The Portland daily press., 1874-03-10
The Moral of Public Library Statistics

this country belong to the department of fic-
ton. The remaining thirty per cent. is shar.
ed by the great departments of history, biog-
raphy, science, philosophy, bellies lettres and
theology. Owing to the judicious care of IL
brary committees the supply of sensational
literature is not equal to the demand or the
disproportion above indicated would be still
greater. The patrons of the libraries, being
generally put on short allowance of Braddon,
Rhoda Broughton, Harland and Southworth.
and compelled to choose between whole
some diet of Dickens, Thackeray, Scott or
Eliot and the 'solid reading" for which they
have no stomach, take only tTo-thirds of
their mental snstenance in the emotional
form. But it is said that the taste for the
highly spiced variety of the favorite literature
is so strong, that il the great monarchs of
fiction, some Of whose names we have men,
toned, were banished from the shelves giving
place to the dime novel type OF book, eighty
or ninety per cent. would be nearer meas
ure of the relative strength of those who give
their preference to works of the imagination
1T is pity that our own public libraries fur
nish no statistics of the kind, for we have an
idea that it would be found that the taste for
reading in Portland has not been developed
In quite SO unsymmetrical manner as in some
other cities, not even excepting classic Boston,
whose readers find only twenty-slx per cent.
OF their books outside of the department of
fiction. So far has this tendency gone every
where that it is getting to be much the fash
ion to present history, philosophy, science
and even religion in the diluted and swestened
form of novels.
Now healthful relish for fiction is thing
by no means to be deprecated or lamented
Not 10 be able to enjoy Middemarch, Vanity
Fair, David Ccpperfeld, Guy Mannering or
Aldrchs stories is a misfortune only COM
parable in severity with the want or the loss
o. some one of the physical senses. There
can be little light or heat in the life that
wants those associations or subjective expert
ences which are awakened to pleasurable
activity by the tales of love or sorrow told by
those who have mastery over their noble
art. But very decided determination of
the mind to imaginative literature, even
though it be 10 that variety classified as
wholesome" cannot be too severely censur-
ed. As in our animal economy it is disas-
trous policy to eat exclusively the nitrates
which contribute to the muscles, the phos-
pilates which feed the brain and nerves. or
the carbonates which produce fat, SO our men,
tai development becomes one sided by cult
waiting exclusively one set of faculties. To
read fiction alone is like eating nothing but
carbonaceous food. 1t may stimulate the
emotional nature, give extraordinary acute
ness and delicacy to the feelings, keep before
the mind lofty types of ideal excellence and
cultivate refined and generous nature. But
mere intellectual plumpness, if we may say
SO, is no more an object of paramount i'm
portance than physical piulnpness. The soul
which has not had its powers strengthened
and fortiiedby the facts Of history and science,
and its intelligence sharpened by the truths
Of philosophy is in a condition as deplorable
as that of poor little John Stuart Mill, the
lean minded boy who was weaned on Greek,
Latin, political economy and logic, and, at
twenty, was a starveling lad with not an
ounce Of flesh on his intellectual skeleton. He
had been fed on mems meat and was mere
prodigy. Our young men and women who
commit the opposite error and cultivate only
the feelings, which in Mill were left merely
rudimentary, are unfortunately disinclined TO
supplement their one sided culture when
they grow older, by course of reading and
thought suited to maturer years. Mils def
cheney in feeling was more than made good
in adult life, as may be seen by that passion
ate, almost idolatrous tribute to his wife,
which is one OF the most eloquent passages in
modem literature. But the mind Of the
chronic novel reader seems to get so enfeebled
by intellectual dissipation as to be generally
incapable of repairing the errors committed
before the judgment becomes mature. Upon
parents devolves the solemn responsibility of
seeing to it that the mental taste of the child
does not become so debauched by indulgence
in literary spices and pastry as to render un-
palatable the nutritious meats and the whole
some fruits prepared for the minds rejection,
BANGOR has covered herself with glory,
Bass, the popinjay elected by the Democrats
last year as independent" is defeated by
heavy majority in spite of vigorous fight
made for him by the Democrats aud the rum.
element generally, and the lavish expenditure
of money by the candidate himself. Bangor
men do thing handsomely when they set
about it in dead earnest, and the antics of
This accidency," during the past year have
been of SO grotesque, extravagant and dan
gerous character as to fill all good citizens
with both chagrin and alarm. The best ele-
ments of their society combined aud have
gained signal triumph over the combination
Of the worst. Bass-the man with a super
fuOus "B' in his name-would have been
simply amusing had not his position made
him dangerous. The events of the past year
have improved the political atmosphere in
Bangor immensely, and illustrate the danger
OF any relaxation in devotion to Republican
ism. Most towns suffer an occasional lapse
from the true path, but Bangor has had a les
son sufficient to last her for several years.
Hon. Newell Blake, the Mayor elect, is very
respectable citizen, an Alderman of last year,
and in all ways well qualified and suitable for
the position. All hail to Bangor!
FERNANDO WOOD, representative in Con-