Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 304, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1915 — TIME OCCUPIED BY BOOKS [ARTICLE]

TIME OCCUPIED BY BOOKS

Proof That Other Things Than Sport and Play May Be Held in the Mind of Boy. Out-of-door sports have come to fill a great place tn the lives of boys, as they should, but it is a mistake to suppose that boys no longer read. Franklin K. Matthiews. chief scout librarian of the Boy Scouts, who has been investigating the matter, reports that in the schools of a large city, where the question was asked the children as to what they did between Friday afternoon and Monday, it was discovered that the largest percentage of them spent their time in reading. In another city one boy sent in the titles of 98 books which he had read during his summer vacation; and those who watch the habits of boys in camp or at hotels cannot fail to be struck by the fact that as soon as the exercise hour is over the reading begins. In spite of Increased activities, reading is still the principal recreation of a host of boys. And many of. these boys are still reading the nickel novel, which has taken the place of the dime novel of a generation ago.