Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-11-29
Winter ArnlISe nlents.

DR.. Holland writes rs follows in ScriJne1' for
December, on the subject Of winter amuse-
ments
1t ia an easy thing to establish either in coun-
try or city neigbburhoods, the reading club.
Twenty. five young men and women OF congo
NAL tastes, habits, and social belongings can
easily meet in one anothers houses, once DUR
ing every week, through five or six months OF
the wear. With small fund they can buy good
books. and over these, read aloud by one and an
other of their number, they can spend an hour
and a half most pleasantly and prohtably. They
will find in these books topics OF conversation
for the remainder of the time they spend to-
gether. Ii they can illuminate the evening
with music all the better. Whatever accom-
piiehments may be in the possession of
different members of the club may be drawn
upon to give variety to the interest OF
the occasion. This is entirely practicable,
| everywhere 1t is more profitable than amateur
theatricals, and less exhaustive of time snd en-
| ergy 1t can be united with almost any literary
object The shakespeare Club" is nothing but
| a reading club, devoted to the study OF single
author and Shakespeare may well engage a
| club for single winter. Such club would cul-
| tivate the art Of good reading, which is one OF
| the best and most useful of all accomplish
ments. 1t world cultivate thought, imagination,
| taste In brief, the whole tendency of the read
| ing club is toward culture-the one thing, not
| withsandng all our educational advantages,
the most deplorably lacking in the average
| American man and woman.
There was a time when the popular lecture
| was source not only OF amusement but OF cul-
| ture-when it stimulated thought, developed
healthy opinion, conveyed instruction. and ele-
| waited the taste The golden days when sum
| ner Everett, and Holmes, Starr King, and Pro
fesaor Mitchell, Bishop Huntington and Bishop
Clark, Beecher and Chaplin, Emerson, Curtis,
Taylor, aud Phillips, were all actively IN the
field, were days OF genuine progress. Few bet
ter things could happen to the American people
than the return OF such days Ms those we're and
the lecture system, as it has been called, il
declining in its usefulness aud interest, simply
because it has not men like these to give it tont
and value. few OF the old set lingo
in the field, but death, old age, and absorbing
pursuits. have withdrawn the most Of them
The platform is not what it was. The literarl
trfer, the theatrical reader, the second o
third rate concert have dislodged the reliable
lecture goors and the popular lecture vii
certainly be killed If bad management can XII
it, The standard has not been raised or eyel
maintained it has been lowered-lowere'
specially, and with direct purpose, to meet tn
I tastes Of the vulgar crowd
| Well, the Young people in whose hands til
a. lecture syatem" has always been, Can men
all this il they consider it worth the pains Ger
tanly the coming into contact with IA thorough
yitalzed man of brains is very stimulating ex
: perience. The privilege Of doing so should nc
be lightly relinquished: and, whenever u cours
of lectures is well conducted, 1t ought to NEE
with generous patronage from all who hay
young people ON their hands to be entertaine
and improved.
But even the lecture. desirable as it is, is nj
necessary. In city like New York, there ougl
to be five hundred clubs of young people estat
shed this very winter, for the purposes OF 81
cial and intellectual amusement, with culture
view as the great ultimate end. The exercise
may take great many forms which it is not IL,
: cessary for us even to suggest Books ma
| ha mr.,
4 sented, musical rehesrsals may form part
! the entertainment, products of art may be ei
hibited, there may be dramatic and conversi
tional practice, and practice in French and Ge
l man. There II no limit to the variety OF exc
n cses that may be proitably entered upon. Al
. what is good for the young people Of the grei
cities viii he just as good for young peop
= | eYeryMheTe.