Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-12-21
Hints ON Reading

y
you second Methuseleh YOU could not
read all that is printed. Select the best
the wheat-and leave the chaff.
Let sensational literature alone. You
may think it does no harm. Does it
make you wiser or better? That is the
test. Your time is lost if your reading
does not benefit you in some way.
II want to read some for amuse-
ment, Is the excuse boys and girls fire.
quently make when reproved ior,read-
ing dime-novels and similar stories
Amusements are to divert people from
thought and care, to refresh and rest
them in manner. that will renew
their strength and vi. or for work. AZ
ter reading the impossible Adventures
of Kenisto, the Scalper of the Plain, or
of Blanch, the Lily of the Dungeon,
can you become interested ir History
and your Grammar lesson as readily as
before? The exciting trash spoils your
taste for study and your interest in real
life and work, just as intoxicating iiq-
uors make the drinker lose his relish
for pure cold water. -a7> v-.ts.s, -1
Avoid stories or histories of pirates,
highwaymen, burglars, and muderers-
You do not want to become pirate or
robber; spend your time to better pur-
pose than learning how TO be one. You
can not read such books without losing
some of your purity, any more than You
can crawl into dirty eoal-bin and
come out clean. esfa..i q
Have a variety in your reading.
Read history, travels, science, poetry,
and some fiction; but be sure to read
the very best within your reach. There
is no use in spending your time over
worthless books full of errors and silli-
ness. Ask your teachers and ministers
to help you to select standing works.
If you do not like solid reading and
poetry, read just little each day and
think about it, and you viii soon be
interested.
Our wisest teachers tell US that every
one ought to be well acquainted with
three works; the Bible, a good history
of our country, and Shakespeare. To
these / would add good work on how
to preserve health.
Read the newspapers. We are max
ing history. Know what is going on
in Europe, what Congress and your
State Legislature do. Remember the
occurrences of each year; who is PreSi-
dent, and who is Governor; the acts Of
prominent men;what atkingsdieO or are de-
posed; what wars are declared; the bat
tiles, generals, causes, motives, and re-
suits of those wars; what discoveries
and improvements are made. File all
these things away in your memory,
and when you are fifty you will know
the history of your times-a most vaiu-
BILE knowledge. Cssg
=, II nj.
reading. Try to know what you want
to read, what you need to read. Boys
and girls frequently ask for something
good to read without caring what it is
or knowing what they want. That is
a little better than no reading. Learn
10 trace subject. John sees Napoleon
Bonaparte frequently referred to in the
articles upon European affairs, and he
wants to know more about that famous
Emperor. He reads the Life of NapO-
leon 1. and becomes interested in the
French Revolution, and he reads his
tory Of that, which leads to a history of
Bourbon kings, and finally to the COM
plete history France. That Is sociose-
~ connected with the history of other
nations that John is soon interested in
and reading the history of Europe.
Mary, while trimming her winter
hat, inquiries about ostrich plumes.
send her to the encyclopedia, and the
article on the ostrich causes her to turn
to the one on Africa, and she comes to
me full of questions concerning that
wonderful country. 1 give her DIR.
Liyingstone's works and Captain
Speke's they suggest other books, and
in few. months Mary is we'll acquaint-
ed with Africa. ~ q
One of the best methods of forming a
course of reading is 10 choose subject
you,are interested in and trace 1t thor
oughly. ,,.,I.j
Read understandingly. Try your
utmost to learn the meaning Of every.
allusion, historical or otherwise. Read
with dictionary and geographical at
las for companions. Know the mean
ing of every word and the location of
every place mentioned.
Lord Bacon says: "Some books are
TO be tasted, others to be swallowed,
and some few to be chewed and digest
ed" Taste first, look at the index,
read a little here and there, to see if the
book is worth digesting. Swallow
books of amusement and recreation,
but chew and digest books of informa-
tion. At the end of one or two pages,
think over what you have read, see
what it means. At the close of the ar
ticle, chapter or book, look it over,
gather the substance, fasten it in your
mind, make it your own. Read slow.
ly, thoughtfully and daily.-Heartk
and Home,