New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-10
NEWSPAPERS.
-uv,p RELATIONS TO MODERN CULTURE

H. d. IhAihh , ppPDIcTg THE FATE OF BooA9'
Copyright. 1880 ..-a,orer
su,;,h-would you like to look at 'n' H0"'p'''
sri ~ wonder you can ask
me such question. T. didn't seem
81 beg your pardon, am SURF ~
IN me a very improper oher 10 NAM srob q time
WHAT In such place ana az SUI o~r ssrous
However, perhaps 70" H"
Che matter with you. ious about
pardon me. / an extremely anA'Vro 1,erv
- of NV health; and it is for 'i"' w
go, that have been attempting W e. .hot
re.0S Co. tho interview with DR.. Croker for Vl"'
..nrnose find nothing so ehectual as n0"
Won don't use the word "cOmpOso" in the
sense of constitute
S.-Ehf ,,aos+ond H. There
nm that sense l could UNDERSTAND u. ~ ICED
s,.noe men whose minds are entreAy r'oor
Of newspapers. But by COMPOSING
saotbng. tranquillizng, imag'he'
S.-Of course ,o,,+s Won have to
anu ,'--;aioo,s ,vaiting-room you soothe ana
priIl,zo vonr mind with a newspaper A0: .,
,..1 WI, IT'S like taking condemned criminal
rtea trim in an express train OF g,Nt"e nm
Lie an bour in a cotton mill with the mdcH'N'' ="
work. -, 40 ,v,tb himY 1t
uoo,os 20 he n ouestion of words, after AN ~
Ionsbt to have SAID distract" ins'eau VI
pose" -. haitian strl drive to
B-Perhaps you ought; or better sun. 4sot eject
a;a,roction. I am sure it would nave 'h''' eA'''
upon me. 4 = orotber mans
,a;.on Won know. can quite understand tha' Il "a
rowsnaper ,coa't divert mans VhousnV' ~ I'D
,,arelv add TO his dsquetude by attempting " 49,
- irst 40 trying to sleep when you arc nv
- ,,ales vour head ache. But you'll allow.
snpnose. that what is my meat anu Sou'
~ ;nstonce is most other peoples mea" =,
THE shorter mans life is to be the nloi0 N0
bnsv himself in improving his NINA -,
T. ,bct reason for consuming newspapers
cwbat n question to put to ma, VINO au'nI'
- On, M reader of books. have learnt eVeiS
thing know from newspapers. Anu 'uouS'i 80
otber neople are in my case. Come' lily u -,
80, have been good enough to sharpen yo"i W.
mon ma once or twice during this conversation ""N
have taken it in good part 1t Is your 'uin -,
,naoad N face nv SATIRE for have no comhahu
. of the weapon; but 10 bear with my laugh a' """'
sooms 70 me ridiculous in your views and aSSuLnP'
tions. 49,, hoortilv
Rear with iti shall join it and heartiS'
col,, yon who seem to have sense oil huinoi'
must know the exquisite pleasure OF Laughing az
Some then. What is all this nonsense about
booksi
B.-What nonsense about books
s-Whv the imagination or the pretence that
people ever read themf ar
R-Haye given any countenance TO ltl Anu
40 do you take me for visionary OF an I'LL p'''0'
which, ,,or
s.-You- give implied countenance TO IL "hen Spu
insinnate that the mind is not to be improved DS
kbotf hayd do not cultivate the luUeul-
-orce For 7 presume you wouldn't go so far as TO
cootend that cultivated intelligences are rarity
now.davs in the civilized world or that men evolve
THAR cultivation as the Germans evolVed the
elephant
B.-See newspapers, pdSstm'
S-Out of their own consciousness. you Imply
therefore that the existence oil large cui'''S'0u
section of humanity indicates the extensive rea''ps
Of hooks. Well. that, maintain is either
oo,,,sinn mr. "A pretence. How many men ana
women of YOUR acquaintance are really readers OF
boOksf -,
R-How rnanvH They are innumerable have
n cousin in a Government Office who Is never WIFI
ont French novel in his hands His mother again
isa perfect devourcr of English fiction and could no
more live without her weekly cart-load from the
circulating library than horse without us
proyender.
e-Nonsanse You know as we'll as do that
there is intellectual Improvement w w N--"
from such idle qualifications of the lowest form OF
cnriositv-a perpetual gaping at the movements OF
nnunets that are not even made OF manipulated
with toerable skill by the men and women VINO
stna them and pull their wires. what IS 10 Oe
learned from a pack of scribbers who are hardy
moro ignorant of their fellowcreatures than they
/. are of their own language l was speaking OF the
hooks from which something Is to be learhed-oI
tne hooks which enlarge mans outlook upon life,
=. into ma ma
strengthen and discipline his reasoning powers
which ouicken his perceptions and stimulate his
sensiblities- at least mean of the books whlchlare
said to do all these things And ask you to tell me
honestly how many of these books are really read
read habitually and with appreciation for the
Measure and profit of reading them, and not merely
10 enable those who have SKINNED their pages TO
boast with only virtual instead OF actual talsehood
tbat thew hive read themi And when you have
told me that will you further tell me what proper
4ion the number of such persons bears to the
number of those who talk about books of this sort
and pretend or allow to be supposed that 1t is by
stndv of works like these that their ntellects have
been trainedf
B-In other words when have performed a
miracle of divinatiOn. will kindly execute feat
of magical arithmeticH First however, l should
like few particulars about the books to which you
rnfor But perhaps the question is unfair one.
sNot at all | know the backs OF them by
sight aud their nsldes by reputation, as well as any
man. Writers in newspapers, you know very
frequently refer to them. True, they all quote the
same passages from them, raising thereby certain
presumption which l need not follow out. But
doubtless they deeply imbuod with the spirit OF
these immortal works and we know that the
letter killeth."
B-No journalist of my acquaintance is in the
slightest danger of death from this cause. But,
come your particulars please