- Rhetoric and composition.
- Evangeline.
- Pilgrim's progress.
- Selections from Milton.
- Lady of the lake.
Home Reading
- The downward path or A debt of vengeance.
- Helping himself.
- A leap in the dark.
- Trapped in his own net.
The school reading was unexceptionable as to literary character, but, at least for the growing boy of average intelligence, it seemed to lack attractiveness.
When Theodore entered the English class in high school, times had changed. The first thing the teacher did was to give him a list of books for home reading. At the top of the list was written, "These books may be borrowed either from the high school branch or from any other branch of the public library." On the list were such books as "Huckleberry Finn," "Tom Sawyer," "The jungle books," "Story of a bad boy," "The wonder book and tanglewood tales," "Treasure island" and "The man without a country."
Now, these books have literary character; they are attractive; furthermore, they were written by authors who at all times observe with proper respect and deference the laws of the English language.
So, once more, through the aid of the library, we find the connection between literature and the joy of life established.
In the old days, not much had been said about vocations, or working for a living. Indeed, the only ambition considered really worth while was that of going to college and becoming educated. To leave school before graduation was rather a disgrace, and if any boy was, like Lady Macbeth's guests, by force of circumstances, compelled to "go, and stay not upon the order of his going," his method of departure can best be described by the expression, "slinking out." But now, Theodore found the school ready and willing to help all those who had to leave school to go to work; and again, the connection between real life and school was established.
And if Theodore found that the library was not lacking in books that would help in the practical issues of life, neither did he find a dearth of the books that are needed for companionship—the books that we are inclined to group under the heading "Cultural reading." Oliver Wendell Holmes, in one of his essays, says, speaking of libraries, that he has the same easy feeling when among books that a stableboy has among horses. And it is perhaps along this line—that of inculcating a real love for books—that the greatest work of the high school library lies.
In an article on "Children's reading" in Harper's Weekly for May 31 there are some valuable suggestions for the librarian, not least among them that contained in the last paragraph, which I shall quote: