The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1860-02-08


miliar, instead of reverting TO any theme
embracing utility or manly thought.
But we arc not of the opinion that
strict, prohibitory law, on the part of the
parent, binding the child under severe
penalty not TO touch novel, would BIO
judicious. For children possess minds in
which curiosity is a very prominent fea-
ture, and they will seek, by every means
that comes within their reach, to crafty
that curiosity. And when tho parent
makes law that no novels shall be read
in the family, because of their hurtful
tendency, the loose morality taught by
the great majority of them, there is not
member of that family of sufficient age
to understand what he reads, and has
formed taste for reading, who does not
at once experience longing and irrepress
ible desire TO see vhat there is within
these yellow-covered leaves that will prove
so hurtful to his or her morals upon be-
coming acquainted with its language. So
that if parent should not enact too Sc
we're regulations respecting the reading in
the family Of novels or novelties, but
permit, now and then, one TO find its way
to the center table, of the least exception
able nature, and while he does not en-
courage, permit its perusal, and then ex
plain the evil tendency of a contracted
taste for such kind of reading, and its ut
ter inadaptation to form proper principles
and give the ght bent to the mind, and
how much more useful historical, bio
graphical and scientific reading would be,
a suniciency of such kind of reading
would soon have been had 10 crafty GU
riosity, and each member of the family
would be prepared to enter upon course
Of reading at once wholesome and well
adapted to give proper food to the mind
and mould the character.
II is with reading much as it is with
the amusements of the day. Many pa
rents opposed to circuses, theatres, balls,
&C., from their evil tendency, strictly for
bid theirchildren from attending the same,
and state to them as reason that they
are very bad places for them to visit. The
curiosity of the child to know for itself
in what the evil consists is fully aroused,
and it has an Unsuitable desire to see
what is done at those places. Now, we
conceive it perfectly right that the child,
in company with the parent or some ju-
dicious person, should be permitted once,
at least, TO visit tho circus, the theatre
and tho ball room, and then, their evil
tendency pointed out properly, and by the
substitution of other amusements of an
exciting but innocent nature, taste for
those more pernicious ones will soon cease
to exist.
1t is said of the Lacedemonians that,
in order to teach their children the evils
of intemperance, it was their custom to
bring into their presence drunken man,
and let them see for themselves tho effect
of habit so detestable, that by observ.
ing the disgusting, ragged, filthy object
before them, and hearing the vulgar
senseless, and it may be profane language
of tho poor inebriate, with their own ears
they might conceive such dislike and
disgust of the man so besotten as to firm
ly resolve in their own minds never tC
touch a drop of any thing that would
have tendency to produce in their CASE
a similar result, and many thereby, by
the simple fact of having their curiosity
satisfied, at the outset, were saved from
the drunkard's fate.
So of the reading of pernicious books
If the proper course is taken with thu
young, very little will suffice, but that lii
tie may be absolutely necessary. There
is one course that the parent may adop
that will have tendency to ensure to hi
child proper taste for reading, and tha
is, to be careful and place in his or he
way suitable books for perusal, and when
ever book is purchased, let it be of thu
right character, and when one is read prop
orly, let another be placed in its stead
And in the selection of our public libra
ries, district and township, the creates
care should be exercised to procure book
of the right stamp for the young, enter
toinino, biooraphies. histories, description