Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-01

/ cred DIV ClcerO III the ISOuiah DCnoto,
and vet after his tongue was stilled by
death, one thousand three hundred
wears passed away before the first old
English author wrote. How vast the
| growth since then! A long array Of
! historians, of romancers, OF poets, OF
| orators. OF miscellaneous writer's, have
! passed from the cradle to the grave, un-
iii i'm the present day their name is
legion, and even those who will occupy
a niche i'm the temple OF fame are nu-
meTOus.
The century and half between 1850
! and 400 has been designated as the
early or old English period OF our lam
yuage. 1t was divided into dialects, and
| ne who would read il as he runs would
probably fail in his attempt.
The bursting forth OF tiny spring
may be the head of great stream. 50
seven hundred wears ago the rivulet that
! has broadened and deepened into a great
flow, started on its course. 1t has be-
! come purified, and its shores are Hover
! garnered and beautiful. If here and
there a poisonous weed is growing, let
il be destroyed, and only the good re-
| main. There are a thousand lllustrlous
names, OF which none other are mere
| illustrious than those of Milton, Dryden
| and COwper, the poets; OF Shakespeare,
| almost a synonymous term Tor the un-
approachable heights OF the English
| language; of John Bunyan, the immor-
| tai dreamer. of Macs Hey, the historian,
and Of Scott and Dickens, masters in the
realms of romance.
| We are all familiar with the great
names in the literature OF this genera
| ton, and know much OF their labors ana
achievements. Part of every man S
| education, and especially OF the class to
| whom this address is delivered, should
| be an acquaintance with current litera-
ture. Every ones library should con-
tain, first, an unabridged dictionary,
| then a general cyclopgdia, a copy OF
| Shakesper-'s works, standard history,
| Scott and Dickens novels, and then
| fair selection from the worthy books
| that issue from the press every year.
| We haye books, books, books every
where, vet the really good books, the
! no ceable and readable ones, are not eX-
traordinarily numerous. To the man
who has a reasonable income the ex-
pense in this direction need not be
| severely fci:. \ few dollars judiciOusly
| expended occasionally, will enable him
! in the course of time, to possess
library of which he may be
proud He may like the mason
| LAYING brick in the massive wall, buildit
up book by book until it will contain
| the entire record OF the march OF pro-
gress. lie will possess that which will
| aid him in living pure life, that will
| enable him TO occupy broad and lib
eral intellectual plane. Books, good
| books will many times preserve the
Young from paths, where they would be
lead into temptation, and the parent
who cultivates into successful growth
anu life a correct literary taste, in his
children, is doing that which will ennOble
| and better them and will lead them
away from the highways OF degradation
| and crime.
Naturally this brings me to refer
ence to
WORKS OF FICTION,
10 a discussion, which shall be brief, of
lighter literature. Books OF this kind
are eminently proper in their place. ii
the position they should occupy, II the
inches they should till, were correctly APP
preciated, t,.e difficulty that surrounds
discussion of this portion of literature
would be removed. The young, espe-
ciallv. demand amusement and reCrea-
ton; and il should be known as a natu-
raj tact, as an lmmutable law, that all
minds need them. The busy mind
must rest. A change from severe men
tai labor, To- the perusal of pure work
of fiction, is always beneficial, when
seasonably INDUCED. And for the mere
purpose OF intellectual rest pleasant and
healthful amuSementS rank by the side
of the romance. Not only should the
youth have pure and good things OF
comparatively tritling importance, to oc-
cupy his mind portion of the time,
but the individual absorbed in business
who has, perhaps, daily, his difficulties
and diSappOintmentS, must at times re-
train from his labor, and occupy his
mind with something as widely differ
ent from it as possible. No man can
work, wear in and year out, during six
teen or eighteen hours out of the twenty
four, either mentally or physically,
with Justice to himself. OF these, the
less can he endure mental strains dur
Ing such an undue proportion OF his
time. He NAV scarcely feel the burden
imposed upon himself for year, or
wears. He may accomplish prodigles OF
labor for half life time. But presently
the oyerwork tells upon him. Sitting
at his table, he one day realizes that he
has nerves. Let him pursue his course,
and before many weeks the symptoms
grow, and he will think he is all nerves,
Judging from his sensations. These
mysterious little chords, that, as it were,
link the mental with the physical sys-
TEN, are getting him into strange
trcmOr, are seeming to pierce like
knives the inmOst rccesSes OF his being
and are battling with terrible and
ominuS force at the very Citadels OF his
mind. Let him heed these symptoms.
They mean much. They are VIVID
warming. They mean disease. They
mean that three-fOurths OF an existence,
much longer devoted TO labor, will
tern mate in a shattered and wrecked
intellect-n the horrible leer Of the
maniac. III not that, they mean that
the shaking hand will lift to the throb-
bling temple weapon that will take
away that gift from God, life itself. Tell
int not, WIFI SuCll ldNlS oldllli- uiN III
the face, that it is a sin to read novel
or play croquet. The perusing OF ticti
tious incidents or the knocking OF wood
en- balls beneath wire wicketS, may seem
like iooHshneSS, but it is the wisdom OF
such ioolishueSs by which the wise are
coniounded | say reverently, l thank
God Il at I am afforded the means,
sometimes, of escaping from the fortunes
of over-work and engaging in such COM
parativeiy tritling things.
AmuseTents are the antidotes OF sui
eide and irslnitv. To engage in them,
on suitable occasions, is a sacred duty
we owe u ourselves. 1t is an instinct of
self preservation that makes us
HE to the woods, seek out
doors for life giving pleasures
or sit in an arm chair and peruSe some
thing lighter than a work on mental
philosophy or moral science. tell
YOU the person who reads the bible it.
self and ponders upon religious matters
for sixteen hours every day, would be
as sure Of the lunatic asylum as that he