The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-06-12
COMMUNICATIONS.
FOR THE MADISoNIAN.

| @su.. . s FOR THE MADSONAN.
"Souls truly great, dart forward on the wing
| Of Jast ambition, TO the grand result" III. ~ +
The taste displayed by youthful readers Of the
present day, argues little for their good sense good
taste. If you make morning call, or meet friend
in the street, in short wherever you converse, and
the conversation turns upon books the first and all
important inquiry is not, what are you reading,
what have you been reading latelyl but, what
| you reading neto? Have you read Bulwers last
Have you read Ethel Churchill And, oh unfor-
tunate being, if your reply be in the negative, you
are necesSitated TO hear the whole story, and how
such character is sustained, and where there is
sad discrepance and all the other ct ceteras which
your very kind friend may see fit to impose upon
you; and TO your modification (uness you not at
all troubled with dfidence) you are assured by your
superior in years. that you lost much by your delay.
And if you happen TO meet fashionable beau, with
his dsgraceful ignorance, the characteristic Of his
profession he propounds the same inquiries, and
you he thinks Scott one Of the pretiea writers
of novels, but really he does not know, but Bulwer,
if he continues TO write, will bear the palm, for his
part he prefers his characters"
If the taste exhibited by these sohreaders of love
| and sentiment discoverable no where else, it
would be in the bookstore which a lady does not
enter, without having arrayed before her, all the
light reading that has been lately published, from
Bulwer, to Lady Bury. 1t is an objectionable folly
TO peruse old print and if ii has been in existence
year, il is no longer ncp. This reading may be
very well in its time and place, and my argument is
not that we ought not to patronize the erati OF the
present day. well pore and dolize the past,
but it is against young ladies rising with fashona
bic novel in their hands, and retiring with it under
tbair II Sc MT thaf Was al a,
work Of fiction, but that we ought not to spend all
our time, 10 the total neglect of all that is solid and
useful Young girls with little discretion, and judg
ments unmatured, read and admire the finely drawn
characters, the beautiful imagery and The thrilling
sentiment, without rejecting that this is all garb
allure the fancy andensure attention. have known
young ladies to read FIVE or six novels week TO kill
time, read something aer without the least desire
TO improve their taste augment their store of know
ledge or strengthen their principles. Whatever is
not narrative, accident, adventure sentiment must
be shockingly dull" and they wonder how some
ladies can peruse authors with interest whose title
page is perfect enigma 10 them. To such ladies
would say, as of writing many books, there is no
end. So reading many books, and why should've
who are destined to act part, and by no means an
unimportant part in the great drama Of life; why
should read emily of beauty love- and the poetry Of
lifc2 Avery sensible author has declared that no
exaggerated maxim, that women rule the world. Let
me ask you canddly and seriously what kind Of
rulers you really think we shall make though we
were possessed of the voracious appetite Of DR..
Johnson, If we depart from his better taste, and de-
your only whip syllabub and marmalade7
No one will deny that if light publications convey
no erroneous sentiments, they engross that time for
their perusal which should be bestowed on standard
authors and subjects Of Importance The taste for
reading soon becomes depraved, and we lose our re-
fish for solidity and are unable to appreciate the
merits Of good work. Fashion readily sanctions