The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1886-12-20

priuCIpies.
Reading and the Training of the Mind.
Editor LiGmr;
Except some proiessed scholars, 1
have often observed that women In gem
eral read much more than men, but, for
want OF n plan, a fixed object, their read
ing Is of little benefit to themselves or
prs."-Gibbon.
This remark is. fear. just ms applica.
BILE to nineteen -twentieths of the men,
taken Mt random, rs IL Is to women, Tor
my observation leads me to the conclu.
sion that great many men read nothing
except newspapers, while n still larger
number read with no other purpose than
that killing time" and escaping the
dreadful malady OF ennui. The effect of
reading the newspap RS exclusively Is
to produce superiiciality and TO Ill the
heads OF men with mass Of assorted
miscellaneous and heterogeneous matter
OF no particular use.
Few men read with "a plan. or fixed
object" though both sexes should do SO,
II they desire TO read to any profit.
My observation has satisfied me that
women excel men rs letter writer's The
majority OF women write lively ami
sket0hy letters, which are interesting,
even when they are wanting in the
graces ola really polished style. As |
always like to account for every thing
that appears to admit OF explanation, !
have endesvOred to account for the SUI
periOrity OF women as letter writers,
and after revolving the matter, have
reached the conclusion that 1t proceeds
from the natural cast OF their minds.
Women certainly excel men In the
faculty OF observing and painting
manners, and In writing drs-
matically, yet naturally. They
also excel In the art Of description-snd
these things lead them unconsciOusly to
employ the true narrative style In writ
ing letters. 1t is needless to say that
narrative 10 the true epistolsry style.
Letters should not be essays nor speech
es. yet men are apt, iDsensibly, TO fall
into an essay or N speech when they sit
down to write letter even to q friend.
Women employ plain language and
write In q conversational style, and sell
dom cudgel their brains In order TO say
eloquent, or smart things. In their let
tiers; they write from their feelings
rather than their heads, and consequent
ly their letters are chatty, lively and in
| teresting.
There is n good deal OF diversity OF
| opinion Ms to how reading should be
| prosecuted, and many eminent men have
| read without "a plan or fixed object"
| and in the most desultory manner imag-
Unable. No one ever saw Sargent $.
Prentlss reading or studying, yet his
reading WINS most extensive. He was
never known to prepare his law cases
That 10, no one ever saw him engaged at
such preparation, yet, when they come
to be tried, he was fully posted and pre-
pared at all times.
| lihhnn hua laft nm raaord nm aOonunt
| OF his own manner OF reading, which
was unique. He seldom read book
through, continuously; but. when the
book he was engaged upon, happened,
incidentally, to touch upon, or allude to.
another subject, that excited an interest
In him, he laid the frat book aside, and
read on the new SUBJECT. He commended
that this manner OF reading had the ef-
feet OF keeping the attention from flag
ging; and that what we read with lively
curiosity and close attention Ia more
| upon the mind.
This theory is certainly reasonable and
plausible, still this manner Of reading Is
often rendered impracticable by the i'm
possibility OF procuring the books neces.
sary for prosecuting 80 discursive a
course Of reading. 1t lie true Of the mem
tai as we'll as OF the bodily food-that
"whAt 10 one mans meat, Is another
mans poison" and hence no fixed and
invariable plan OF reading. such rs that
all men shall read certain set OF books
In a certain order, or follow the plan OF
Gibbon. will suit every mind. What ID
to be done then? Ii would be better fol
both men and women II they read
fewer books and read few repeatedly
so as thoroughly to master them. by
such course they would acquire the
style Of the authors whose works they
perused repeatedly, instead of contract.
Ing either a slip-shOd or polyglot style
The multitude Of books annually issued
from the press tempts us to read hur
riedly as well as promiscuOusly, and the
natural result Ia that we get u smatter.
ing Of knowledge rather than reliable
knowledge. The mind Is not giver
proper time for digestion while the mem
DRY 10 overloaded by reading promiscu'
ously and hurriedly great number o.
books.
After all, 1t Ia not the number Of
books we read, nor the plan followed In
reading them that serves to store Oul
minds with knowledge. A mere boOl
worm Is unable to asssort the undigestet
materials piled up In his mind like nail,
In q key or boxes and packages in 1
warehouse. He has verified nothing by