The Daily telegraph. (Monroe, La.) 1870-1886, 1883-10-03
HE BEST BOOK FOR A BOY.

In answer to an inquiry OF a CORES
pondent as to what would be the best
book to present to a boy, the reading
Of which would help to form his char
acter and make man Of him, ii New
York contemporary makes most APP
propriate discriminating answer. From
this we take the following extract:
We will at once say that hardly q
worse book, certainly for an. American
lad, conld be selected than Lord Ches-
terfield's letters to his son. It's moral
standards are low, its view of lie is
cynical, and it tends to cultivate the
merely external and artificial, rather
than to develop the best intrinsic quail
ittes OF a young man. Besides, il deals
with social atmosphere very different
from that which ought to prevail in a
republic, No, those letters are bad
reading for the Pennsylvania lad
Better letters of the Worldly-Wise and
semi-cynical sort are "Mr. Browns
Letters to His Nephew" by Thacke-
ray. They may be foundin the "Sket-
ches and Travels in London" Of that
consummate literary artist. y boy,
too, would read them with pleasure.
They are interesting, ana it is useless
to give lad book for any such pur-
pose as that Of our correspondent unless
ii will hold his attention. The book
will scarcely do him any good if he
takes it as dose and finds its pages
duh and its perusai repul5ive. But
nTr -
something so easy, so frank, 80 spon.
taneous, and SO amusing that boy
might find it very agreeable, aud nc
would be able to sec its wisdom Al
any rate, the sentiments he had read
would remain in his memory. And
yet that book, as whole, is not adapt
ed TO all boys. 1t would touch rather
those whose intercourse is with polish.
ed society, and is likely to continue tC
be there, than those who must rough il
through life. But there is much thai
is valuable for boys of every descrip.
ton and condition IN what Thackeray
says concerning many things-tbf
beautiful influence on character of asso.
citation with good and refined women,
for instance.
And even better book for boy Is
Thackeray's "Pendennis." That is
pretty sure to interest him, unless his
taste in fiction has been altogether cor
rupted by the reading of vile and
trashy novels and 'Juyeniles." In
the first place, he gets in Thackeray a
delightfully."- pure and charming liter
airy style. Its reading is of itself a good
education in English. And another
glorious book serves the same purpose.
We mean Oliver Goldsmith's "Vicar
of Wakefield" You cannot go wrong
in giving that to boy. 1t is sweet,
like neWmoWn hay. In "Pendennis, !"
too, along with u gentle cynicisn and a
keen knowledge OF the world, there is
celebration of the best, the tenderest
and the most sterling qualities Of man
hood, which makes it an admirable
book for lad, whose moral standards
ought to be kept high, and who should
have set before him the nOblc8t and
the most elevated ideals. 4 boy who
reads 'Pendennis," not merely as q
task, bat rs delight, sand who does
not hurry over it as over dime novel,
but studies it and thinks over, will
always keep the memory OF the book
vivid. He will never forget It's tone,
and alas! he may look in vain for
literary style so deliciously pure in the
current literature he reads during all
his life thereafter, no matter how long
il may be.