Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-10

closely. Look over the tables Of contents
of the great magazines and reviews which
reflect the thought of our day, and you viii
find this religious factor in nearly every
number. Think what the problems Of the
generation are.
The first is the problem Of faith. On all
sides men are questioning the creeds. I'M
less you read books of religious knowledge
you will not be able to give an answer
when these questions draw near to you.
They are all answerable. The answers are all
WRITTEN IN BOOKS.
But you must read the books to learn the
answers. You cannot meet the profound
questions of this day offhand. And if you
cannot answer when your friend Or your
neighbor asks, you have lost a chance Of
doing Just what you ought to be living in
this generation for-you have lost a chance
of helping; very likely by your inability to
answer you have partially unsettled your
self. The wind is blowing in these days
and the rain is descending, and every
Christian man needs to have a stout founda-
ton. You must build part of that founda-
ton out of books.
Another problem is the question of church
unity. You can have no intelligent opinion
upon that subject unless you know upon
what grounds your own church stands. If
you know nothing about church history,
and nothing about ecclesiastical govern
ment, you have no right to say anything.
You do not know anything about church
unity. You can be of no service in solving
this problem of your generation.
Another problem is that of our social and
industrial future. That problem can be
solved only by men who have not only re-
ligious knowledge, but religious power,
ruhn hot fhn fha
Mount means, and who have the courage to
act upon it. 1t is not only to strengthen
our minds that we should read or even to
uplift our souls, but to gain ability to help
our brother men, to understand our times,
and to play our part therein wisely and
manfully.
GENERAL READING.
Concerning other reading, in history,
biography, science, fiction, poetry, there is
this to be remembered, and it is a thought
to make one careful; if you read this you
cannot read that.
The bookstores are full of books, and into
the literary market tide of new writings is
flowing without ebb or stay, and tide of
forgotten volumes flowing out. The major
ity of the books in any catalogue are not
worth reading. At least, they are not worth
any one persons reading. Some of them
are good for nothing, and might as well be
made of wood, with a leather label pasted
on the back. Some are helpful in special
studies; few only are meant for you. And
if you read foolish or useless book-why,
life is short, you can read only so much,
read you never so busily; and you have
crowded out a wise and inspiring book
which you might have read. You have no
right to read any unhelpful book.
In general, it may be said that books
which have stood the test of time are help
full books. Happily, too, the copyright has
run out long ago on such books, and they
cost little money. Shakespeare, and
THE CLASSIC POETS,
Scott and the classic story-tellers-these
books are new and never out of fashion, be-
cause they are like the sweet nursery fables,
which little children never tire of hearing,
because they are good. You cannot go far
astray, if you read the standard" books.
Emerson's rule was ''Never read any but
famed books. Never read any book
which is not year DID," That
is hard rule to keep, and perhaps
more strict than is needful. But this, at
least, is a good guide: Never read any
book which you have never heard of before.
Never read a book which is anonymous, or
by writer unknown to you, or printed by
some publishing house which has no literary
standing-unless some one upon whose
judgment you can rely, advises you to read
it. Reading and hearing are the same thing.
you remember. To whom will you listen?
To this stranger about whom you know
nothing, who comes to you with no intro
duction? or to this great and gifted soul in
whose society all the world delights? Show
me your books, and shall see what sort Of
society you keep. GEORGE HODGES.