Katelyn Lauzon
Dr. Teresa Coronado
English 226
9 December 2014
Universal
Life Lessons Taught by Ruth Elmer
These days children have a vast amount of information
available to them in a variety of different formats. Some of the most prevalent
are television, internet, and social media. However, the majority of the
information from these sources can be very harmful to children and young adults
because they often have no way of verifying its validity or determining if it
has any real value. Children are very impressionable and it has always been a
priority in our society to educate and care for our children so that they can
become responsible adults. One of the very best (and oldest) ways of doing this
is through books. Books force children to slow down and use their imagination. A
child cannot become lost in a sea of questionable ads or accidently click on
something inappropriate while reading a book. Also, a book can be taken
virtually anywhere, as it does not require an internet signal to function. For
as long as the written word has existed it has been used to record our
experiences as humans and preserve the knowledge that we have gained. It is a
natural, then, that a book should be used to teach the next generation the
lessons and morals that we as a society most value. Ruth Elmer: A Tale for
School Girls does just that. It tells the story of a very relatable young
girl, and in the process it teaches the reader positive ways of acting and
dealing with the challenges we all face in life. It is also interesting that
this story was written so long ago in 1855, and yet the message it sends is
still applicable and appropriate for today’s reader. This book should be part
of the Great Lakes Canon because it not only shows a glimpse of the values of a
society that existed nearly 160 years ago, but also because it could still be
of great value to children in today’s modern society.
Some of the earliest children’s books (published in the
17th-19th century) were meant for nothing more than mere
instruction, and contained things such as bible verses and the alphabet (Tunnel
80). They were popular in the American colonies with Puritans who believed that
children were inherently evil and needed to be saved through strict and
rigorous study (Tunnel 80). Children’s books began to come into their own in
the 19th century when writers such as the Grimm brothers and Hans
Christian Anderson started publishing fairy tales (Tunnel 81). In 1865 Lewis
Carroll published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and in 1885 Robert
Louis Stevenson published A Child’s Garden of Verses, both are books
that are still enjoyed today (Tunnel 81). Throughout the rest of the 19th
century many more of today’s classic children’s stories were published and were
instantly successful. Slowly the genre moved from stories that were clearly
meant for instruction to stories that focused on relatable human experiences
(Tunnel 81). The first of these was Little Women in 1868 and was
followed by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876 and Treasure Island
in 1883. By offering children interesting and compelling stories with main
characters that they could really relate to, the author’s of these books were
able to grab the child’s attention and teach them the values of the time
without the child knowing they were learning something. A book that merely
preaches at a child will never be as effective as one that engages the child on
multiple levels. Although it was published more than 10 years before the books
mentioned above, Ruth Elmer used the same type of story which focused on
a main character and her family in order to interest young readers while
simultaneously reinforcing the values emphasized by the church.
Ruth Elmer: A Tale for School Girls was published
in 1855 by the American Sunday School Union or ASSU. The ASSU was founded in
Philadelphia in 1824 (Abate 85). It was comprised of five evangelical religious
denominations: Baptist, Congregationalist, Low Church Episcopalian, Methodist,
and Presbyterian (Abate 85). Its goal was to continue in the tradition of
Sunday Schools and distribute literature that was uplifting and informative for
the members of the church, especially children (Abate 85). For many children,
the texts printed by the ASSU were the only narratives they were exposed to,
and all of them had an underlying religious message (Abate 86). The widespread
popularity of the ASSU publications is an indication of the values people in
that time period held. Parents, and society in general, wanted their children
to be taught about religion, and believed that religious teachings would prove
beneficial for the well-being of their communities. Although it is not overtly
religious, Ruth Elmer: A Tale for School Girls uses religion in a way
that suggests its great importance to Ruth and her family. The main focus of
the first chapter is an experience Ruth has at school that greatly troubles
her. She is mistreated by her friends and has to choose how she will respond to
their actions. After a talk with her mother and some personal reflection time,
Ruth decides to do what God would want and forgive her classmate (American
Sunday School Union 38). She goes to school the next day and pretends nothing bad
ever happened (39). She even volunteers to help some of the children who were
mean to her (41). She feels a great sense of relief and joy when she finds she
is able to truly forgive them and not hold any residual negativity towards them
(44). This example of teaching a child the right way to handle conflict shows
the priorities of people in 1855. Not only did they value non-violent,
non-confrontational conflict resolution, they also emphasized how a
relationship with God and an understanding of the teachings of the Bible can
help a person to choose the right path in any given situation. The best thing
about Ruth’s situation is that it focuses on her and how she should handle her
problems. The book is not preachy like some of the early instruction-based children’s
books and it does not simply state bible verses that tell the right thing to
do. Instead, it teaches the same lesson in a way that is interesting and causes
the reader to sympathize with Ruth, and even come to like her. Once the reader
forms a relationship with Ruth and begins to care about what happens to her
they are more likely to be receptive to the overall message of the book. This
is of course the goal of children’s books and was certainly the goal of the
Authors of Ruth Elmer.
