TASTE IN LITERATURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18814, 15 September 1924, Page 10

TASTE IN LITERATURE.

MUCH TRASH READ. ■ • , CORRECTING THE TENDENCY. SCHOOL LIBRARY SYSTEM. \ ; ENCOURAGING EXPANSION. } Few people will deny Mr. Brausby Williams', indictment.'of the modem problem novel. Many books of the typo are crude rubbish, which appeal only, to immature and prurient minds, and ifc is disturbing ,to learn from local inquiry that the demand for them is very extensive, particularly among young women. Many writers who,lack the art to give them prominence, appear deliberately to concentrate upon a theme which will guarantee a good sale of their books. Like some comedians they : ,''-■■ go as far a3 {hey dare simply to,' swell receipts. They merchandise vice. It might'bo unjust to the present generations to suggest that tho generations of the period of the Victorian novelists had no appetite for unsavoury literature, but it would be unjust to those generations to assert that the crude problem novel of to-day would have enjoyed the vogue it does to-day, and certainly the young women of tho Victorian ago could not have demanded "sex" books with the calm assurance demonstrated in bookshops every day. One New Zealand library used to adopt the practice of placing question- • able books on a shelf below the counter . so that they would not bo issued unless oißcially asked for. This became, known and some girls used to ask, " What is there on tho naughty shelf to-day t" Not a Healthy SignIt does not follow that because girlsand young women read novels of the class mentioned they will be any tho worse for it—the lily can bloom x>n a rubbish-tip-but the chanesis are that an appetite for these books is not a healthy sign. A bookseller stated yesterday that 75 per cent, of those who asked for novels which were dangerous to the immature were young women. 'In regard to book-buying in general, it was stated that many young people appear to have no knowledge whatever of. what is literature and what is not. The title " of a book and the picture on the cover often hava mora influence upon their selection than the name of the author.-; They are not acquainted with the immortals. To them a book is simply a book, whether it is a pot-boiler of an unknown or-sclas- • sic. The opinion'was expressed that part of the trouble was due to the vogue of the cinematograph.. There was an adult generation which had grown up under tho influence of the picture theatre, and as a result of the frequency of poor picture plays and less reading, there was an aston- .-'!-.... ishing lack of taste, and discernment. "Manv of the young "people," said the speaker, "think thai:good books must be a series of thrilling or passionate episodes. They have adopted false standards of life and it is evidont in the class of novel, they .appreciate." •- s

Worfc to tho Schools. . Fortunately there are strong grounds for the belief that a much higher'taste in . literature will be evident when the boys and girls of the present day reach adult years. The general us 3of epitomised versions of;the works of such authors as Kingsley, Dickens, Scott and Stevenson as readers in the schools is one strong influence and another in Auckland city is the development of the school library system, which is an extension of the work of the > juvenile department of the public library. A fresh collection of books is sent to each of 20 schools at the of every year by the public library for circulation. No fewer than 52,352 volumes were issued from the school libraries last year, bo- ," sides some 30.000 issued from the juvenile department of the public library.-- Each standard, from the third to the sixth, has its own collection of books, graded to suit the respective ages; ■•.• No. charge. is made for the use of the hooks. The first issue of a\ school collection was made in 1917, and the last of.the 20 quite recently. Almost invariably the headmaster, when returning the books at the «nd of the • first year> has stated that a marked improvement had. been noticed in the, quality of the children's essays, a striking ... proof of the value of the system. What Children Want. It is not customary to include many volumes ;of the classics in the collections sent to the The experience of the juvenile department is that boys and girls read classics only if a special interest has been stimulated at home or at school. They demand tales of adventure, to a less degree school'yarns, fairy stories, and occasionally there is. a run on technical text books, such as: those- relating to wire- : less. These classes of literature are therefore sent to tho school libraries, the idea being that if a boy reads the good wholesome stories of such authors as Ballantyne and Henty, Ellis, Westerman, Brereton and Gilson, arid a gill the books of Angela Brazil and Mary Grant Bruce, they v;ill receive a stimulus to the imagination, become familiar ...with good English, and lay the foundations of a literary appreciation. '..- , . . In country schools there has been a very encouraging expansion of. libraries during recent years. Funds for this purpose receive a" Government subsidy, and it is money wisely'spent. Frequently the collections have a wide range. Beside works of such authors as. Dickens, Thackery, Scott, and Dumas and adventure books, are volumes and periodicals which touch the fringes of science, works of biography and travel, sometimes there is an encyclopedia, j Last week one bookshop supplied over £100 worth of books for country school libraries, the selection Jn each case being made, by people of obvious literary judgment and taste. There may be difference of opinion on the question of placing classics in these collections. If boys and girls will read ■ them, without undue compulsion, good and . well, but the main object is to encourage the reading of stimulating, uplifting books of such ' literary merit that the children in later years will know what is trash. Very sound work in that direction is now being done in Auckland.