Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-09-17
The Reading-Habit.

Harper's Bazar
Of all the habits that can be cultivat-
ed, none is more productive of pleasure
and improvement than that of reading,
provided the books be well chosen.
Reading is recreation-the rest and
refreshment that make one feel like a
new being-but it is much more. 1t is
not only the wine of mental life, it is its
daily bread. The study of text books
will by no means take the place of gen.
eral and varied reading. One may be
master of several languages and yet not
be well read. One may have many ac
complishments, and even be proficient
in one or more branches of science, and
yet be unintelligent on general subjects
for lack of habit of judicious read
ing.
The quantity of reading that may be
done in a year by the employment of
even small portions of time is surprising
to those who have not observed the mat
ter. 1t is a delight to think of the
amount of information and keen intel
lectual pleasure obtained by those who
follow the "required readings" of the
Chautauquan courses after spending less
than an hour a day upon them, and equal
advantages may follow more desultory
reading if it be well chosen.
A lady whom we know is the head of
large family, entertaining much CON-
pany, and doing great deal of benevo-
lent work. All these things leave her
but little time, yet at the end of the year
she will be found to have read more, and
to have better assimilated what she has
read, than the majority of men and
women of leisure. In her the reading
habit is very strong, and leads her to
improve every chance moment. Her
memory is good and her mental facul-
ties clear, so that she can keep many
separate threads of thought in mind
without dropping or tangling any y
Hence she finds itprolitable to have sew
eral books on hand at once. For her
own "den," where she is most likely to
be found when she has more than few
moments at her disposal, she has always
"solid'' work of some history, BIZ
ography, travel, or popularized science.
In the sewing room, where she may have
to wait short intervals between "fit-
tings," are kept volumes of selections.
On her dressing table is always another
book. In her parlor small-volumed
Shakespeare is ever at hand. In the
diningrOom are newspapers and maya
zines In drawer in the hall table, ready
to be taken when going out, are nov
els or books of short stories, to be read
in carriage or horse-cars. Thus she is
never obliged to wait idly through even
those moments of waiting which are in
evitable in every large family.
A very great advantage of this lady's
habit is that her whole family receive
the benefit of her ever-overflowing mind.
Her children bring their studies, her
husband his interests, and she her read
ing to the common fund of intellectual
enjoyment. Their table hours are charm
ing. The husbands business is one in
volving unusual cares and responsible
tiles, and he is often too tired to read,
but, by his wife's flow of lively chat
upon ever-fresh topics, his mind is, as
he expresses it, so Irrigated" that it be-
comes rich and fruitful, instead of the
arid waste which mind exhausted by
business, and unrefreshed from without
must be. Her children derive from their
mothers stores countless bits of inform
alton which enable them to better un-
derstand their lessons, and are constant
ly stimulated to greater efforts.
This useful and interesting woman
makes no pretensions to learning, and
with the exception of writing and speak
ing the English language with unusual
purity and fluency, has no accomplish
ments; but she is singularly well in
formed.