Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-01-30
BRANDON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 80, 1889

ed. Our uncovered children will not
discriminate. We cannot expect it. And
if We countenance religio novel reading
at all, the danger is, that the, more tares
and chaf there are in the wheat, the bet
ter they will like it.
And even if there was no false theology
mingled with fiction, the question would
arise in the mind of every pious and in
telligent parent, how far he ought to en-.
courage such reading in his family. LII
it be found by experience, that it is the
well-told story and nothing else, which
rlvets the attention Of the chid-that the
fiction of the book, is all in all with him,
and the religion goes for nothing; or i'll
while his appetite is sharpened for this
kind of aiiment he has less and less relish
for the Bible and for all other religious
reading which does not come recommend
ed bv the charms of fictitious narrative.
then the query may we'll arise, whether
it is not duty to exclude this latter class
OF books, altogether? Even gold may be
bought too dear, especially where there is
a very large portion of alloy. 1t is not
enough for christian father TO be salts
fed, that the books which he is advised to
put into the hands of his children, are ola
decidedly moral and religious tendency.
He is bound to ask another question,
Will they. upon the whole, do more
harm than good, by creating and pamper
ing vicious taste for highly seasoned
condiments Will they displaee the BIZ
bic and usurp the place of all other solid
religious reading p
For my own part, have come gradu
} ally and may say reluctantly to the con-
clusion, that most of the religious reading
in our families, is Improbable, if not in
the long run absolutely injurious to our
children. 1t is not calculated to make
them thinking, intelligent and full grown
Christians, but to keep them always in
} sort of excitable, dwarfsh and ftful mi
nority. In this remark [ include the thou
sand religious story books designed for
} the nursery, with which the land is flood
ed as we'll as fictitious works of higher
) professions. l hope the reader will not
5 misunderstood me. do not object alto.
gether to religious story books, infant BIZ
5 ography and the like Not few ofthese
: little Is and 24mos are very instructive
as well as interesting. But we have too
( many of them--ahogether ,oc manv in
7 our nurseries, in our children's closets,
: and in our Sabbath school libraries. Our
5 babes have too much milk and thew are
e kept too long upon it. They ought to
2 have more meat Certain it is, that from
$ some cause, or other, young Christians O
f full stature and intellectual maturity, dc
= not now take ~ solid practical and doc.
: trinal religious reading, with any thing
e like that zest, which young disciples O
e their age did, one third of century ago
}, and ascribe the difference mainly to the
g multiplication of books of that class which
0 | have just mentioned 1t is so DELIGHT
tul to run over volume after volume, borne
v on oy the mere current of feeling, tina
: thinking becomes. irksome; and wher
r. our sons and daughters should be readine
t. Howe and Baxter. and Witherspoon ant
t. Dwight and Robert Hall and Jonatha,
d Edwards, they are still porting over tn
v last religious annual, or story book.
v And whas confirms me still more in th
a opinion which | have ventured to expires,
ID respecting the Lilliputian tendency of ligh
i and fictitious reading is, that even man
T. fathers and mothers in our Israel, VIII
ct were brought up on the substantial ali
# ment Of the old PHritans, are now rega
of ing themselves with the condiments of tn
th nursery, instead of adhering to the mes
of which they were once so fond of, and i
es the strength of it, going on unto perfet
re ton" Of those, also, who still retail
en- their fondness for the old standard rel
I'd gious authors, how many now prefer til
m most summary abridgements and con
n ponds, to the thick quarto and heavy oct;
81 vos, which they used to sit and pond.
re over. hour after hour, upon the Sabba,
"a and by the quiet evening freside.
n Parents and ENTHUSIASTICALLY moral and r
n ligious teachers-read the following article, al
Nv profit by it.
From the Mothers Monthly Journal
re {" SPEAK so AS TO BE UNDER STOOD
tn The late venerable Governor Galush
it of Vermont, like many Distinguish
lot men Of his period. owed little TO tt
d s; schools. He was master, it is true, of IL
NV verv best kind of education, that whit
* consists in correct and extensive practic
he knowledge; but he became so BY Il
ch force of mind naturally vigorous, COZ
Ia bined with habits of reading, Observable
- and reflection, rather than by the systeI
on attic study of the various branches of |
nto erature and science. Il is related of hil
be that he was one day present where SIEVE
to al young students were discussing t
re needless completely of the rules of sy
de- tax, and the advantages which would
'ok suit from their simpIi6cation. Alter |
ing tening for some time to the converSatlo
S the governor facetiouslv remarked Il