Tea at Trianon: Young Readers in a Digital World

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Young Readers in a Digital World

From Seton Magazine:

Aim to collect some unabridged classics as well as some high quality newer books. You want to make it enticing for your child. If you’re not certain where to begin, seek the advice of a friendly librarian or bookstore owner. You’ll find that most bookworms started becoming so as kids, and they really love to recommend books! Give books as gifts for special occasions. If you write a personal message in the front, they can serve as wonderful mementos about the stages in your child’s life. My kids know to expect at least one book apiece from Mom each Christmas. Put your books in public view also, either on the family bookshelf or one of your own. Make sure to let your child see you reading for enjoyment, and getting excited about books. If you have any treasured books from your own childhood, they make great heirlooms to pass down. (Read more.)