The New York herald., 1871-12-11
CHURCH OF oUR SAVIOUR.

Evil Literature-Books To He Read and
30 ks Not 10 BE Realistically Ideals Of
impossible G0odness-Rcad for Reality
Sermon by Rev. MIR. Pullman.
At the Universalist church, ON Thirty NTH street.
between Fifth ami Sixth avenues, the Rev.
Mr.. Pullman yesterday evening delivered sensi-
BILE address on the spirit which should
guide one In the selection OF books. The
reverend gentleman chose his text from Eccle.
slastes Kill, 12-"Of the making of books there Is
end.n He looked into our national literature and
asked himself the question, what were the WORKS
which not only man should read, but sucn as we
would take into our homes and give our children
to read' The amusement OF reading is as right as
II is natural and he would lay down the rule tnat
books only should be read when treat OF facts or
have some object Of conviction In them. There was
IN Old saying, "Beware Of
THE MAN WITH ONE BOOK"
But he would saw select some book be 1t the
Bible, Shakespeare, Plutarch, Plato or Cicero ana,
whatever II is, master 1t. Almost all great men
have nau one book TO which they recurred through
out their lives. Avoid all books which run into
vague generaizations; they unse,tle the mental
faculties There is class Of writer's more perncious
than this, which, starting from undeniable prem.
ises, runs into theories where no one logically
follow them. The sunday school book, which does
not state TACT or conviction, is only
A
in so far as regards the child who reads them When
tney present US figures OIL juvenile and imr ossibe
goodness which never existed III the heavens
above or the earth beneath, they convey no
lesson TO the child and are merely somebody's
sickly idea Of what goodness sn juii oe. II conveys
the idea tnat virtue IS always rewarded and evil
always punished. Now, The world Is not organized
on any such snap, spontaneous percussion prncl-
pie. Their effect reminds one of tue little boy who
went down 10 the lake
TO SEE Tue OTHER LITTLE D0Ys DROWNED.
who were gong boat sailing on sunday. It Is bet
tQrl N a Mt
than The works winch. with fling here and n sneer
there, tend to sap beliei The Bible has lived be-
cause IL Is a most profound conviction applicable
10 everyday lie. so WIN saakspeare we
lie would turn out IN comedy or drama. But he
SAYS, mo; IL would not be true to iife" aud so 1t
the nattenllyeness with wnich we regard the suo.
Jects withou! desiring to remember tnen leads 10
a loss OF memory. Tne evl OF reading hes
In filing up mind with miniature thoughts
and hall observations, whereas alone should be stu-
died the works OF those who nave ound ine secret Of
nature. Tne evil OF WORKS OF fiction lies In that
they excite feeling winch does not lead to action.
Here Mr.. Pullman read an extract from q Lond0n
newspaper treating OF young ladies suffering from
KIND OF MENTAL DROPsY
brought on by reading three volume novels. As
the unhealthy appetite for novelsIncreased led TO
an utter disregard of quality, quantity alone being
desired. 10 was not uncommon TO ind ladies wno
had read the whole OF Scott, the whole OF 1hackeray,
the whole OF Miss Braddon, and were last
merging INTO imbecllity Mr. Pullman continued IN
Ing ol the whole moral tone. Children should not
be given distasteui books. II you cannot get
actual biographies give them romances where they
NOBLE AND BRAVE IDEAL,
for the child will be what he learns 10 love and
admire. ] recommend biographies. In the lh cs
OF the good ana great OF ast times We mud
the model FOR ourselves. BE brave IN reading
inlerdicled books book AGAINST relipon,
written win conviction win bring lts reaction.
Read those books wnicn have Ilved through ages,
because Ihey nave some iDberent 'rnin IN them "