Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-10-08
An Evening Reflection.

VuSti ohH tvoiti ~ 10 IucotiuH
with many people how they shall
pass their evenings. Somtimes
you will want to visit your old
friends, 10 renew old acquaint.
ances, or TO devote the evening to |
reading. Each is very proper and
necessary in it's place. Mankind
was never designed for habits of
insulation from fellow beings.
And when you form an acquaint.
ance you do not wish to cultivate
it unless you consider the party
equally as good if not better than
yourself.
And you will not visit persons
whom you do not wish to invite to
your home nor invite 20 your
home a person whom you would
not desire to visit; you will always
be courteous to every one but you
will not select as an intimate com
panion any but high toned, high
minded lady or gentleman. This
is your sacred privilege and one
that should always be exercised.
But as you do not desire to de-
vote all your time to calling and
receiving callers you will doubt
less select one or more books to
read during your leisure moments.
Did it ever occur to you that it is
your privilege to select refined
and master minds for your literary
companions rather than individu.
ais of a ten.cent calibreg Did you
ever pause to reflect that charac-
ter is the sum total of traditions
and impressionsf That your ev-
cry word, thought, and action
goes toward forming habits and
formed habits cons itute charac-
ter? If you reflect only a mo-
ment upon this law of human de-
velOpment you will see the impOr-
lance of exercising much discre-
ton when selecting your reading
matter.
Would you expect a palatable
and healthy dish from diseased
and nnsavory ingredientsf You
should apply a like test to books.
Now that most schools are open
ing for the work of the coming
year it may not be uninteresting
to make some observations upon
reading as related to education.
A school of the most desirable
type implies the existence of many
conditions whose Importance is
often vastly underestimated.
Two things are absolutely
necessary for any school,
course of study and pupils. In
theory it is comparatively easy
matter to arrange course OF
study-One that shall be broad
and deep, or extensive and inten
sive. But in practice it becomes
necessary to adapt the course Of
study to the needs of the pupil
And it sometimes happens thai
"tO adapt" means "tO change ell
tirely."-Let us illustrate. Two
students of the same age and ap
parently Of the same mental ca
pacity enter school together
One has devoted his leisure hours
at home to the reading of some
useful books and papers. He de
sires knowledge for its own sake
He knows the principal events
that are transporting around ant
about him. He is interested il
questions of sta and national i'm
pOrtance. He has acquired tn,
habit of applying his mind ant
this essential of success is carried
with him when he enters thu
school room. Moreover his fund o
current events and general intOr
nation renders text books more
Ineligible and interesting to him
He has some idea of the "eterna
fitness of things"
But the other boy has beef
without the above mentioned ad
vantages. He has perhaps pass
ed his leisure hours in the com
pany of evil associates. When h,
enters school he is unintelligent
and what is worse, has no desire
to become intelligent. He has
never learned to apply himsel
mentally and therefore the schOo
work does not interest him. Still
his parents wonder why he doe.
not advance rapidly in his studies
Now, if school is made interesting
for this boy it must undertake tt
do what can and should always bt
done at home. The hOme.trainine
that permits a youth to grow III
wholly ignorant of reputable cur
rent literature and standard books
is very seriously defective; anC
should a knowledge of such pro
ductions and a taste for them ever
exist in youth SO neglected a
home, he will have to thank 9th
ers than the family circle for thil
deferred blessing. Teach hin
what to read and get it for hin
before he is either initiated into
trashy matter, or his mind Sc
against reading at all. Doubtless
the chief charm in light reading
consists in its economy of thu
readers powers of concentration
coupled with sensational data
But these are only tempOrar,