The Library

I was at a meeting in a Catholic school library the other evening. We finished pretty early, so when the room cleared out I walked around and perused the titles on the shelves. It was pretty shocking. It's not that I expected all the books to be holy books about lives of saints, or even to teach virtue. There is merit in reading and studying things that are simply and beautifully written because beauty and creativity themselves can give us glimpses into the mind of God. However, I did not expect to see what I did, books that clutter the mind with drivel and openly promote vice. Granted, some of these books have won awards, but I don't believe that every book that wins a secular award should automatically be included in a Catholic library, just as I don't think every academy-award winning movie belongs in every home library(think Million Dollar Baby). I truly believe that it's just another example of lowered expectations in the form of "well, at least they're reading." I've just never been a fan of that viewpoint because if you follow that line to its logical conclusion then you can excuse your children for reading pornographic literature. Vigilance is the domain of all parents, not just those of us crazy enough to homeschool. We should know our children and monitor their interests that we may better "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."