Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1859-03-24
From the New York Ledger.
The Duty of Owning Books.


BIT HENRY WARD BEEcHER.
We form judgments of men from little
things about their house. of which the own
or, perhaps, never thinks. In earlier
years. when travelling in the West, where
isaverns were either scarce, or In some pla-
ces unknown, and every settlers house was
house of entertainment, it was mat
ter of some importance and sone expert
ence 10 select wisely where you would put
up. And we always looked for flowers
II there were no trees for shade; no patch
of flowers in the yard. we were suspicious
of the place. But no matter how rude the
cabin. ii we saw the window held little
trough for flowers, and some vines twincd
around the strings let down from the caves
we were confident that there was some
taste and carefulness in the log cabin. In
new country. where people have to tug
for living, no one will take the trouble
to rear flowers, unless the love OF them is
pretty strong-and this taste blossoming
out of plain uncultivated people is, itself,
like clump of hare-bells growing out of
the seams of rocks, We were seldom
misled. patch of flowers came to signi-
fy kind people. clean beds and good bread.
Hut men are not accustomed TO buy
books unless they want them If. on ris-
ting the dwelling of q man Of slender
means, find the reason Wy he has cheap
carpets and very plain furniture, to he that
ne may purchase 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 plain
est row of books that cloth or paper ever
covered, IS more significant of refinement
than the most elaborate carved etagere or
sids-board.
Give me house furnished with books
rather than furniture! Both. if you can,
books at any rate! To spend several days
IN friends house. and hunger for some
thing to read. while you are treading on
costly carpets and sitting upon luxurious
chairs and sleeping upon down, is as if Won
were bribing your body for the sake of
cheating your mind.
b 1t not pitiable to see a man growing
rich, and beginning to augment the COM
forts Of home, and lavishing money on os-
fentatlous upholstery, upon the table, upon
everything but what the soul needs.
We know of many and many rich
msn's house, where it would not be safe
70 ask for the commonest English classics.
A few garish ANNALS on the table, a few :
pictorial monstrositiss. together with the
stock Of religions books of his '.persua-
slon. and that is all! No range of poets,
no essayists. no selection of historians, 8
travels or biographies-no select fctions
DR. curious legendary lore; but then, the
walls have paper on. which cost three dol
ars roll, and the floors have carpets that
cost four dollars yard! Books are the P
windows through which the soul looks Y
but. A house without books is like a p
'oom without windows. No man has a c
light to bring up his children without sur b.
ounding them with books, if be has the K
means to buy Them 1t is wrong to his
smily. He cheats theml Children learn
o real by being in the presence of books. A
me love OF knowledge comes with reading.
nd grows upon it. And the love of
knowledge IN young mind. is also a war
ant against the inferior excitement of pas
ions and vices. r.
Let US pity those poor rich men who live
arreniy IN great bookless houses! Let MS
congratulate the poor that, in our dav,
ooks are so cheap that q man may every 8
ear add hundred volumes to his library =
Or the price that his tobacco and beer
.ouid cost him. Among the earliest am
itlons to be excited in clerks, wcrkmen.
'urneymen and indeed. among all that are
truggiing up from nothing to something.
that OF owning and constantly adding to
library OF good books. A little library
rowing larger every year is an honorable P
art OF q young mans history. 1t is
ans duty to have books. A library is
d luxury, but ode Of the necessaries of Bro
fe. y