Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-01-30

SoMDlance In this respect, between the
novel leaGer and the dram drinker. Both
are sure that little does them good, and
that they can refrain whenever they please.
The appetite of both is sharpened by In
diligence till they lose all self-control, and
are completely at the mercy of its insasia-
bleness. AS the drunkard will contrive
TO get the means of intoxication, in spite
of every friendly remonstrance and pre-
Caution, so the. young and prurient novel
reader. will beg or borrow clandestineIy,
when the books cannot otherwise be OBJ
tanned. The only. perfect y safe course,
in either case is, ..touch not, taste not
handle not" One grand objection against
putting popular works of fiction into the
hands of our youth of both sexes is, that
the world of romance, differs so entirely
from the rough, stormy, and matter of
fact world, in which they are TO live and
be happy, if they can; and certainly to
suffer, whatever pains they may take to
shun 1t. Suppose your blooming daughter,
of fifteen, could be transported into some
paradise Of perpetual spring and spicy
breezes-of odoriferous flowers, and feath-
cred harmony, and gushing marble foun-
tains, and banyan shades, and everlasting
sun-shine-what kind of preparation
would she be making, in such bowers of
unmingled delights, for returning, at the
end of five or ten years, to spend her life
in this cold region where she was born,
upon which the curse of God has so heas-
lily fallen? But far worse than this must
it be for her to dwell for the same number
ofyears in the fairy lands of romance, and
then come down to the dull, husky prose
and discordant elements-the thousand
Inconvenience and cares and tolls and
disappontments of real lite. When the
novelist can plant and water and illumln.
ate some terrestrial paradise; and shut
out pain and sorrow and sin; and give
our children life lease of it, it will be
time enough to introduce them to his ac
quaintance; but till then, the less they
have to do with this class of writers the
better
i l proceed next to offer a few thou hts
upon the religious fiction of the day l.
it safe and profitable kind OF reading
4 Who does not know that books of this
class. have been greatly multiplied with
in the last five and twenty years and j
is easily accounted for. The number G
: religious families in our country, has very
much increased and this has proportion
ally increased the demand For religion:
reading. Popular writers, always awak,
TO the fluctuations. of public taste, hav,
met the demand, by mingling fctitiou
amusement, for the younger branches O
such families, with religious phraseolog,
and religious instruction. OF these wri
tiers, there are two classes-those that civ
f religious cast to their books, to max
them sell, and those truly pious authors
: whose aim it is, by the aid of interestin,
e fiction to allure their young readers, t
|, the love and practice of religion. '..
: The first of these classes commonl
] make extremel v awkward work of it,
! Having no religion themselves, and neve
:. having read the Bible, with any serious a
!, tention, they know not what to do with
h A certain number chronological terms an
g phrases must be introduced into ever
/ chapter; but where to bring them In, the
It seem to be about as much at loss, as
p good man would be, when to swear, an
1t when to let it alone. Hence their rel
e gious novels, written for the special edit
cation OF our children, because we obe
1, to the old fashioned class of romances, Q
> ten present such grotesque specimens
% patch work, as are rarely to be met Wi
t. in any other writings. The apples
er gold are set in any thing, but pictur
h of silver. The quotations from Scrptu
is are hardly ever opposite; and often, wht
is they think they have rounded off per-,
of most piousl y, it is difficult to acquit the
H. of taking the name of God in vain. Whe
a. ever they lug in the doctrines of the
| BILE. the views which they present a
a. surely to be extremely crude, if not palp
g bly, and gross Y erroneous. Let parer
n then, beware ofthis whole class of misnar
es ed religious novels. They are more da
as gerous in a rising family than almost al
TO others.
lie The second class, [ mean those that a
or written by pious authors, and are DO
ty, theoiogicaHy and evangelicaIly correct,
IS, is not so easy to dispose of. | should 4
he care to say, that they have done no goo
be and were it possible, in practice, to dra
the line between them and the least {
nd cept'onable of the first class and at
he same time to prevent their being too mu
* multiplied. | should hail them as vaIu
ali BILE auxiliaries in Christian education.
lie. But here lies the grand difficulty. If Y
10 put fiction, which is really religious, il
ore the hands of your children. they will
= extremely apt to- extend their reading
I'D, that which is only so in name, and to ?
uld fer it as more congenial to the native
son pravity of the human heart. What be
ave is that, my son, which you are readi
But with so much interest to day!" "It