The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-29


hymn. portion of the Scriptures was then
read, and prayer offered by p B. Simons, ESQ,
President. After the singing of another bymn,
aud the reading of the minutes of the previous
meeting, which were adopted, Rev. j. b. Dob
BINS, OF Camden, was introduced and read an
essay entitled Books and Reading" the sub
stance OF which was as follows:-
ESSAY BY REV. J. b. DoBBINs.
The influence of books is a remarkable fact In
the history OF man, and IL may be questioned
whether any single class of agencies has inhu-
enced the destines of the world to o greater, If
to an equal extent Their career Is silent and
unostentatious, but has everywhere produced
the most wonderful results. "The works OF
Homer" says a standard aathor, "the Tliad
and odyssey, ,'ate supposed by some to have done
great injury to mankind by inspiring love OF
military glory" Alexander was said to sleep
with them always on his pillow. C@sqrs ambi-
tion was greatly stimulated by the "History OF
Alexander "When he was reading this his
tory" says Plutarch, "he was so much affected
at last burst out with tears" As his friends
were wondering what might be the
reason, he said, "Do you not think
| have sufficient cause for concern, when
Alexander, at my age, reigned over so many
conquered countries, and have not one glorious
achievement to boastW Aud Immediately on his
arrival in Spain he applied himself with great
diligence to business, and having added ten new
raised cohorts to the twenty he received there
he marched against the Callacrians and Lusita-
mans, defeated them, and penetrated to the ocean,
reducing nations by the way, that had not felt
the Roman yoke.w Voltaire tells us that until
near the close of hls life Charles XII, of Sweden
had read nothing but Caesars Commentaries
and the "HistOry of Alexander" Scott says
that Plutarch (whose principal heroes are
Alexander Caesar, and other military chieftans)
was NapoleOn's tavOrite author, upon the study
OF whom he had so modelled his opinions and
habits of thoughts, that Paoli afterward
pronounced hlm young man of an antique
cast, resembling one of the classical heroes.
SO welded. indeed he to this nook that he
used constantly to carry it with him, richly
encased, and was In the habit of placing It, with
his sword, under his pillow. 1t may, indeed, be
too much to assume that the examples of those
men, as preserved in history are the sources of
the great revolutions of modern Europe, or all
| the waste OF life and treasure resulting from
the brilliant but bloody and desolatng careers
| OF Charles XII and Napoleon /; but facts would
! seem to Justify the conviction that they had
| very much to do with these results. Nicholas
! Lyra-Angltce, Harper-about A. d, 1900,
! wrote short comments on the whole Bible,
which are allowed 10 be very judicious,
! and in which he reprehends many of the reign
/ ing abuses OF POpery 1t is supposed (says DR..
! Adam Clarke) that from these Martin Luther
! borrowed much OF the light which brought
about the Reformation. Hence 1t has been
! said, "lt Lyrd had not Hd9ped on PROCLAMATION,
! Luther had not planned the Reformation" 1t
was the light which streamed forth from the
| Bible, thus opened to the mind OF German
| monk, which startled benighted Europe, and
broke the chain of that system of degrading
| superstition by which the people had been
! ensiaved through long night of unbroken
! darkness, and enfranchised the nations.
About two hundred years ago. a plain but
| earnest minister, in country town of England
| wrote little book of not more than one
| hundred pages, and of no literary pretensions
Some threeiourths of a century afterwards
| this little book kndled the flame of RELIGIOUS
zeal in the heart and life of Philip Doddridge,
and resulted in the writing of another book
on the same general subject. which was the
means of the conversion of that embodiment
of all that is pure and elevated in our com
man humanity, William Wllberforce, who in
his turn produced book which was the instru-
ment OF awakening Leigh Richmond, who,
under the influence of this change, wrote his
'Dairyman's Daughter" which mas multiplied
into millions OF copies. and is printed in many
languages, and has been ins rumental in hun
dreds of conversions; and to-day. not only in
the chief countries and languages of Christen-
dom, but in far.of "seagirt islands,"
may be found men offering prayer
and praise to the Christians God in strange
dialects, whose conversion is the direct though
distant result of the little book written by
Richard Baxter some two hundred years ago.
1T is the glory OF our age that it inherits the
intellectual treasures of all the preceding ages.
The great names of other times have all con-
tnbuted by their genius to enrich and elevate
as. We hive, as it were, in the very focus of the
intellectual rays of all the ages of the past. The
intellect and industry of those ages have ran
sacked the creation to lay its treasures at our
feet, and the inventive genius and tireless
activity of the present age have united the IN
Vulnerable rays of the far.streamng glory in
the mental soil of this, more fully than
that of any other country. The eX-
traordinary facilities for acquiring infor-
nation which we enjoy, associate with them
corresponding obligations for their improve
ment. Where ignorance is unavoidable, it may
be excused; but where it results from ideness
or indifference, it Is a disgrace, That young
man can know little Of the dignity and Hnde-
veloped grandeur of his Intellectual faculties
who is Indifferent about their cultivation. He
must be utterly ignorant of the majesty of that
| seTaph within him, who would shut himself up in
! the darkness OF utter ignorance or be willing to
! BIND himself down In debasing servitude to low
and sensual pursuits. But amidst the rich luXuri-
| ance of these intellectual topics, where
| everything that can nourish and beauufy
our spiritual nature is scattered around
is much that is not only injurious, but much
! also which is fatally poisonous. II is OF the
utmost consequence, therefore, that in making
| selection we should take counsel of the wise
| and experienced. There is a class of writer's
| the fountain of whose genius seems 10 have been
| poisoned; and while the sparkling stream is
beautiful and attractive, it also carries with it
the fatal Ut1S,s. To these individuals, the
pretty fable by which the Duchess of Orleans
illustrates the character OF her son, might with
| little change, be applied. "Al the fairies says
the table, Save one had been hidden to his
| cradle. Ali the gossips had been profuse
| in their gifts. One had bestowed nobility. an
| other genGus, a thTd beauty; the malignant elf
| that had not been invited came last, and, unable
to reverse what her sisters had done tor their
| favOrite mixed UP a curse with every blessing.
| So the genius, nobility, and beauty of such men
as Byron. Shelley, Bulwer, Sac, Dickens, etc,
seem mixed with curses. The speaker then
censured Dickens very severely, giving as
| reason for so doing his delight 10 ridicule evan
| eelical religion. He also condemned Sue am
| said he was SURPRISED that such books should
find their way into respectable families. Byron
| also received his snare; MS Don Juan" wai
| condemned as immoral, aud detrimental II
| society," He named these and others as tn,