Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-02-14
WHAT SHALL WE REAL Z?
A QUESTION OF GREAT IMPORTANCE
TO EVERYONE.
Some Novels are fnnoblng to the Life
Confirmed Novel Readers are Unht
for this Word-Stand Aloof hom
False Pictures Of Human Life
Abstain from Books
which are Apologize
of Crime.
The PRINTING PRESS IS THE MIGHT
IEST AGENCY ON EARTH.
SERMON BY REV. T. DEWITT TAIL
MAGE.


NEw YORK, February l3.
Special Dispatch to the Register.
Brooklyn Tabernacle was well hiled
this morning to listen 10 DIR. Talmage's
eloquent sermon.
subject: What to Read "
Text: Fcclesiastics xii, l2,-"of making
many books there IS no end
The printing press is the mightiest
agency on earth for good and Tor evil
The minister OF the Gospel standing in
a pulpit has a responsible position, but
| do not think it is as responsible as the
position of an editor or publisher. At
what distant point OF time, at what far
out circle OF eternity, will cease the In
fiuence OF a Henry j. Raymond, or
Horace Greeley, or a James Gordon Ben
nett? Take the simple statistics that
our New York dailies now have a circu-
lation of $4,000 per day, a1d add to IT
the fact that three OF our weekly period.
icals have an aggregate circulation OF
about one million, and then cipher, II
YOU can, how far up and how lar down,
and how far out, reach the influence oil
the American printing press. l believe
the Lord intends the printing press to be
the chief means for the worlds rescue
and evsngelization, and think that the
great last battle of the world will not be
fought with swords or guns, but
With Type and Presses,
a purified and gosple literature triumph
ing over, Irampling down ard crushing
out forever that which is depraved. The
only way to fight bad book is by print
ing a good one. The only way TO over
come unclean newspaper literature Is by
scattering abroad that which Is health
iul. Nav God speed the cylinders ot
an honest, intelligent, aggressive Chris
tian printing press put this morning
a question of overmastering Importance
to YOU and your families. What books
and newspapers shall We read? You see
| group them together. A newspaper
is only book in a swifter and more
portable shape, and the same rules
which will apply to book reading will
apply to newspaper reading. what
shall We read? Shall our minds
be the receptacle Of everything that an
author has u mind to write? Shall
there be no distinction between the tree
of life and the tree OF destn2 Shall We
stOop down ana drink out OF the trough
which the wickedness OF men has filled
with pollution and shame? Shall We
mire in impurity and chase fantastic
will o. the wisps across the swamps,
when we might walk in the blooming
gardens of God? Oh, no. For the sake
of our present and everlasting welfare,
We must make an intelligent and chris
tian choice. Standing as We do
Chin-Deep in Fictitious Literature,
the first question that many of the
yourg people are asking me is: "Shall
we read novelist"
| reply, there are novels that are
pure, good, Christian, elevating TO the
heart and ennObling to the life. But |
have still further to say, that many OF
the novels OF this day are baleful and
destructive to the last degree. A pure
work OF fiction is history and poetry
combined. 1t is a history OF things
around us with the licenses of the as
sumed names of poetry. The world
can never pay the debt which it owes
To such fictitious writers as Hawthorne
and Mackenzie and Lander and Hunt
and Arthur and Marion and Harland
and others whose names are familiar to
ali. The follies of high life were never
better exposed than by Miss EdgewOrth.
The memories OF the past were never
more faithfully embalmed than in the
+ NJ
novels are healthiul, redolent with the
breath of the sea-weed and the air OF the
American forest. Charles Kingsley has
written the morbidness of the world,
and led a great many to appreciate
the poetry of sound health, strong
muscles and fresh air. ThsCkeray did
grand work in caricaturing the pretend
ers to gentl ty and high blood. Dickens
has built his own monument in his
books, which are an everlasting plea for
the poor and an anathema OF injustice.
Now say books like these, read at right
times and read in right proportion with
other books, cannot hel p but be emo
bling and purifying; but, alas! for the
loathsome and impure literature that
has come upon this country in the shape
of novels, like ireshet.
Overlooking all the Banks of Decency
aud common sense. They are coming
from some of the most celebrated pub
fishing houses of the country. They are
coming with the recommendation Of
some of our religious newspapers. They
lay on your centre table TO curse your
children and blast with their internal
fires generations unborn. You find
these books in the desk of the school
miss, in the trunk OF the young man, in
the steamboat cabin, and on the table OF
the hotel rec p:ion room. You see a
light in your child's room late at night.
You suddenly 60 in and say, What are
YOU doing?" II am reading" "What
are you reading?" "A book" You
look at the book; it is bad book.
"where did you get it?' 81 borrowed
it." Alas, there are always these
abroad who would like to loan your
son or daughter bad book,
everywhere, everywhere, an unclean
literature. / charge you, it is the des-
truction OF ten thousand immortal souls,
and bid you this morning wake up TO
the magnitude OF the theme. / shall
take all the worlds literature, good
novels and bad, travels true and false,
histories faithful and incorrect, legends
beautiful and monstrous, all traits,
all chronicles. all epilogues, all family,
city, State, National Libraries, and pile
them up in a pyramid of literature, and
then shall bring to bear upon it some
grand, glorious. infallible, unmistakable
Christian principles. God help me to
speak with reference to the account /
must at last render, and God help you
TO listen.
Icharge you in the first place to stand
sloof from all books that give
False Pictures of Human Life.
Life is neither trsgedy nor a farce.
Men are not all neither knsves or
Q oes. Women are neither angels nor
iuries, and yet, il you depend upon
much OF the literature of the day, you
would get the idea that life, instead OF
being something earnest, something
practical, is fitful and fantastic
aud extrsvagant thing. How poorly
prepared are that young man and wo.
man for the duties Of to day, who spent