The Cecil Whig., 1871-07-29

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erature floods the world, and all the worl
reads.
What has come of it all? War, as crue
in all it's features-as relentless and de
structive as history has ever seen. Civi
strife-reckless, vindictive, merciless, bar
barous.
Does this seem to you like heresy? d.
l dare, in this company of scholars, t.
decry the scholars treasures books? No
SO. Books have been my friend and com
panions through many changeful year.
Good friends, that wear always the SAM
kind faces as of old; dear companions
that never desert me and never betray.-
With their good guidance l have spen
many pleasant hour in the company o
the good and great and genial of the days
gone by. Heard Cicero try causes in the
Roman forum and Edmund Burke tear of
the gilded mask of corruption in the British
Senate.
l have tramped with crusader across the
parched desert and up the hill from whose
top Godfrey pointed out to his weary, bat
tie worn host the towers and minarets oil
Jerusalem glowing red with the glory o.
the setting sun, aud heard ringing out Oh
still air their war cry, "Dieu lie veut."
There are books that tell of these things
and such things as these of heroic Deeds
of noble self-denial, of suffering cheerfully
borne for Justices sake, of domestic tolls
and struggles of the wealth and virtue
and endurance that lie hid in humble life.
Books of fact, books of fiction still true
to nature at its best, books that awake gen.
erous emotion, honest sympathy, honest
anger and scorn.
But these books are few compared with
the myriad books of another kind that,
year after year, unfaithful criticism recon-
mends to world which, above all things,
asks to be amused. Sensational books,
mischievous books, lying books, books that
falsify history and pander to faction and
perpetuate hate.
Books that caricature and distort mans
nature, paint only its passions and weak
nesses and it's crimes. Pictures of life,
false, feverish and unreal, where every
color is coarse, glaring and vulgar, where
all motives are base and all events improb-
able, and men and women are described as
weaker, baser and more wicked than the
worst men and women in the worst society
really are.
Were we, in real, actual life, thrown by
mischance into society of people such as
these, we would shun them as we would a
pestilence ; and yet, in books, we cultivate
their acquaintance, make them our init
mate companions, share their confdances
and bewail their sorrow, and bless the
Nineteenth Century, which has given us
cheap literature, and congratulate ourselves
that we live in a reading age. Yet, it is a
reading age, and reads more trash of this
kind than is good for it. 1t reads alto
gether too much and thinks too little.
At home and abroad, ahoat and ashore,
in city and country, on rail-car, steamboat,
stage, you see men, women and children
"poring over miserable books" absorbing
other peoples thoughts and opinions, until
it threatens shortly to come to this, that
from sheer laziness or disuse of the reason
ing faculty, men will altogether cease to
think for themselves, and consent to have
thoughts and opinions furnished to them
ready made at the rate of four cents on
week days and a triflins, additional expen Sc
on Sunday.
Ladies of the graduating class, beware,
of books. Choose them as you would your
living friends-with discrimination and
care. Think twice before you trus. them
and unreservedly adopt their opinions.
Robert Burns says, "Some books are lies
frae eend to eend." Robert Burns lived
and died long ago.
The world has progressed since them
The printing press has greatly improved,
and does ten times the work. Had he
lived in our days he would probably have
extended his remark to newspapers. These
great organs of intelligence, diffusers of
knowledge, manufacturers of public opin-
ion, the priests, prophets and guides of
this enlightened age, are, to speak gently
and with all fitting reserve, not always to
be implicitly relied on. Indeed, think it
can be safely asserted that never in the pal
miest days of ancient civilization did lying
sheer, unmitigated lying-attain to the
position of a fine art SO completely as it
i,,t f,x,
tury of ours. l do not mean to deny to
by-gone days the credit of reasonable
proficiency. They did their best. But
there is now grace and finish of execu-
ton, a completeness in detail, a well -ordered
marshalling of attendant circumstances, a
delicate handling of light and shade, a gen.
eral artistic excellence, in the manner in
which lie is created, concocted and intro
duced to world eager for its reception
that were unknown in less civilized times
and which have redeemed lie from the
category of improprieties, and raised it up
to tho level of scientific achievement.
"Truth crushed to earth shall rise again
The eternal years of God are hers
While error, wounded, writhes with pain,
And dies among her worshippers.
So sings one of Americas truest, poblest,
most harmonious poets. But think he
greatly undertakes the vitality of lie. ]
know of at least dozen venerable, hoary
headed old lies-some centuries old-which
have been detected and crushed to earth q
hundred times, and yet come to life again
as fresh and healthy as ever-that go from
book to book and from mouth to mouth,
turn up in sermon or round period in elo.
quent orations, and always evoke enthusi-
astic applause.
May be pardoned the egotism if say
that I-even 1.-The humblest individual
whom you honor with your attention, have
been twice killed-in newspapers-once
under circumstances of peculiar and aggra.
waited discomfort and horror. have even
read a minute account of how l looked and
conducted myself on the solemn and dis
tressing occasion. l felt very much touched
at the recital, and good deal frightened,
and took the earliest means of retiring
| from a locality where such untoward Incl