The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-03-11
NOVEL READING.
A Few Suggestions to Boys By
An Expert.
Some OF the EVIL Effects Of Indiscrimi-
nately Absorbing gFictitIousLiterature
Unreal and Exaggerated
Idea OF Life.
M Quad in petroIt Free Press.l


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running gutter, and what is the resultf
The sponge can be cleaned and purified
again, but only after much labor.
The human mind, my lad, is sponge,
and it soaks up the good, bad and indiffer-
ent with the same relish.
The great trouble with novels Is the false
ideas and vicious theories. 1t Is the same
with all serial stories in the So called boys
papers, and 1t Is so TO certain extent In
many of the boy books. In the first place
the boy, no matter what his age, Is always
made to perform feats Of valor which COM
mon sense teaches you is impossible. Ho
never acts nor talks like boy. His ad-
ventures as hunter, detective or runaway
are too improbable.
Nevertheless, as you read you find your
self alf-believing, at least, and the next
thing is to wonder why you can't be u
hero. The story makes you dissatisfied
with school and home and family govern
ment, and the first thought is to run away
or plan some adventure. Even II you say
TO yourself that you won't believe a word
Of the story, the mind will still soak up
many Of the false theories and absurd
ideas, and later on in years 1t may cost
you something to get rid of them.
If stranger should tell you that, as he
was passing over certain bridge span
ming q creek, he saw a gold watch lying
In the water, but was in too great hurry
to stop, you would probably believe the
story. II you had positive proof that the
10 OF Ind
yourself wondering how deep the water
was, who lost the watch and whether any
one had secured it. Your common sense
tells you there are no such beings as
ghosts, but you have read and heard of
them, and have probably expected to feel
them clutching at your throat.
A story which is put forth for boy to
read should, although 1t may be purely
fiction, contain nothing exaggerated or
improbable. The hero may be brave with
out OVERRIDING the thing. You may find
in the papers almost any day instances
where boys have displayed great heroism
at fires, or have risked their lives TO save
others. These things are possible and
probable, but this making boy drive of
a band of Indians, or break up gang Of
robbers, or capture ship-load OF pirates,
is against common sense.
Let me instance some other evils. In
book recently published by q very respect
able Eastern house, and having for Its au-
thor q person with a "Rev." before his
name, he tells about sailor falling down
the ''middle companlonway." He meant
hatchway, but some day somo one Of his
boy readers will say something about the
''middle companionway" and find himself
the butt OF ridicule. The same author
speaks Of sailor In his hammock. Ham
mocks are never used aboard Of merchant
vessels, but the men have berths. He has
the crew gather around the man at the
wheel to sing and smoke and yarn it
when every boy who ever heard Of disci
pline aboard ship knows that no sailor is
permitted aft unless called there by strict
duty.
In another book, put forth by an equally
respectable house, the length Of the Mis-
sisslppi River Is wrongly given. Arkan-
sas Is put on the wrong side Of that river,
and the distance from Vicksburgh to
Baton Rouge is not correct by thirty miles.
Such instances as have related befog
boys mind and lead him into error, and he
had better have spent his time in playing
marbles.
Let me ask you how much better Off you
would bo to sit down in q grocery for three
hours each evening and listen TO some man
telling lies, knowing all the time they were
Hest Would that improve your mindi
Many Of the novels are no more improving
than such grocery tales.
Now let me ask you what makes an In
telligent, well-posted man! School educa-
tion, to begin with. II we learned moth
ing after we left school the world would
alp backwards. His mind goes on, day
after day, week after week, picking up
scraps Of history, politics, travel, botany,
astronomy, and SO forth, and by and by he
Is human encyclopedia. He may read
love stories and adventures all his days
and be no better of. Indeed, he viii be
far worse of.
"Well, what shall a boy readp
There are one or two boy papers Of good
moral tone. The heroes are not exagger-
ated, and the adventures are not lmproba-
BILE. II the story Is Of mining, the author
gives some valuable information In regard
to minerals and how 10 mine II 1t Is of
hunting you are taught how 10 make
snares and traps and are given the prin-
ciples Of taxidermy. II 1t is Of boating
you are taught the principles OF sailing
and rowing. II 1t is Of tho sea, you are
given the correct names Of ropes and yards
and sails, and the habits and traits Of the
people Of other countries are correctly
stated.
There are few boy books which are
true TO everyday life. Road these, and
II you have further time take his
tory, or something else which is certain
10 return somo beneht-a daily paper
with its news from every foreign
country-its home happenings-lts dis
cdssions OF all matters OF interest--lts in
cidents and accidents, its geography, his
tory, grammar and photography COM
blned.
Think Of these things, my boy. II you
were going TO be boy forever the case
would be different. No one would expect
anything great OF you. But, as the years
roll on, you have got TO pick up the col-
leges and. factories and railroads and gem
eral business Of the world and keep thom
moving. WIN such trash as Buffalo