Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-01-30
TEL d G. B a p lE o
BRANDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1899.

The following Thoughts should be read and
zbndered, oyer and over, again and again. by eve
- parent-every guardian Of youth. MY own OBJ
rvaton will fully sustain, if it will not go beyond
Ia views here taken of the i'll tendency Of" reli
&ious novel reading" Every careful observer
Hnows there is far too much ofit especially in our
8Abbath School Libraries. 1t has measure of the
me tendency that other novel reading does. 1t
Gates dsrelish for what is sober and real, in
~ Jon as in other things. 1t is pretended by some
la children must first be fed with novels to create
81 appetite for other reading. With the same pro-
Hfiety it might be argued that the palates of chill
zen must first be pampered with sugar-plums and
*Heet meats, and other abomnable confectionery
&nsh, in order to create appetite for plain,
&hOlesome food. 1t is utterly preposterous.
From the New York Observer.
-. Humphreys Thoughts ON Education.
Family Reading.
Having thrown out of the family cir
GIG, as trust, by common consent, one
arge class of books, on account of their
nfofane and lecherous blemishes. let me
I'll upon parents to extend their moral
censorship 10 another class of works,
Which though they may not so grossly
Hhock the common ear, are equally dan
gerous 81 mean those of an mfidel cast,
whether 1t be more open, or concealed
Il is unhappily the case, that some of the
lost fascinating writers in every branch
n polite and popular literature, are avow-
81, or thinly disguised unbeievers while
hers, who profess to receive the Bible
rs the word Of God, quote it irreverently,
jfhot even profanely. and contrive, in one
lay or another, to throw doubts, if not
ridicule, upon experimental religion
There are thousand ways IN which an
Ingenious author of this class, may un-
dermine or corrupt the faith of his youth
inl readers. He may do it by enlisting
III the hypocrisy and extravagances OF
aominal Christianity into his service, and
Daking true religion accountable for the
nnmberless crimes and folles, of its num-
berless counterieits, by holding up the
whole body of the clergy to suspicion, in
ne persons Of the Jesuts. or the revolving
fevelatlons of some foreign monastery 5
W ringing loud changes upon the names
Which in6dels and prosecutors have re.
tfoachfully applied to the pious objects o
iheir hatred and ridicule; by fastening
be charge of fanaticism upon whole evan
selical denominations. on account OF tn
ektravagances Of few individuals; By
tellmg ludicrous stories about some sim
pie country 'parson,' or good puritan
beacon; BY amusing but reproachfu
anecdotes and historical illusions; by sly
Malignant innuendos; emphatic dashes
tfIple notes OF admiration, &c. &c. Sue
bOoks as Gibbons Rise and Fall.of tn
CONAN Empire, Volney's Ruins, and 9th
Us like them, in which skepticism is mos
Insidiously wrought into the whole war
81 the fabric, ought never to be brougt
INTO family, or to meet the eye of tn
Dung and unsuspecting reader
There is not Christian in the LAM
nay, there Is not parent who respects re
hgion at all, that would not be shocked |
ave a polite and fascinating acquain
nee, or stranger, spend evening aft
evening, in amusing his children, wit
flowing historical narrative, or ingenior
elton, interlarded with insidious Sigh
the Bible, and Numerous caricatures
POD men. How then can a parent a
DIV an inch of loom, in his family libr;
10 ior any writer of the class, which
ave Just mentioned2 How will that {;
Iner feel, whose sons are now drinkin
~ lnhdeiIty from these sparkling foa
lains, under his own eye, when he CON,
% meet them at the bar of God2 And ;
Z is impossible for parents, in general
Examine all the books that claim cub
patronage, and knock at every mans do
'cr admhtance, is it not their plain du
% consult the judgment of trusty frien(
Who have Eore leisure; and is il not
equally plain duty Of these friends, 10
prepared 10 advise them!
But what do you think of novels a
other kindred works Of fiction, where /
language is chaste, the sentiments une
cepliona6le, and the moral good sh
'ney be brought into the domestic circ
Or excluded from it2n A full answer
this question, would REQUIRE mncb m,
time than can at presen, devote 70 !,
Absolutely to prescribe all fiction. wor
perhaps, be going too far. think | co
select dozen volumes, besides Robin,
Crusoe. which l should be willing to h
my children read in their minority.
O'nlng Is more to be deprecated, in a I;
J, hon a morbid appetite for novels
~ al experience proves, how difficu
nrs.a aeep It from becoming absolul
ass"oas' II i is INDUCED at all. Re
s que work Of fiction, is almost Ger,
.o;ad ao Ia the young and suscept
Lni1o; more eager demand for anoth
and the demand rises at every steo Of
Progress, till il i prepared 70 br sp =, |,
oil bounds, and to devour Whatever -