Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-04-26

on tuesday evening; anu, OF course, ~ m"'' w
meagre. We design giving other matters OF IN
terest. which may come tomorrow "wednesday
evening, in another column.
Is NOVEL READING INJURIOUss
The reading of novels is very common, es-
pecially with the young; the supply of them in
books, magazines and newspapers, is almost
boundless and the character of the age, both
intellectual and moral, is largely Influenced and
modified by light literature. For these reasons
there is no question of every day life turning up
and being discussed constantly in the homes Of
our country, of more vital Importance than the
one that heads this ARTICLES novel reading 'n-
jurtous9 If 80, the evil is enormous, from its
prevalence, and from its fxedness in the public
mind and habit. If not-ifit is actually good for
the mind, good for our homes, good for society
it is great good, for the same reasons. Hence
that is from the prevalence of novel reading,
and the extensive influence it is e1erting on the
age-hence the Importance of having clear ideas
on the subject, and q reason for the faith that
! may be in us.
We have said that the young, especially, read
romance, and when they do not surfeit the mind
with them, they are peculiarly benefited; be.
cause this kind of reading is eminensly adapted
to the state of the intellect and affections at that
period of life. 1t may be termed the milk Of
the mind, which the young desire; which they
need which nourishes them into vigorous
manhood of the intellect, capable of digesting
and assimilating truth in an abstractform, which
is the higher form, but so much the more difficult
of digestion. "The truth Of fiction" says one,
"is to give us true picture of life" 1t pre-
sents to US the truth of human nature and soci-
ETY. as it were in mirror; and as children and
rude people are fond of seeing themselves in
glass, so fiction pertains to the young and to the
infancy of society.
1t is no worse to raise child without its moth
er's milk, than to rear it without romance of
some kind or other. The ghost stories of the
nursery, the wonderful fairy and giant tales of
our first reading, and the initiative plays of early
childhood act on the mind like the sun does on
the bud, making it open and expand. 1t must
be remembered here, that most children can
learn but very little in any other way; and it is
ell the better if the child begins to know with
the first breath it draws. BLA1zE PASCAL was,
indeed, mathmetician at five or six years old;
and there are few other similar cases men,
btioned in history; but they were natural won
ders of reason that came single and alone to
the world
Fair as q star when only one
Is shining In the sky"
The fact is, the greater number of people,
young and old, either from the natural weakness
of their minds, or from the want of education,
are incapable of truth, abstractly presented, to
any great extent; and must have something to
fill the mind, besides the ordinary business of
common life, which, being mere routine, must
be varied with other and new thoughts, or the
mind becomes asrigid and fixed in its operations
as machine. To these, by far the greaterpor-
ton of society, the newspaper with its anec-
dotes, good jokes, sketches aud romances, among
other things, is almost invaluable, because it
fills and entertains, while it instructs and
strengthens the mind.
1t has been urged against novel reading, that
it renders the mind weak and dissipated: and
creates fanciful and Utopian views of life and
society Nothing could be more whimsical and
unsubstantial than these notions. Every bles.
sing from the haad of our Creator may be
abused, and it is the abuse of reading itself,
and not of novel reading, that is attended with
these objections. If man never thinks for
himself he will never have any thing but fanci-
full views and a dissipated mind, though he
should read only LOCKE, BACON, and the pro-
fouudest and dryest PHILOSOPHERS. And the
sickly boarding school miss, or the college
lounger, or any other person, who does nothing
else except read works of fiction, will soon be
living in world altogether imaginary, and as
far behind the times as RIP VAN WINKLE was
after his twenty years sleep. But an occasional
novel, read not only for the entertainment of the
narrative, but for the broad and comprehensive
views inculcated of what society is or should
be, and for the models of human goodness present
ed for our love and imitation, will enlarge any
mind, unhinge its powers, give greater freedom
of action and command over itself, and enable
it to accomplish more and more worthily. Hence
the finest scholars of every age, no matter how
serious and fact-ful their occupation, have de-
lighted in, and some of them occasionally pro-
duced, MASTERPIECES of fiction.
Romance is one of the most entertaining modes
of communicating knowledge PARALLELS are
used in the bible to render it both more easily
understood, and more attractive to the unletter-
ed poor, to whom the gospel is specially sent.
The young frequently begin to read this kind of
literature, and from the pleasure it gives, con
tinue until habit of reading is formed, which
will make them scholars in the end. A good
novel cheers home, adorns the freside, seasons
and stimulates conversation elicits high thoughts
and feelings, and through the influence of its
characters, sheds an JUNCTION and refinement into
the family circle. To sum up all in word, the
term, light literature, best expresses the nature,
Office and usefulness Of the novel. 1t is the
nourishment of the young the recreation of ma.
ture intellectual laborers; the entertainment of
the sick, the aged and infrm and the variety
peedful in the mental feasts of ALL And the
mind that is never fed with anything of the sort,
becomes narrow and contracted by the inevita
BILE laws of its own nature.
MERE-MENTION.
Among the speakers at the Senior Exhibition
of Erskine College, on the 5th April, we notice
the name of our young friend, Mr.. j. NJ. Nc