Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-13
NOVEL READING.
NJ Quad on the Pernicious Effect of Read.
ing Exaggerated Fiction.
G.. L..

ing Exaggerated Friction.
| "Does it hurt boy to read novels?'
Take a clean sponge and dip it into
a running gutter. and what is the re-
suit? The sponge can be cleaned and
purified again. but only after much la,
bor
The human mind. my lad, is a sponge,
and it soakS up the good. bad and in
different 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 it is so to a
certain extent in many of the boy books.
In the first place the boy, no matter
| what his age. is always made to per-
form feats of valor which common
sense teaches you are impossible. He
never acts nor talks like a boy. His
| adventures as hunter. detective OF
runaway are too improbable.
Nevertheless. As You read you find
yourself half believing, at least. and the
next thing is to wonder why you can't
be hero. The story makes you dissat-
isiied with schooi ana nome ana iamiiy
government anu the ilrst ,houSht Is 10
run ava! OF Piah some adventure.
Even !, you sa, 10 souiseii 'ha' you
won pe,'e.S We, Noi" Vi the STORY the
thiho WIN s'iii soah up many oi the
ialse tneor'es anu absurd IDEAS, and
iater On III ,eaIs Z. ma! cos' so" sohie'
'h,ns 10 yer Iiu u ns .ilein IN A..
II s'i anger siou'o 'eii YOU 'ia., as
ne was passing over certain oriuge
sPahnins a cie.h' ne saw d o!u water.
yns IN 'ne ~ VI. va ~ .oy 80
n'i.i W s'oP' sIe "ou'' pip'ioi! De
iie'e tno s'o'! sou Aau Pos',!'e
PROOF ,has 'lg ,.,, man e was q praAeG ilal
ou So',,u hl"a ,,nu nou'spri , "In,'ei, na. ~
nov ueep 'nI VI. ~ Mas, nho ios' .ns
Ma'cIr anu ic'iei any oiiI I, iiau se.,ileu
~. io"' I',i,ion 's'o to,s 'pu 'noie
a ,'le no s".i, ~, pIin a, hos' pa' you
~ iJt'u anu -" 8. 81 - - '"u -, 10,
oo.o,. - -, " '''' 'H'i'' ''o''n-
inS d. our niap tHapi'. !; s.., ho-
nd s.' a,in mIn ItLnlh IL p". loi.n - na M 10y
" " e.;i f.u s''ou..' i'non ~ my W -
iic'ion; eoh'"'r I I iiothin eAaela'eu
=. nnp.oo''o',' Inc n.'o may " u ave
witnout o'eruoihS tne thihg. lou may
nnd IN the papers almost any day IN,
stances where Doys nave dlspiayed
Sreat neroism at iires' or nave rlshed
the'r ii'eS 10 save others. these Things
are possible ana PROBABLE but TINS max
ny d oSy uri'e OH a pand OF lhdians'
of preak up gang OF ROBBERS or cap
.ure d ship-ioau OF pirales' Is against
common sense.
Ley me instance some other evils. In
pook fecentiy puoiished by very re-
sPec.aoie Eastern mousse, ana haVing
hnf ioI us anlnor person with KEY.
perore ms name ne tells ABOUT sailor
IaIilns down .he MIDDLE companion
way n ana ma hlmsei1 the outt OF ridi-
cue. Inc same author speaks OF sail
VI ~ nis iaiiiihock; nahihochs are
never used ABOARD OF merchant vessels
pu' 'he men nave pertns. lie mas the
ere" sa'her around the man at the
"neei 10 sihS ana smoke ana yarn IL,
Mhen every o2y VINO ever heard OF dis-
;,Pnne aooaru SNIP knows tnat no sailor
Peiini..eo AT unless caileu there oy
s'ric' uuty;
IN announcer pook, put forth by an
.quany resPectaole mousse the length OF
the Mississippi River is wrongly gwen:
alha!sas "a Is put on the wrong SIDE OF
u ,naI river, ana 1he distance from Nicks-
Durg 10 patton Rouge Is not correct by
thirty miles.
ouch instances as nave related be-
ios ooy Iiino ana lead MIN INTO er-
TOT ana ne naa petter nave spent his
'ii,le IN paying marbles.
Lev me ask you now much better OIL
you .S Mouia pe 10 sit down IN grocery
.or Ilree hours each evening and listen
20 20 some man telling hes SHOWING all
.he tilne tney were hes! Would that
your ihinde many OF the nov
eis are no more improving than such
s'S.eiy .ales'
nov let me ask you what makes an
nIp' weli-posted man! School
euucallon, 10 pegih with. II we learned
notnlng a1ter we LETT school the world
Mouiu sup oackward. MS mind goes
on' o;a,; u ai.er uas' week aI'er week.
ponas tnonaI up scraps oi history poiitics'
.ia,el' polany' astronomy ana soforth,