Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-29
A Talk About Books.

mine adversary had written book!'
Joo had not published anything not
wltnstandlng THIS very sensible exclam-
atloni lot IN an antecedent chapter ne
says, Oh tnat my words were now
wIittenl On that they were printed IN
oook! but 10 conciude the statement
OF Soiomon, ne ADDED that much
st1dy Is WEAKNESS oI the nesn."
10o naVing written nothIng' was
proDaoly crllc ana solomon, VINO
had read everything was simply sur
teited. Inc expressions OF each, now
ever, are suInelent 10 SNOW tnat tney
were eonVersant win BOOKS as estao-
ilsned ehtltesa sat remote perlou Oh ume'
Douotiess many VIII agree with the
sense Oh tne MAXIM OF Eccleelastes'
lespeclallyn u aware OF tne deluge OF con-
temporary literature, one most lovers
OF DOCKS VIII agree tnat lts Application
sn1ulu 0I not oe 700 serIcuy Hmiteu.
Inere are many pookS In tne Worlu,
anu II does seem Cnat there Is no eng
70 lhelr end making; out the Worlo
VIII never contain 700 many good
oooks. ana one OF the very nrst things
70 oe Learned py nim VINO would study
the divine arr OF reading is how to
choose What ne reads. rms becomes
apparent, whea the vast NUMBER OF
BOOKS In exlstc nee Is considered; L! is
sai9 that tnere are now l,iVU,oOV piinI-
ea DOCKS IN the iloraiy OF tne britisn
museum alone; ana tne library OF the
bioilotneque Natlonale OF faris con-
tains more tnan ., ,OoO,oOO volumes. IL
Is PAIN 70 oe seen that mere traction
OF tnls vast humoer (anu these are not
an can, De read IN an ordinary IlIe
Time. Ihereiore ie becomes necessary
70 educate tne iaculty OF choosing.
lhis, OF course, canhot gne aone Win
out nrst cuitivatlhg taste Ior reaolng'
AT this day tnere is small excuse 1or
one VINO negiects or refuses 70 cultyate
tn1s TASTE. BOOKS nave become so
cneap tnat the poorest among US may
nave Tor MS own the masters OF the
ages. What a ,1ellgntl IL IS 70 ENJOY
tneir society! lhey never siahuer you
never abuse you, never mock OF dls,
courage, out WOO you, eievate you anu
make you one Win themselves, LIS
zen 70 tne testimony OF tne heatnen'
Iaiseiy so-calleo. says socrates: "Em,
pioy your Time IN improving yoursell
oy other mems Wrltlngs; so you may
come easily oy wnat otners nave laoor-
ed hard ior.' ana cicero, than Wnom
none Detter knew the value OF DOCKS,
says: Keep your o00Hs, ana 40 not ue-
SPAR OF my peing aoie 70 make tnem
Ininei wnlcn, II acconPlish, ! snaIl
exceed Croesus IN rlcnes, anu look uow1
Win contempt upon ;, tnG re- houses ana
,anos Oh al tne WorLa inese anG5enI M
neatnens knew tntng OF t"o; ';,. 5ow
souho Is the auVice " oeneca: AZ uoes
not matter now many, Dut now gooo
the DOCKS you nave. II is mucn petCer
10 trust yoursell 10 rev gooo autnors
than to wander through several" Can
tnIs excelient auVice ne oe mucn improve
eo! surely NOT. Inc same tnlng nlay
ne Iounu SAplesseu ~ newer saIo' I'M. THs
IL Is the thougnt OF Seneca stili. 10
know one eood nooK wei, Is petter
than 70 know sometnlng a9out a nun
dred goo9 BOOKS, az secon9 nano, s
put a vatiatlon Oh tne orlglhal express
sion OF the pagan pnilosopher.
LeC US summon Fiutarch. CnleiesC
OF oiograpners, Wnat Is Cny testlmohy
toGchlng oookst anu ne answers us:
we ougnt 10 Iegsru DOCKS rs we 10
sWeetmeaIs' not Wholly 70 ann % az the e
Pleasantest, out cnleny 70 respect e sne
Wholesomesti not lorolodlng eitner' ou'
approving the lat!el Miost'
ana Inou, SuintilIah, wnaG sayeS'
thou? Every goo9 Wrlter ID 70 oe leau,
ahe al,leeh:iy: anu, Wnen .ne Vo,uaae is
IS nnisneo' IS 20 pc gone tnr9un again
Irom tne oeglnnng Anu AN 30 we W
iniShI So ou 4uestlohlnS SnS eionSs VI
tne past ln9enhItely, anu tneir 'es'i-
m4ny Wou1H p, ever Ge tne s;S same. e. so,.o
was IL rlato VINO saLu, ''is,, noJsH
Wltnout library u Wi!nout so9Is ms
NO matter Wno salu ~, IL Is tfue. :ne
man WIG sums iiseil oi ,s tae iunues, .;i, a.
OF even thg 9;1 necesJl'les @ & Ui a,ie, ,,;o" wiz hUs
oe pou.. , ms SOU. VIII We col4an,Ini a LII,
WIN Cne SOUS o! mignsy ones. @ ne nana WI,
slt oo%h 10 tne least ol She gous. Does
ne ne suner! AZ ms sue 1oWs ING n,.s livsi
EcePoh'iIo. oes Y n,'." =.
IaIne, happiuesS, Wisuolns lucy are
for his asking. Does he desire to Know
the wav of Iife-the wav of death? Let
him open the mystic pages and they
will reveal it all. With Niccolo Mac
hiavelll ne can say: "When evening
has arrived, return home and go in
to my study | pass into the an
tique courts OF ancient men, where well
coined lovingly by them, l feed upon
the feed which Is my own, ana 1of
which l was born. For hours together,
the miseries of life no longer annoy me-
l forget every vexation; l do not fear
poverty; for Il nave altogether Trans.