Headline News

Middle School Reading Lists 100 Years Ago Vs. Today

One of the striking features of the Edina list is how recent the titles are. Many of the selections were published in the 21st century. In fact, only four of the selections are more than 20 years old.

Published

11 years ago

September 22, 2014

Geoffrey Grider

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And you wonder why people were so much smarter a hundred years ago?

“I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.” Job 36:3

I recently dug up a 1908 curriculum manual in the Minnesota Historical Society archives. It provided instructions on everything from teacher deportment to recommended literature lists for various grades. As a book lover, I was especially interested in the latter!

With the exception of a few textbook-like anthologies, the chart below lists the recommended reading material for Minnesota 7^th and 8^th graders in 1908:

With such a list in hand, I decided to examine if the common accusation that today’s education standards have been dumbed down is really true. To make sure I wasn’t unfairly weighting this survey in favor of the past, I went to one of the Twin Cities metro area’s finest districts, namely, Edina Public Schools. Again, with the exception of a few textbook anthologies, the list below offers the reading options for their 7^th and 8^th grade students:

In examining these lists, I noticed three important differences between the reading content of these two eras:

1. Time Period

One of the striking features of the Edina list is how recent the titles are. Many of the selections were published in the 21^st century. In fact, only four of the selections are more than 20 years old.

In comparison, over half of the titles on the first list were at least 20 years old in 1908, with many of them averaging between 50 to 100 years old.

Older is not necessarily better, but the books on the first list suggest that schools of the past were more likely to give their students time-tested, classic literature, rather than books whose popularity may happen to be a passing fad.

2. Thematic Elements

A second striking difference between the two book lists are the themes they explore. The first is full of historical references and settings which stretch from ancient Greece (Tanglewood Tales) to the Middle Ages (Harold, Last of Saxon Kings) to the founding of America (Courtship of Miles Standish). Through highly recognized authors such as Longfellow, Stevenson, Kipling, and Dickens, these titles introduce children to a vast array of themes crucial to understanding the foundations upon which America and western civilization were built.

The Edina list, however, largely deals with modern history, particularly hitting on many current political and cultural themes such as the Taliban (The Breadwinner), cloning, illegal immigrants, the drug war (The House of the Scorpion), and deeply troubled youth (Touching Spirit Bear). In terms of longstanding, classic authors, Mark Twain and Ray Bradbury are the only ones who stand out.

It’s good for children to understand the world in which they live, but as with any area in life, you can have too much of a good thing. A continual focus on modern literature narrows the lens through which children can view and interpret the world. Would it not be better to broaden their horizons and expose them to a balance of both old and new literature?

3. Reading Level

Many of the books on the Edina list use fairly simple, understandable language and vocabulary familiar to the modern reader. Consider the first paragraph of Nothing But the Truth:

“Coach Jamison saw me in the hall and said he wanted to make sure I’m trying out for the track team!!!! Said my middle school gym teacher told him I was really good!!!! Then he said that with me on the Harrison High team we have a real shot at being county champs. Fantastic!!!!!! He wouldn’t say that unless he meant it. Have to ask folks about helping me get new shoes. Newspaper route won’t do it all. But Dad was so excited when I told him what Coach said that I’m sure he’ll help.”

On the other hand, consider the first paragraph of Longfellow’s Evangeline:

“This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.”

The first example uses simple words and a casual sentence structure, while the second uses a rich vocabulary and a complex writing format. Naturally, some might look at the second selection and say, “Good grief! How do you expect a child to understand that?!?”

But that’s the whole point. Unless we give our students challenging material to dissect, process, and study, how can we expect them to break out of the current poor proficiency ratings and advance beyond a basic reading level?

My takeaway from this comparison? It’s great that schools today have students read contemporary literature. But we still need to make sure that students also read good literature from the past and are sufficiently challenged.

Related Topics:Public schools Reading Lists School Reading Lists

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Free Bible Program

Chaplain Marshall At The Leon County Detention Facility Says The Need For Bibles Is Urgent As Inmates Are Being Turned Away From Lack Of Supply

Published

2 days ago

February 14, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Leon County Detention Facility in Florida is struggling with an inability to keep their inmates supplied with Bibles as the need is great but the supplies are few

As many of you know, our whole family was hit with the Subclade K super flu this week, and all activity here at NTEB basically stopped. Lori and I want to thank everyone for your fervent and effectual prayer for our recovery. This is why we are a praying people, so thank you, everyone. Well, while I am not yet fully recovered, I thought I had better dust off the keyboard and write about something. Nothing in the news really interested me, and then I saw an email come over from Chaplain Marshall at the Leon County Detention Facility in Florida. What he had to say snapped me right to attention. Time to write.

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 (KJB)

Dr. Marshall’s email says “We really need your help. We are struggling with constant requests for the bible. We have over 1000 inmates. I am reaching out because we should never have to turn an inmate away who is seeking Gods word. The need is urgent so please send us as many bibles as possible on an ongoing basis. May God Bless You. We can only accept PAPER Bibles.” This is the very reason for which Bibles Behind Bars was raised up for, to send God’s preserved word into as many jail and prison cells as possible. They need a thousand Bibles are quickly as possible, and with your help we can do it. The cost to send these Bibles out is $4,550, please pray about joining with us to get this done. Bibles Behind Bars is the chaplain’s lifeline that allows them to do the work God has called them to do. Help us to keep the gospel supply lines open!

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!

NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:

NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

Super Bowl Sunday LX 2026 Is An Excellent Illustration Of The ‘Falling Away’ Complete With Games Played In A Roman Colosseum Under An Egyptian Obelisk

Published

1 week ago

February 8, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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No matter which Super Bowl LX 60 you pick today, or which Halftime Show you watch, you will be celebrating that which God hates

America is not a Christian nation, and it is filled with professing Christians who know less about Bible doctrine than most industrialized countries. They will go to a stadium and “bang their heads for the Lord” for hours on end, and yet spend not a fraction of that time in God’s preserved word. If you watch any of the Super Bowl XL 2026 proceedings today, and I do not recommend you do, what I am telling you will become instantly apparent if your know your Bible.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Psalms 19:7-10 (KJB)

We had no Sunday Service this morning due to the fact that the Type A flu has hit me and my family pretty hard, and your prayers for a speedy recovery for all of us is very much appreciated. But after 17 years of reporting on the ‘woke’ Super Bowl and the Christian Nationalist Super Bowl, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t once again throw the NTEB end times hat into the ring. Now, the ‘woke’ Super Bowl is sad, pathetic, and instantly connects you to Romans 1 in your King James Bible. The Christian Nationalist Super Bowl, while ideologically better, instantly connects you to Acts 20, 28, and 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This year we have a treat! The NFL is providing a highly LGBTQIA-friendly Halftime show while Turning Point USA gives us the ‘let’s drink whiskey and set stuff on fire for the LORD’ Halftime Show’. We get both. If you think that the choice is an “easy one”, you’d be quite mistaken. They both lead you away from God and away from the Bible, and to the Vanity Fair found in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matthew 15:8 (KJB)

Before we go further, let’s pull off to the side and see what the NFL and their Super Bowl actually represents. First and foremost, the Super Bowl is played on a Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead. Secondly, the players are called “stars” and “idols”, two expressions found in the Bible connected with idol worship. The Lombardi Trophy is an Easter egg on top of an Egyptian obelisk. Come on, now, you knew that the football represents the Easter egg from the Roman Catholic Church and ancient Babylon, right? Why do you think the NFL uses Roman numerals? Why does the NFL show you the Roman Catholic Church in all their marketing? Stay with me now, the water only gets deeper. Third, the hundreds of millions of viewers will be bombarded with just about everything that God hates. Immorality, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, gambling, and lust just to name a few. Why do you think that the same corporations we claim to hate pay between $8-10 million dollars for a 30-second commercial. You know what that makes you? A sitting duck. You know what that makes your children? Groomed. Everything I just told you will be exactly the same no matter which Super Bowl you watched or which Halftime show you support today.

FUN FACT: Kid Rock is no better than Bad Bunny, he just sins with the stuff the Laodicean Church approves of. All sin is equally offensive and damning in the eyes of God, and requires a payment.

You know why your pastor doesn’t preach against all this, or any of this? They’re afraid of the pushback they would get. Gotta keep that Building Program going, even if it means selling out your congregation to do it. We have forgotten that God, according to the Bible, is not on the side of the great and mighty America. He is on His Side. I am 100% against abortion, but ask yourselves this. If you “stand for the unborn”, which is a good thing, and at the same time go to the bars with Kid Rock, John Rich, Joel Webbon, Doug Wilson, and all the others far too numerous to mention, is God somehow fooled?. Billy Sunday was a great preacher, and many got saved, but Prohibition did nothing but create a massive cash economy for the Mafia. Which destroyed peoples lives for generations and is still doing it. You say that we have to “Make America A Christian Nation Again”, right? Go ahead and try, and all you do is advance the kingdom of the coming Antichrist through the 7 Mountains Mandate.

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

I’m not preaching to the choir, I am preaching to sinners, saved or lost, and calling you to pick a side before it all comes down. You have Christian liberty if you’re saved, but let me suggest you use it to preach the gospel. The LORD is watching, choose carefully.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

End Times

The Opening Ceremony Of The 2026 Winter Olympics Featured A Burning Cauldron With Everlasting Flames In The Middle Of The All-Seeing Eye In Hell

Published

1 week ago

February 7, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics was ripped right from the pages of end times events laid out in the book of Revelation

The world just can’t help themselves, can they? At the opening ceremony to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy last night, what was intended to be a beautifully designed version of the ‘Olympic Cauldron’ representing the ‘eternal flame’ for the duration of the games was actually a hellish depiction of the all-seeing eye of Horus coming out from the eternal fires of Hell. Ever see ‘Stranger Things’? They created the Olympic Cauldron as the Demogorgon come to life for our entertainment.

“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:” Revelation 14:10 (KJB)

A massive triumphal arch, a blazing, suspended centerpiece. The entire scene drenched in blood-red light with fire raining down from the heavens like a victory celebration for something ancient, pagan, and proud. Whether the designers intended “the all-seeing eye” or not, the effect is the same: a global spectacle built on awe, fear, and worshipful attention—centered on fire. The very same Hell fire now being mocked and denounced by people like Kirk Cameron. Christian, wake up!

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The modern world doesn’t merely tolerate darkness—it packages it. Stylizes it. Sells it as culture. Then tells you you’re “negative” or “conspiratorial” if you notice the tone. But Bible believers aren’t called to applaud the production. We’re called to reprove it. Reprove things like the wicked NFL Super Bowl and their Sodomite Half Time Show, and yes, the Turning Point All-American Halftime show promoted openly by Laodicean preacher Franklin Graham. It is nothing but wickedness everywhere you look, and that’s exactly as your King James Bible says it will be. Fill your pockets with gospel tracts and go out into the ‘highways and hedges’ and tell them about Jesus. Time is almost gone, make the most of it for the Lord, and get ready for the Judgment Seat of Christ. Amen? TO THE FIGHT!!!