The Cairo evening bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1868-1870, 1868-12-29
hooks.

Power In itself Is neither good nor
bad. 1t works for good or evil accord
ing TO its use. II is an instrument and its
effect is determined by the moral state and
aim of him who wields it, The knife, so
necessary a tool to the honest shoemaker,
becomes a murdcrous implement in the as
saSsn's hand.
II may well be doubted whether the power
TO read land by this mean not simply the
power 10 call words from the printed page,
but the ability To drink in and appropriate
the thoughts and sentiments of the writer,
1t may well he doubted, | say, whether this
power has, on the whole, been blessing or
Il curse TO mankind When one remembers
what mass of printed matter, poisonous,
corrupting, devilsh, floods the land, and
find readers and lovers, h. may well doubt,
and eNclaim with the apostle, WHO shall
deliver u from the body of this death :"
Some of il Is So vile that il shuns the light,
and skulkS in noo.s. aud corners, and by-
ways, and works is deadly results I'm the
dark-nonc the less deadly, however for
that But when one sees, as he may in any
respectable uews-room or bookstore the
. 'los of trash like the New York Ledger.
Bcadlc's Dime Novels, etc, which crowd
the counters and shelves, and ob, the
hrong of buyerS--many of whom are hsrdl,
in their tcens-that eagerly purchase the
stun, lac may well query whether the time
will not come when TO sell such poison will
notbe esteemed, as it ought 10 be- no better
than the keeping of retail grog shop, and
pray that Providence may speedily send us n
Maine law " that shall prohibit this cor.
rupting traffic also
Why will human beings with minds ca.
pable of better things, turn aside To feed upon
such garbage when the wise and good and
entertaining ofall time are waiting between
the covers of books 20 bear them company
The sacred writers; Homer and the grand
old poets; historians, the most learned and
the most eloquent; philosophers, Aristotle.
Bacon, and the rest essayists, like Macau.
lay; noyelists, like Dickens, Thackeray,
Irving, and host more; poets Of nature.
like Hugh Miller; genial companions, like
the Country Parson !" broad humorists
like Tom Hood and Holmes, and a multitude
OF Others, more than | can mention, only
walt our invitation TO take n chair beside us
and To pour their richest and most elaborate
thoughts and conceptions into our willing
minds. How modestly they come, equally
willing to speak or to he silent. as we bid
them Who can De loney-who can find
time hang heavy on his hands-who can
seek for pdstinses, amid such "goodly com
panys" And shall We turn from them TO |
follow fools, mouD,cbanks, and "jack-o'. |
lanterns:" or shall we so cram ourselves with |
their wise witty and genial sayings, that we |
have no time or power left to digest and ap
propriate themY For good book benefits
us no more by what It tells us than by what
Il lads us to think for ourselves. Beware |
!ae man of one book" says the proverb. A
little at time from the rich stores of litera-
lure, thoroughly digested and assimilated, 30
prepares one that his opponent may well be-
ware, Let me urge upon you to have open
ears and open minds for the noble ones who
being dead, yet speak"