I love my work at the British Schools' Museum. At the moment, I'm working with the Jill Grey Collection of books, entering details into the museum database.
Today, I had the privilege of handling the 1870 bound copies of the Chidren's Treasury and advocate for the homeless and destitue magazine.
The printed incription on the frontespiece states "An annual for "children of the rich, for whose improvement and instruction the following pages were wrtitten, and the cildren of the poor for whose benefit they were puvlished and circulated."
I also entered the details of the June 1910 edition of St George's Magazine for boys and girls,which ran from 1906 to 1915.
It was the magazine of the St George's club ,for boys and girls ,whose motto is "onwards and upwards" ,whose members promise to ,1. befriend ,those in need,weak,poor or aged. 2.not to torture dumb animals or rob bird's nests. 3.not to wantonly destroy wild flowers.4.not to drop litter ,or chalk on doors or walls.5.not to throw orange peel or banana skins on the pavement ,and pick up other peoples peels and skins.The magazine has stories ,riddles,competitions ,approx 47 pages ,and is like many other childrens magazines of the time.
These antique publications provide a fascinating insight into the way children were raised in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's a pity that I can't spend more time browsing their contents. It's easier with books from the same time, as they are often to be found in online libraries, and can even be downloaded.
