Wichita eagle., 1889-02-22
NOVEL READING.
A rev Suggestions to Boys By
An Expert.
Some of the Evil Effects of Indiscrimi-
nately Absorbing Observation-Disclosures
Unreal and Exaggerated
Idea of Life.
M Quad in Detroit Free Press I

M Quad in Detroit Free Press1
"Does it hurt a boy to read novels?"
Take a clean sponge and dip it into .
running gutter, and what is the result?
The sponge can be cleaned and purified
again, but only after much labor.
The human mind, my lad, is a sponge,
and it soaks up the good, bad and iudiffer-
emit 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 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. He
never acts nor talks like a boy. His adj
ventures as hunter, detective or runaway
are too improbable.
Nevertheless, as you read you find your
self half-believing, at least, and the next
thing is to wonder why you can't be a
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. Ev en- if you say
to yourself that you won't believe word
of the story, the mind will still soak up
many of the false theories and absurd
ideas, and later on in years it may cost
you something to get rid of them.
Ii stranger should tell you that, as he
was passing over certain bridge span
ming a creek, he saw gold watch lying
in the water, but was in too great hurry
to stop, you would probably believe the
story. IL you had positive proof that the
man was brazen liar you would still find
yourself wondering how deep the water
was, who lost the watch and whether my
one had secured 1t. 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 a boy to
read should, although it may be purely
fiction, contain nothing exagger ated or
improbable. The hero may he 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 70 save /
others. These things are possible and 1
probable, but this making boy drive of /
a band of Indians, or break up gang Of i
robbers, or capture a ship-load OF pirates, /
is against common sense.
Let me instance some other evils In
book recently published by a very respect
able Eastern house, and having for its au-
thor a person with a "Rsv." before his +
name, he tells about sailor falling down
the middle companionway." He mean.
batchway, but some day some one Of his
bow readers will say something about ths
middle companionway" and find himself
the butt OF ridlcuIe. The same author
speaks Of a sailor 10 his hammock Ham
nocks are never used aboard Of merchant
vessels, but the men have bertbs He has
he crew gather around the man az the
wheel to sing and smoke and yarn it,
xhen every boy who ever heard % dixci-
,line aboard ship knows that no sailor is
permitted aft unless called there ty strict
iuty.
In another book, put forth By an equally
house, the length OF the MIS-
iissippi River Is wrongly given. Arsan-
as Is put on the wrong side Of that river,
md tie distance fran yicksburgh 70
eaton Rouge Is no. eorrec. by thirty niles
Such instances as have related b~fog 9
oy's mind and lead bin into error. and be
lad better have spen; as time In playing
marbles
Let re ask you bow much better OF yoa
rould De 20 at down in grrcsry for thrss
ours each evening and listen 70 come man
cling lies. knowing al the tir1e they -srs
IS, Would tha: improve y0ar mindf
fany Of the novels are 10 raors improving
ban such grocery taIea-
New ie. me ask yoa Whist rnakss an H.
eli gent, VEL posted nan! seAoos edacs-
.on, % begi. with. II ws Learned nosh-
az after ws lett scsooa the world ~uald /
lip Backwards His z1ind goes Ga. day /
fer day, wsek after week, picking up
craps Of history, politics, travel, botany,
siroaory. ard - forth, and By and 81 he
q human ezcyclopstiA He may read
we stories Asd sdTentzres al hss days
I'd b. no better q. Indeed, 10 viii -
" worse o.
'sW 81, ~H1t sh.a 8 toy rea1,-
Thsre are one or two boy pagers Of good
sorzl toEe- The s~roes ars no. eraxger-
led, and tas adrersurxs are sos iay<eo>s-
p II toe story is IL za4asnz. TIE aassor
ives sozae ysiaahas insornatsoa n regard ] q