The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1859-03-30
The Duty of Owning Books.
M HENRY WARD BEecHER.

iho DutI VI UNHih6 DuuhS.
nT HENRY WARD BEEcHER.
We form judgments of men from little
things about their houses, of which the
owner, perhaps, never thinks In earlier
years, when travelling in the West, where
taverns were either scarce, or, in other pla
ces, unknown, and every settlers house
was house of Entertainment" it was a
matter OF some importance and some ex-
perience to select Wisely where you would
put up And we always looked for flowers.
If there were no trees for shade, no patch
of flowers in the yard, We we're suspicious
of the place. But, no matter how rude the
cabin, or rough the surroundings, if we saw
that the window held little trough for fow
ers, and that some vines twined about
strings lei down from the caves, we were
confident that there was some taste and
careiulness in the .og cabin. In a new
country, where people have 10 tug for liv-
ing, no one will take the trouble 10 rear
flowers, unless the love of them is pretty
strong-and this taste blossoming out OF
plain and upcultivated people is, itself, like
clump OF hare bells growing ou. OF the
seams of rock. We were seldom misled.
A patch Of flowers came TO signify kind
people, clean beds and good bread.
But, other signs are more significant in
other states of society. Flowers about a
rich mans house may signify only that he
has good gardener, or that ne has refined
neighbors, and does what he sees them do.
But men are not accustomed TO buy books
unless they want them. If, on visiting the
dwelling OF man Of slender means, | find
the reason why he has cheap carpet, and
very plain furniture, TO be that he may pur-
chase books, he rises at once in my esteem.
Books are not made for furniture, but there
is nothing else that SO beautifully furnishes
house The plainest row of books that
cloth or paner ever covered is more signifi.
cant Of refinement than the most elaborate.
ly carved etagere, or side board.
Give me house furnished with books
rather than furniture! Both, if. You can,
but books at any rate! To spend several
days in friends house, and hunger for
something TO read, while you are treading
upon costly carpet. and sitting upon luxu.
rious chairs, and sleeping upon down, is
as if one were brbing your body for the
sake of cheating your mind.
Is it not pitiable TO see a man growing
rich, and beginning to augment the comforts
OF home, and lavshing money on ostenta-
tious upholstery, upon the table, upon every
thing but what the soul needs?
We know OF many and many rich mans
house where it would not be sale to ask for
the commonest English classics. A few
garish ANIMALS on the table, few pictorial
monslrosities. together with the stock of re-.
ligious books OF his "persuasion, and that
is all! No range of poets, no essayisls, no
selection Of historians, no travels or biogra-
phies-no select fictions or curious Legend
ary iore but then, the walls have paper OIL
which cost three dollars roll, and the
floors have carpe that cost four dollars a
yard Books are the windows through
which the soul looks out. A house without
books is like room without windows No
man has right TO bring up his children
without surrounding them with books, if he
has the means to buy them. 1t is a wrong
10 his family. He cheats them! Children
learn 10 read by being in the presence of
books. The love OF knowledge comes with
reading. and grows upon it. And the love
OF knowledge, in young mind is almost a
warrant against the inferior excitement OF
passions and vices.
Let us pity those poor rich men who live
barrenly in great bookless houses. Let us
! congratulate the poor that, in our day, books
are so cheap that man may every year
| add hundred volumes 10 his library for
the price of what his tobacco and beer
would cost him. Among The earliest amb-
tions 10 be excited in clerks, workmen,
jonrneymen, and, indeed among all that are
struggling up in life from nothing TO some-
thing, is that of owning, ard constantly
adding 10, library Of good books. A little
library growing larger every year is an hon
orable part of young mans history. 1t is
a mans duty 10 have books. Albrary is
not luxury, but one Of the necessaries of
life.