Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-04-19

asked OF leading bookseller yester
day
No, but We can order it for you,
was the reply, we never keep book
Of that class in our stock"
Have you no demand for them2"
mot enough to justify us 10 keep
ing them on hand. We cannot sci
more than three or four copies a year
and il We kept a supply on the shelves
they would soon become shop worn auG
faded aud we could not sell them fol
half price. Now if you want something
like "Pecks Bad Boy" or "Texas
Siftings," or "Bucktops Bald-headed
Club. all you have to do is to say so
Strictly speaking this is not a reading
public You cant call those who
deyour only such books IS l have
named, readers.
do you mean to say nobody in
Memphis reads anything but light
literaturs?"
Very nearly that. OF course there
are few who read, but believe l
could nama them all over BY counting
my fingers twice. The old men think
they know enough and the young ones
don't read because they fnd it doesn't
count IN society" Books are rarely
mentioned by the young people here.
Now I'll venture to say if you were to
mention Buckle 10 any parlor in this
city you would be asked Bucket
who's he ?" and if you persisted and
wanted to talk about him you would
be secuted as a blue-stocking. Just
let young man display his knowledge
for q moment and he is doomed from
that moment. One Of his sweet, silly
hearers will laugh, and the balance
will echo, or some one will say, "0h,
he's two smart for me. l don't see
why people want to spoil a pleasant
evening by talking over that dry old
stuff. Hes a bore" OF course it
takes a strong mind to resist ridicule,
and the consequence is that the young
man has no incentive to improve a
mind, aud quits reading Half the
pleasure of good book is the delieh.
of having some one to talk to inteli
gently about it. 1t makes no differ
ence how eloquent he is or how we'll
chosen his subject. His audience
grows tired long before be has reached
the end of his first sentence. They
turn a deaf ear, change the subject
and never give him an opportunity to
grow brilliant. 1t seems to be natural
for q young man to be little pedantic
when be first begins to read. He
cannot keep il. If that was borne
with he would get over it in a short
time, and heand his companions would
all be gamers by it. But they give
him no chance-sit down on him, ex.
tinguisb him, in the very first burst of
his sTdor and his thirst for knowl,
edge"
"And the young ladies?"
"Oh, they read nothing at all.
Sometimes they scan love sick novel,
pass the preface and skip the descrip-
tioR5. Talk TO the average young
lady and what do you hear1 A lot Of
silly nonsense about the latest ball or
the coming opera. And even of the
music and the drama they do not talk
inteIligeptly. The veriest tyro on
the stage is just as likely to come 10
for all their praise, while the real
character of the play, its depth and
meaning, aud the finer shsdinga of
human nature, as portrayed by The
leading people, escape them wholly
or almost so. From the dress. man
ner and scenery one who reads and
thinks can readily tell you the era and
country OF the pl)t at least, but the
society young man or lady can't do it.
She reads no history, no books Of
travel, rarely ever standard
novel even. To have a
diploma seems to be sufficient for all
purposes. Too often it is not worth
the paper upon which it is written
There are great may who play and
sing well, but these are society accom-
plishments and must be learned"
"Are you not a little too Sweeping
in your estimated"
Perhaps. There are a few notable
exceptions One lady principal of a
school in the CITY has seen this evil
aud is doing ell she can to correct it.
She buys the classics, readings from
Shakespeare and the leading poets in
handy volume style, and is doing her
best TO educate her girls up to higher
standard.
AS a rule, though, l am correct.
The young men read Gothing but the
menu" and the young ladies' the pro
grsmme Of the ball. AS 10 newspa,
Ders, The young men dote on the
Police News, aud the young ladies
on the personal aud society columns OF
the daily papers or the fashion plates
OF the magazines"
Rock Hill, s., Grey. j. s. White
4 60 81