The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-08-09
WHAT KIND OF Rooksp
Rev. Robert Collyerss Talk Before the
Young Mems Christian Union.

Young Mems Christian Union.
I have felt that it would be good
thing to talk to you tonight about the
companionship of good books. They
will deepen and sweeten the joys of
young men and women. Isuppose that
l might say it is fifty-five years, or
nearly SO, since dreamed over the first
of them, of one of them especially,
Wilmington and His Cat" 1t was
when was 5 years old, and it was the
first book / remember reading. Every
boy should have it. Good books are
good friends: they will never desert u.s.
sat in Shakespeare chair at STRAIT
ford on-Avon, and went into his garden
and had flowers from the fiower-bed
near his door. 1t was all as lovely as
midsummer nights dream; but | could
not make him live in Stratford; elves
with me. My companions may be your
friends, young men and women, and fill
yonr life with pleasure as they have
mine.
The best books often reveal their
worth after many years. They did not
think much of Shakespeare in his time.
Good books are like the wine we hear
of (tLat we never see of course), that
grows precious in the long lapse of
years. Such is the genesis of all the
great books. We old readers know we
can only get the gool from book by
some such process as that by which it
was written. speak only OF the best,
not of such as you can read as you
would crack nut. The greatest books
are always growing better. We cal
hardly blame the simple fellow who
read Pob;nson Crusoe through every
year; and who, when he was told it was
not true, said he would not believe it,
adding to his in :ormant: II don't thank
you at all for telling me, either"
would say word of caution. There
are books we can read as man takes
opium, which make us feel like heaven,
but they leave a greater deso,ation than
opium. There are also books we may
devour in any quantity without any
harm, except the taking up of our time
books that are as foam to the sea. 1t
is not for me to say, however (human
nature is so different, what to take and
what to leave. This is sure CT terion,
however: First, if vhen l read book
about God, and find it has put me
further from Him: or about humanity
and fird it has put me further from
m n; or about lie. and it makes me
think it less worth living, then know
that for me it is not good Look. Tt
may charm me, bit it is not my book.
l want to speak of novels. l always
enjoy bright, good story. l used to
hide them under the bed wlen / was a
boy, and would do it again il [ had to.
This is what Walter Scott did for me
forty years ago. And read him now
with del ght. You say you cannot read
Scott; you do not know Scotch. ]
would say, then, "Go learn Scotch. y
Some call novels weekday sermons and
authors week day preachers. 1t is
about so.
The Sunday schools of tIle World.
Mr.. Fountain J. Hartley, one of the
secretaries of the Sunday School
union, has published in The Sunday
School Chronicle two statistical papers,
N which he gives an estimate of the
number of Sunday school teachers and
scholars in the Un ted Kingdom and
throughout the world.
In the United Kingdom the totals are
teachers, 674, ,7O4; scholars, 6, 6,06O,677.
In Great Britain there are 76O,255
teachers and 6,e25,708 scholars. in
the United states, s32 ,283 teachers
and $500, 1896 scholars. AS to Sunday
schools on the continent, and in connec-
tion with the various miss onary sccie-
ties throughout the world, only an APP
proximate estimate is possible; but Mr..
Hartley gives the following figures as
the minimum computation In European
countries 53,053 teachers, and 773, 100
scholars; in connection with the several
missionary societies, q, ,4O4 teachers
and 366.SOS scholars. The grand total
throughout the world is therefore
teachers, !, 1,766,996; scholars, 1885,
451.