The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1881-12-11
WHERE WILL IT END2

a Scotchman will read patiently
threc-cOlumn article ID a magazine
or newspaper, will follow patiently
and carefully the train of reasoning,
Investigate the logic of the article,
criticize the rhetoric, and when the
article is finished the Scoiehmah ~
able to give Il resume of tho article
aud critical analysis "i the same
TO such habit of patient, careful and
protracted thought Is the average
Scotchman framed. The average
Er.Iish or American reader, on the
other hand. spmrms long and cIabo-
rafe articles altogether, or glanceS
over them cursorily and supcrticial!y
and amuscs himself with news item 6
and brilliant iaragraphs. Which
is the better training, that of
ScOtchman or American I If life
were all business, the American
mode might be considered the better,
but unfortunately some OF the
grayest duties of life demand long,
tedious and protracted thought, and
the newspaper literature, which Is
made necessity by the popular de-
mand. is such as 10 require
neither thought nor study, and we
are rapidly becoming q people OF
superficial thinkers, when protracted
bought is i'll many parts OF life a
necessity. Take, for instance, the
duties OF jurymen, who are called
upon to decide the incest and most
important questions, many OF
which demand the best
power of the intellect, and
is our mode Of reading and of study
such as to make the average juryman
capable of discrimination? A jury
of Scotchmcn would be able to grasp
every point of evidence, to sitt out
false logic in pleading, to bring all the
evidence into a comprehensive
whole. Is an American Jury capa-
bic of this, or rather are they not az
the mercy of the most brilliant
sophistry, and is not our style OF
reading furnished by newspapers III
general and the public taste which
demands such style calculated still
more and more to depreciate that
stock of mental application which
the duty of the juryman and other
! duties demands? Popular taste has
made newspapers the literature of the
dav. ana has driven all long, logical
articles from newspapers and substi-
tutcd condensed paragraphs, but
Wilt stop there? ? viii not eyen-
tuaIlv all articles Of protracted
thought be driven from popular lit
crature and only the rariest news,
| the most glariug scandals and the
most cNtr4vagant rumors be tulerat-
Ell? The Athenians, once race OF
giants, became el entually so emaciat-
cd that they were clamorous tor
news, gossip and scandal and spurn-
I'd thought and argument, and ma!
iuo, We be travelling the same road
Bodies cannot feed on * NJ milk
and develop mucle, and mind can-
not CROW vigorous and healthy and
/ discriminating III reading about
one Legro killing another IN q bar
room aJtay or one NAH running
away vita another mans wlIe.
. . There l. no mental ailmeut IN such
reading. and when the mind does not
grow III strength il uepreciates. The
magazIue literature OF the day J.
colmuendabie but tits read only bN
the iiterau. The literature VIII Oh /
forced upon the newspaper by popu'
.lar TASTE is not sach as TO commend
i,scJf 10 the Judgment, while public
taste which seems 10 retrogade'
threatens TO MAXI the newspaper
still more and more unuutrlliUus.