St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-07-04
"Give Attention to Reading" F"
10 the Editor of the Caledonian

10 the Editor of the Cdledonian
In nearly every issue of your paper
| notice something upon the subject of
reading, lamenting that so many readers
spend their time upon sensational trash,
instead of valuable and wholesome
literature.
1t seems to me that many people who
lament this tendency, fail to seek the
cause of such preference, choosing to
consider it as something faulty in the
minds of the readers, instead of being
led to see how frequently it happens
that the reader has not been properly
instructed as to choice in books.
l have made inquiries of large
number of students in academies and
high schools, as to whether they had
any special instruction in the choice of
books for general reading, and it seems
have received, that teachers usually
pay little attention to the mental needs
of their pupils, outside of the books
used in the schools.
l have seen parents whose whole
range of reading lay in few religious
books and the weekly newspaper, but
whose children were great readers, de-
vouring whatever they could lay hands
upon.
1t is evident that these can have no
proper guidance at home; and if their
teachers do not show them what to
read, who is to take an interest in
them, and who will be responsible if
they read books which have an unde-
sirable tendency9
A church in a Maine village a few
years ago settled new pastor, who
found that his congregation was mainly
made up of young people, but that the
church itself had scarcely any Others
than the elderly persons in his parish
as its members. l think he told me
there were but five members under
twenty-five years of age.
Being an earnest man, with the well
fare of the young people at heart, he
pushed his acquaintance among them,
and found them to be of much more
than average intelligence.
He found also that their reading
selected usually at random from the
large village library was as he termed
it "unwholesome," and while most OF
them had read a great deal, their read
ing was of such a mixed character, that
they had received little benefit from ii
they had read mainly for amusement
He found a great diversity of tastes,
but almost no discrimination a great
deal of intelligence, but little attain
ment.
Laying his plans wisely, he preached
a sermon from the words which have
placed at the head of this article, lay
ing before the young people the great
benefit of courses of reading as an aid
to mental culture, and watching his
audience, he perceived that the effect
was as he intended, and asked "the
young people who loved to read" to
meet him in the vestry upon an eve
ming. He had his hands full very
speedily, for the young people only
needed leader and he soon found
ample use for all his own wide reading
and broad mental culture.
Without attempting any particular
system he merely ascertained the men,
tai qualities of each of his bearers
stimulating their best faculties, thus
completing the teaching they had re-
ceived at school.
In a short time he became the mental
as well as the spiritual leader of his
appreciative congregation, which en-
larged rapidly, filling the vacant pews
and requiring an addition to the church
building.
And having this influence he soor
drew them toward an interest in re.
ligious matters, and now his church is
composed of the best, and the majority
of the young people in his large congre-
CATION.
If teachers, ministers and educated