The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-03-01
GOSSIP with our Readers.

There are many good men and wo.
men in the world who never let pass an
occasion TO decry novel reading with
out taking advantage of ii. They look
upon light literature as perniciOus, and
persistence in reading ii as eventually
certain to produce disastrous results.
That many at least, of these persons
are earnest in their belief and sincerely
desirou5 of the good of their fellow crea-
lures it would be folly to deny, but
their views are narrow and evidence
contracted or bigoted mind which either
cannot or will not accept truthful and
moral lessons save when presented
through the medium of such books as
they consider Of the proper character.
Truth and honor are the same whether
depicted in the bright, sparkling, witty
pages of romance, or in the more
sombre teachings of the moral esSayist.
There are seasons for all things, and
books suited to those seasons, aud al
though the writings of the great and
good should always receive the careful
and studous attention which they
merit, it is an error to suppose that
there IS not much to be learned from
the lighter prod uctions of the novelist.
There are books and books, and it is not
| to be understood that all novels are
worthy of being read or even skinned.
Trashy works abound, which neither
faithfully portray character nor point
a moral, "but there are also hundreds of
books which do both, and most charm
ingly too. The lessons of real value
which are taught under cover Of satire,
or humor or soornful contempt, often
leave more lasting impression on the
mind, than when the samepre presented
in unadOrned nakednes5 in heavier lit
erature. 1t is well known that the Wri.
tings Of modern nOVelists have brought
about reform of existing abuses which
the efforts of philanthrOpists and legis-
lators had failed to produce. a judi
ciou5 selection from the works of wri-
ters who use correct English, who pOr-
tray noble and pure men and women
aud who use their stories to subServe
|, good ends, in satirising abuses, in ridi.
cuing fOllies, or in presenting for our
; admiration the noble, the manly and the
true will certainly benefit the reader
: both mentally andmorally. In this day
of book making, young people should
not be permitted to wander unguidec
through the maz2s of sensa tional liter
: ature, where the grains of wheat are
} the records of most circulating librarie:
| would seem to indicate that such license
5 is permitted. The volumes which bea
, marks of most use are not of the clas
l which are worthy of reading and re
e membering but are the frOthy, ephem
eral productions of the day, badly print
+ ed, full of sOlecisms, grammatical ef'
e rOrs and auachronisms, calculated t(
5 mislead and tending to destroy tina
correctness Of language which it shoul,
be the aim of youth 10 acquire. Thes'
sensational stories are not worthy of tn
name of novels, and it is from the read
i ing Of such unmitigated trash that eVi
i comes, and not from the writings q
I Nwol, % Iohrson Scott Tbocleray
4 nictons and others of their kinds
n rbo world owes much to such mon
t ondit il rnf,ir to condemn novel rea(
# inc, hoc,nsn thora ara those who writ
IS nnitber connreborIinc tba dutjes nc
@ rosnnnsihiIitios If antborsbin. "a
h r,or,- ond NO ,Ia, nal,n. Jacl, q an
:. ho,,,1 ond all so,iI roodino rronlivene
9 hy wit bun,or or fancy would max
l. tho noor hnv q duII one indeed.
IS Tbo roct is that tho readine Of suc
?. hrjlIi,rt hooks as constitute a sort
e Unodorn cIassics ), and which hay
~ thnir rI,oo IN oror, VOL aunointe