Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1879 — Do Children Read Too Much? [ARTICLE]

Do Children Read Too Much?

With the great development of interest in literature, the marvelous increase of books and periodicals, the improvements in the arts of printing and illustration, and all the other influences that have so greatly extendedthe circle of readers and swollen the total of reading, one result is reached beyond the limit of what is to be desired. This is that a good many children have come to read too much. The boys, now, who have access to libraries—and there are very few, except in sparsely-settled country localities, who are not within reach of One—run through “story books” and tales of adventure at a most reckless and unprofitable rate of speed. In a report of the Hartford Library Association of recent date, it is mentioned that in six months one boy had taken out, and, presumably, read, 102 story books, while, in the same time, a girl took out 112 novels. This was at the rate of four a week, which, with school studies, must be considered very rapid, and, doubtless, very injurious, work. A large part of the “ series” books for young folks are of the class that encourage this rapid perusal, and, from personal observation of-the way in wnich they are read in bur circulating libraries, we are quite convinced that moat of the boys who run through them derive no advantage whatever from the excursion. So long as he selects books of value, the person who reads too little will be much better off at the end of the year than the one who reads too much, and in the case of children, the volumes supplied them ought to be something more than mere nirtitiVM of travel and adventure, easily and quickly skimmed over, and incapable of leaving any valuable impression. As we have said above, we repeat it with emShasis, the present tendency with cb>lren is to read too much, and the Uterature supplied them is, to a large degree, utterly worthless.— PhUadelDhia J\me». —A family Gloucester, Mass., mourns the loss of a* goose at the advanced age of seventy years; but Is consoled by the Survival of another gnose known to be fifty years old. Be stf'fiis anil call for Drr Btttt’n Cough Byrup, if you are troubled with a bad cough dr cold. It will give you relief. For sale by 'every respectable Dragglst. One bottle,' 25 cento; live bottle* for <I.OO.