The Portland daily press., 1875-05-05
Books and Brains.

Last evening Bishop Haven lectured in the
Chestnut street church on behalf OF the Fine
street church. on the subject 'Books and
Brains." The bishop began by saying that
like preacher with his text, he would divide
the subject, he using the books and the aud
ence their brains. We hear much today about
the equality not only of the sexes of the races,
but also of animal creation. But there is no
equality in books. While the kitten may play
with the printed page it will never stop It's
sport to read the thoughts which are in the
page, not like thechld who will gaze with
wonder upon the pictures which line the book.
There never can be animal equality till the
monkey or the mouse can start an establish
ment like the Harpers, or our gigantic newspa-
per enterprises. Reading is the distinctive
characteristic of men. Without books, men
would have no link binding them with the
past. Without these we would have nothing
to give us the genius Of the ages which are
gone. Shakespeare may have flashed his Wit
drinking his tavern beer, but they are lost.
Nothing but books can preserve the ethereal
creations of such mind as his. The same
with johnson, and nothing but the skill OF
Boswell has saved posterity from such loss.
Books not only preserve the forms OF genius
of the past, but they break down the barriers
of caste andssocial distinctions which society
has set I'D. A man with good books has ac-
cess to the highest circles in the word, and
though his neighbours door may be closed
fast vet he can meet with Bacon, and Milton,
and Jeremy Taylor and the grandest spirits OF
the age. Men ought to know what to read
not merely dime novels or common trash, but
something solid and substantial. The great
principle and law of reading is that which will
improve, The first thing which comes under
this head is not book at all, but the daily
newspaper No other power in society so
thoroughly demonstrates the trinity OF the
human race as the newspaper. Wars, ship
wrecks, fires, accidents, awaken within us SYM
pathy even for the most remote parts OF the
world.
Men may be known by the paper they take.
1t tells better than anything else, the political
and moral nature of the individual, and hence
the great necessity for healthy newspaper.
After the newspaper comes history. This class
of books should never be neglected. History
like stars is made in groups. The past has
points, and these points are in fact the history.
Greece and Rome have had distinctive periods
in their history, and these comprise the main
elements in their historic life. The same with
England. Though as a ma ton it extends over
a long period of time, yet few leading incl
dents are the main elements upon which this
English history is built.
Next to history comes science. Men want to
know something about themselves and the
world around them. The worst feature in con-
nection with modern science, is that men are
taught to look down, and rarely up, and thus
humanity is degraded and deprived of its
noblest characteristics. Men fill their eyes
with clay and never can see the grandest ele'
ments of truth. Read science by all means,
but that class Of books which tends to elevate
the nature and condition of man, and to de-
velop in us the pure, the true and the good.
Metaphysics, fiction, and poetry were freely
discussed in theirlseveral relations to our habits
of life and thought, and enriched with many
happy and pertinent illustrations, and the lect-
ure could not fail but profit the large audience
which was present