Another reason this book is so compelling is that it is
written in a way that is clear and easy to understand, even by today’s
standards. Many modern readers cringe at the idea of a text from 1855, thinking
it will use archaic language that must be decoded before it is understood.
However, this is entirely untrue with Ruth Elmer. It is written in a
very similar style to fiction books today. Ruth is relatable to readers of all
ages, and the struggles her and her family face are still relevant 160 years
later. After Ruth is able to resolve the conflict with her classmates, the
story moves on to a much more serious problem. Ruth’s father makes a bad real
estate investment and loses his family’s entire savings (49). They can no
longer afford to send their children to school, and instead the children must
find work in order to help support the family (54). After selling their home
and most of their possessions, the family finds a tiny apartment and begins to
look for work (52). The most inspiring
aspect of this part of the story is the way the family comes together and
supports each other. None of the children are angry at their father, and the
mother never criticizes her husband in any way. This is a lesson that many
families today could benefit from. Teenagers especially are prone to defying
their parents instead of trying to help them. Seeing an example of a family
that works together to solve their problems could help to positively influence
a child who relates to Ruth and sees her as a role model.
The relevance of this book goes beyond its ability to
inspire and educate readers. The fact that it was published at a relatively
early time in American history makes it a valuable link to the people of that
time. Not only that, but it can also give contemporary readers a glimpse at the
society that is the basis for how we live today. It is easy for people to
forget that our society is the way it is because of everything that came before
it. We did not simply climb off the Mayflower and start listening to rap music
and wearing Ugg boots. There is a long tradition in this country of people
learning from the experiences of those who came before them and trying to do
better. Our technology and our clothing and our entertainment all developed
over time from the people who lived 200 years ago. A book like Ruth Elmer allows
us to see early society and shows us the similarities and differences that
exist, the things that we are doing better, the things that have changed
drastically, and more importantly the things that have not changed much at
all.
Over the past few centuries children’s novels have
developed from simplistic educational tools into thought provoking stories that
provide relatable human experiences. It is true that “literature aimed at young
readers has always reflected society’s attitudes about children” (Tunnell 80). Ruth
Elmer: A Tale for School Girls tells us that society in 1855 valued
children who were well educated and held strong religious beliefs. They also
believed that the best way to teach these values to children wasn’t to preach
at them and make them memorize bible verses. Instead, they offered children a
simple story about a relatable character and made the learning process so
enjoyable that it was almost effortless. This book is a great link to pre-1865
American society. The story of an everyday family trying to make it in the
world is one that we can all relate to. Being able to get a glimpse into what a
family looked like in 1855 as opposed to how it looks today is a truly valuable
tool in understanding that time period. Reading a history book or academic
journal is beyond the scope and the interest of the everyday person. However,
reading the story of a family in plain and easy to understand English is
something that many more people would be willing to do. It allows them to not
only see how society functioned 150 years ago, but also to see what values from
that period we still hold dear today.
Works
Cited
Abate,
Michelle Ann. "From Christian Conversion To Children's Crusade: The Left
Behind Series For Kids And The Changing Nature Of Evangelical Juvenile
Fiction." Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 2.1 (2010):
84-112. Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
American
Sunday School Union. Ruth Elmer: A Tale for School Girls. Philadelphia:
American Sunday School Union, 1855. Print.
Tunnell,
Michael O., and James S. Jacobs. "The Origins And History Of American
Children's Literature." Reading Teacher 67.2 (2013): 80-86. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
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