Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-05-28
Reading Bad Books.

Heading seems to be part of the business
OF life; everybody reads; not only the business
man In his countlng-room, but the workman at
home; the carman, or hackman, on his stand
people absorb much, both bad and good.
There may be such thing as too much read
ing and an hour spent in circulating library
would tempt one to think so. For instance, one
man says: Il have from two to three thousand
subscribers, and for many of them the novels
do not come out fast enough. We have at least,
two week, and they read all the old books they
can get, and devour the new Ones
You see them come in-young girls, pale and
slckly women In middle life, who ought to have
the work OF life to do; old women, who should
nave come to more serious things; all crying out
Tor something new, something exciting" And
on Saturday, two books Alas is this the way
In which the Sabbath is to be spent?
Such reading IS dissipation, and the appetite
grows by that it feeds on like that for any stim-
ulant, opium, tobacco, or something stronger
Habits are easily formed, and stimuant are hard
taskmasters | looked at some of these readers,
young girls, who wanted hardy, vigorous exer-
else. and who should have been helpers to a
hard-worked mother at home; married women,
who neglected daily duties and sighted daily
cares for this hurtful indulgence men. who
ought to have something better to do and older
people, whose time and whose example and
wisdom were wanted for the work of life
Dr hay traces many cases of insanity to this
pernlclous reading; the unnatural and undue
excitement OF the imagination of the passions
the weakening of the mind, and also the body,
by the hours of weak, sefindulgent Incidence.
Suppose we are careful as to our companions
and yet careless as to our books With certain
persons we would not associate !; we should fear
their influence upon US; but with the same per-
sons. IN hooks cpnp1 bourc ooJ Jora
think it no harm. They are true to nature"
are they? SO much the worse; the more nat
ural the more dangerous. You read the record
and the oaths OF profane man your thoughts
take the same tone, and an oath is much nearer
your lips You read of the daily and hourly
dram drinking of some of Dickens men, for
instance; and brandy and water or a rum punch,
become very familiar and innosent drinks YOU
read OF those whose words verge on impurity,
and your own thoughts are stained.
Should we never read these things? Nav. I
do not decide. But if we make these people
our associates, we shall surely be influenced by
them. Some men, good men, go to den of
evil to look on and see for themselves what the
evil IS. But if they should sit down with those
men, drink of their drink, smoke their cigars.
breathe their atmosphere and handle their cards,
they would not come out pure from the contact.
LIZ IS question whether it is wise for young
people to associate with those in books whom
they could not associate with in daily life
whether parents should trust their children with
those in books whose influence, as living men
and women, they would shun, for their children.
as communicating. This might limit our read.
ing somewhat; but there are books enough, and
fewer books better read would be much more
profitableI,nay, in the end, pleasanter, for the
mind would grow.
Let us look to it, and neither be afraid of be-
ing strait laced, " or too particular, but decided
whether 1t is not better and safer to choose our
books as we choose our companions The net
1na5 was cast into the, sea gathered of every
kind, but he who caught them did not eat them
all; some he kept and threw the bad away
Observer.