A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN'S LIBRARY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 585, 13 August 1909, Page 3

A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN'S LIBRARY.

THE NEWTOWN COLLECTION. * Thero/'can./be/'no - L d'oubt. about; the fact?that : oMMrenfnowqdays',;. as;a ! larly:;gobd l ;.time', : .;far,''better "than'Uwe; ever,: had, litt our' 'day.': ',■ TKeir ; tastes,', are 1 .- 'studiedand provided - for when .possible, in ' every way— toys; 'gime-sj amusements, and literature,;the. last' perhaps being the most important; One cannot after all very much influence a grownup: person's •tasks' in/;, reading—they, have been already formed either in a' good or a bad. direction—buKwfhen it:.comes, to: children.:'if the; best;,is .given: .them' to. start'with .'they are not so likely ..to 'go . astray, ahd. feed upon unwholesome bpoks. Had they' been provided for 'years /ago as ; much as they. ; areTiow, .there: would' not: lie* the 'existing demand' for tnuch of the^lass.of,-;fictibn,that comes. : toilight so inexhaustibly -in '{the . booksellers' ' shops.; : A.' .big''.thing; w6uld, be- accomplished if all tHe"libraries- in '.the'different: towns 'of.! the Dominion..established children's 1 libraries, .in connection, with ..their own. \lri so' ; many plaMS' it is;only talked, of,-and .often .that is all iliat comes of it./Newtown,'however, has made',, a 'obm'plete-';'succe'ss' of .what has 'been •-« For about, fivcyears,' ■thC'juvcnilo branch belonging ■tb l the,4ibrary,- lias been carefully-fostered and. 1 by-the librarian, arid has now a membership- of .about .two. hundred 'chijdren, and about fifteefi-h'iiridred; boOKsJat theJeast. Not; only. :do ;thV children - -'-come.'; from iNowtown, but from all over Wellington, and they',hUhit''ab(jiitj and root among jth'e book's to their- hearth -.content?' ; disi:ifssdngi-what' they like and What ;they ( do like, and asking the mast -brain-racking^questions.'. It. takes a,considerable':amount of ;readinfc|to be able' to. 1 answer . them . sometimes.' Fiction; : cf course) place in 'their hearts— that; is,:/ for , most ; : of, stories' of wild;!adven.turM.',are especially-.'their dear.ide,litclit;; v Rritber:a..curious thing: is'that/most " f "•!•'" iyil.l' ¥? "e: -v-v;" / of, f. well-regulated ■ girls' /.;but boys"-.lioejsfs,-''ami, r'fie ; more conijih;t<'iy :boys' ..or; men's ~ lives' "and deeds, 'are . depicted"tho more:'.they.are sought l after by:them. ...Even Ethel Turner is neglected beside them. ~Henty, :;Maj;iie -',llcidi Ellis; /Kingston, '.Fitchett, ,and-.'-Bullen.. are, coursc/.greatly,- read. 1 // Scott 'v'ery'.-scldom.iis. a' ~of'.' trees' | and;: -flowers',-' 'cvory r ■ thing; one'- sees!, about one,' as well ! as studies' ,of. insect,'fish;.:and/animallife., 'Nor »is invention -. left /alone; /'for' .there': are,, several. works- on : that subject,;: but 'bnlyv/ohoy-.was left 'to,' stare one' iri the Inventions— . Models, and,- How-to';-Make ;Them.'' -It' cer- 1 tainly speak^'Svell:for their t'astesl . [•' ■\ . Historical /works/ b'y/ Gordon . Strang'; and other writers 1 are 1 great' and -they , have: the/ most delightful, editions, published by Harap, of Dickens's Greek tragedy, '.'Told by the North Men,'' stones'from/;Waguer, and. " Robin; Hood.',' L Other- works''further along the shelves, and. written for younger readers, are 11 The' Three Saints," " Stories: of- the '.CrnsadMj"j'.| , -Jo.an-'bf,y'i^;!' > .of:' ltoland,'-'the lives of heroes and. of great men.'such .as.-.Glive,/ Roberts,' and Lincoln. Nbr "children', forgotten, for - there are fairy/stbries ; and'standard works 'specially ■ written and' adapted 'for.-them!; Indeed,/the shelves: put' aside for; the .-children possess'a greats, amount;; of.: attraction; ;,for grown-ups, and "they;'are. often to 'be seen prowling around, something, that has .thken. their , fancy. Z : .'./; • 'The museum'and the library really/have: a; great ' deal. to do with/',one - another. ' The writers of. the best- six. essays out of Standards V and VI of the. district high schools,' and;'haying' as-:their;subject' the museum -be-' longing to. the.:building, are allowed a-'year's free-subscription/to. the:library. Each school' has.to .await-:'its'}turn;'-and,'.needless to say, Zth'o, competition/is .very keen. ; As; a 'result; their -interert:/is, ,'the.specimens, shown ,'in .'the museum,- and '.the . bobks"".bn ; nature..studies .belonging, to .the:library are 'greatly.-,'sought.'.after.'; Some;of the/specimens. 'in tho' cases •• ;had/ beeny fourid,;,prepared,' mounted, and' classified, by children, showing how,they gained by their studies.':!■ Lectures:' on natural .history, . illustrated;;by.;- ! a lantern' belongingj to.;the' libraiy; aro: sometimes/given. . as well. : .'. Several,-; .magazines, such as "Tho 'Boys' Own Paper," "Chums," "Young England," "The Girls' Own Paper," "Girls' Realm," arid - others are supplied/in . the library, and at ..the; end 'of the year are' bound .together. It seems Vas..' though every taste a ,chSd'can possess-in''the ■-way'.'of reading-'can bo" iriet and; gratified in- a'. well-kept,; institution. of this/kind. /'• '-,'■; :