live in large numbers,where street fights and fires contribute a constant source of excitement,there is a library club of girls who have been meeting twice a month for two years.Last year we studied Joan of Arc,completing our study by reading Percy Mackaye's play.This year,not feeling satisfied that I was on the right path,I called a meeting to make sure.After trying in vain to get an expression of opinion I finally asked the direct question,"What kind of books do you really LIKE to read?"and for a moment I waited in suspense,fearing someone would answer to please me by mentioning some classic.But to my great relief one girl replied at last timidly,but decidedly,that she liked "Huckleberry Finn."This gave another the courage to add that she had enjoyed the chapter on whitewashing the fence in "Tom Sawyer."My clue had been found--a reading club of adventure was formed,and though we began with the "Prisoner of Zenda"we have wandered with "Odysseus,"and sighed over the sacrifice of "Alcestis,"and thrilled over the winning of "Atalanta"this winter.
A girls'club on the lower East side have been reading the old English comedies--"She stoops to conquer,""The rivals,""Lady Teazle";then there is a flourishing Shakespeare club,which to honor the Dickens centenary this year,voted to make the study of the great writer a part of this year's program.This club meets once a week,and at one meeting the outline of one of the great tales was told by the librarian.This was followed by the girls reading one or more of the most famous chapters or dialogues.At the alternate meetings the girls read plays,varying the program by choosing first a Shakespeare drama and then a modern play.
