Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-10
WHAT SHALL WE READ7


a. r. Spofford, librarian of Congress,
is reported as saying: america has not
produced in the last twenty years a
, single author of genius equal to-
Hawthorne or Emerson" If he is right
in his estimate, and he is considered
| authority in literary matters, it
behooves us who aspire to literary
culture, to keep intimate acquaintance
with them. Give the Wonder book to
the boys and girls. The Scarlet Letter,
with Its sad story of retributive justice,
its puritanical persecution and patient
submission to the DEGREES of the law, is
fraught with Ceep interest. We grow
indignant and resentful over the
characteristics Of Roger Chillingsworth,
feel pity akin to scorn, for the dual
life and nature, for the moral weakness
and cOwardice of parson Dimmesdale;
though Hester Pryme represents the
outcast criminal we grow to feel for her
IN her anguish and despair. an infinite
pity as she eXpiates her crime. Her
repentance and atonement, call for
divine forgiveness and mercy, hence
spirit Of compassion arrays itself in
charity to the erring woman, and
against the merciless persecution of the
self righteous mob, or revengeful
associates. There is no call for maudlin
pruGishness i'll reading the pathetic
story which is in part history Of the
old times when death was less cruel
than justice. The influence Of the
book is on the side of humanity, mercy,
and christianity. Emerson should be
read and re-read, studied and quoted,
until one grows familiar with his
writings. Like Shakespeare, Emerson
must be made a household companion.
Many of our young people are
charmed with Ouidas french novels.
|. Out of the thirty.three that she has
written, Bimbi alone is worthy of
praise. Bimbi is a charming romance
of child life told in beautiful simplicity
of language. Of the other thirty-three,
| the pruning knife needs to be used so
vigorously that the interest in the story
is lost before the tale is fit for refined
readers to enjoy. She has a beauty of
expression, a force of metaphor, a
brilliant intellectually that proves very
fascinating, but the trail of the serpent
is over them all She idealizes vice
| and passion and under a fair outside
hides q loathsome immortality The
storm clouds of passion shut from our
vision the heights of love that is life.
The public are outgrowing Ouida even
as they have wearied of the sameness
of Mrs. Southworth's sensational stories
| in which the demon and the angel
figure in changeful personalities but
unchanging characteristics. Tolstoi
takes note of the deeper, subtler
experiences of life, and though the
pruning knife is needed in some of his
works, he is unquestionably a great
author. Robert Louis Stevenson is
among the foremost of living novelists.
| Mrs. Francis Hodson Burnett and
| Charles Egbert Craddock hold high
places among American authors. We
heartily endorse their stories for our
young people.
! We wish to suggest careful reading
of the letters appearing in the REPORTER
descriptive of historic places in Eng
land. They are bright, readable articles
and we should not forget, a pearl is
none the less a pearl because found at
our own door. In poetical works "The
Light of the World by Sir Edwin
Arnold is receiving favorable comment.
1t is not in our Library but deserves a
place, and it is to be hoped the Board"
will put it on the next list of books sent
for. All over America and Europe the
book has been quoted, discussed and
lectured about until an ignorance of it
seems real loss. Who Is not familiar
with Grey's Elegy? 1t has been
accorded "the highest place of alp in
the prize poetical contest in Once a
Week. John Gilpins Ride was counted
the most humorous. The latter was
made memorable here by a Fake who
appeared in Grand Rapids number of
years ago with panorama views and
personated Sohn Gilpin so villainously
that a large part of the audience left
the hall. To those unfortunate enough
to have been present, the humor of
John Gilpin's Ride will always be
inextricably confused with the grotesque
farce of the farce.
\ word on religious literature. It is
an evidence of the egotism of youth to
read with avidity all the skeptical
literature that calls most for public
censure. Robert Elsmere found humid
reds of readers who would have
counted the reading of 1t a tedious
study, only for the fact that it dealt in
orthodox heresies. We would not bar
from our intelligent readers the school
of thought represented by such books
as Robert Elsmere, Almost Persuaded
David Grieve and kindred works, but we
most decidedly counsel our young
people to study first the rise of the
christian religion, the Bible and its
truths, before Laundering in the mazes
that Robert Elsmere found SO dark. II