The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-08-06
Communications
Imnnrlnnce of Lihrnries.

lee,. neither of whom has attended any
orher than the district school, and assign
10 each the task Of writing AIN essay on
some given theme. The one will seem to
grasp the subject in all its amplitude and
bearings; his arrangement will be meth
odical and pe%rspicuous. his language will
be correct; the members of his sentences
will be neatly balancedI his periods will
have a due dependence both in sense and
construction; and the entire production
viii be characterized aslhe effort of a
manly vigorous and e l-disciplined mind
Tho other will touch only upon some
detached portions of the subject without
seeming TO comprehend their relation TO
each other aud TO the whole. He will
make no attempt at method or arrange
ment; or if he should, his method will be
iujudicious. and his arrangement c%onfus-
ed. His style will abound in vulgarisms
and grammatical improprit ties; and his
piece win be, throughout, u tumble of
indistinct, feeble aud puerile conceptions.
What is the reason of this diiierencel
WHY is it that til e one is a man both in
bedy and in mind, while in the full grown
body of the other we discover the intel
lcct of the child? The reason is this,
that from the age Of his earliest boyhood
the one has devoted himself to the read
ing Constructive books, while the other has
barely learned how to read, but has never
applied this attainment to acquisition OF
useful knowledge. The shelves Of his
fathers bookcase were but s~cantily furn.
ished, and the few books to which he
had access were not properly adapted to
the juvenile understanding.
Let us follow these two individuals IN
after life. Tho one becomes the squire
of HIS neighborhood, the judge of the
county court, a representative III the le-
gislature or in congress, or perhaps the
governor Of tho state. The other may
fill q sphere of honest usefulness, but no
halo OF renown can everencircIe his brow
| have often been surprised at the a
mount Of diyersified information possessed
by persons who had never had an oppor-
tumty Of learning at school anything be-
sides the arts Of reading, writing and ci-
pheriug. But they had enjoyed the
advantage Of being able to resort to some
well stored library. In fact the most nse
full kind Of learning is that acquired by
general reading, and for tho acquisition
of which you need 10 other masters thar
good authors. Washington received NJ
education at school beyond what eve
under our present system, is within the
reach Of every farmers son. But. as al
evidence that Washington was a diligenI
reader, it may be remarked that, in the
correctness of his style, he isnot surpass
cd by writer's of the highest classical at
tainments.
No multiplication of schools, even o
tho highest grade, without a correspon
ding multiplication Of libraries. woul,
avail TO furnish the rising generation will
the means of a good education, orto form
IN intelligent aud enlightened communi
~. On the other hand, il every neigh
borliood were provided with IA good Ii
brary, scarcely any degree of destiiutiol
as to schools could prevent a very higl
degree Of intelligence from prevailing
throughout the land. But If good libra
ries were established good schools woult
be their i%nseperable concomitants.
The want of books is manifested il
the deplorable lack of general informa
ton among the youth of the West. Lee
a stra uger mingle in the social parties o.
our young people, aad it will not be ne.
cessary to apprize him that scarcely any
thing, either public or private deserving
the name Of u library, exists among u.s.
He will perceive that their conversation
is chiefly limited to the vows and tattlo
Of the neighborhood, Or consists in silly
jesting. Ii there happen to be u few in
the company, capable Of sensible aud in
tellIgcnt remarks, they arc obliged to
chime in with the majority. Ia truth,
you can hardly get together, either in
town OF country, a circle OF young per-
sons. however select; in which it would
be safe TO venture upon q topic that re-
CURED for its discussion the least %acquain-
lance with books.
Now in New England tho case is very
different. Here almost every village
aud neighborhood has its circulating H.
brary. And what is the result Why
tho very factory girls are quite as intel.
llgent, accomplished aud gentoel as
young ladies' elsewhere who have been
placed for several years at the expensive
and fashionable boarding schools. The
girls of the Lowell factories have ostab,
lisbed a literary periodical, tho articles
ct which are furnished by contributions
from their own pens. How many young
ladies', scminaries Of the average quality
would It be necessary 80 combine before
aSniiciont aggregate Of intelligence could
DO obtained TO construct u similar enter.
prizei 4.
WEST R%usmwLLE, ONO, August 9, 1917
Ma. EDIToR-The Editors of the OH,
Eagle. in last weeks paper, corrected
the statements which thoy publishe,
against tho sermon which | delivered o.
war, on the llth Of July, and in their re
marks ontory ministers and tory sermons
were very careful to except me aud my sermon
and | feel very thankful tothem forevo
small fayors. But their correction, aite
all. is not worth much, for in the yer
commencement oftheir. Editorial again,
ministers aud their "peaco sermons" a
a.. ~ - 4 .