The morning call., 1892-03-20

simply because she is a girl. There are too
many responsibilities resting upon the CON-
ing mothers Of our race to use such a uar-
row policy as this. All reading should con-
duce To the process of development, or else it
IS worse than in vain. All books portrayiI 2
strength Of character, resisting wrong. and
suffering in the cause of right. should be
considered valuable adjuncts to young
girls education. That certain chapter in
Jane Eyre" where she trudgeS brayely
along in the mud and rain for miles and
miles. day alter day. not knowing even
where she Is going, past the little hamlets,
and hiding by the hedges, all for the pur-
pose OF leaving temptation behind her, is
better instruction In the path Of right than
thousand admOnitons.
% shonld say that the masterpieces of
fiction, les MiSerabies" Of Victor Hugo,
ION the Heights by Suerbach"; "Cloister
aud Hearth" by Charles Reade; "Whiie
Les, Anna kaTenina." by Tolstoi;
y 1hn Halifax, Gentlsman," by Miss Mu-
lcck-aH works Of the masters exemplifylng
principle, were the proper province of the
young girl IL she has a mind capable of
Development If she belongs to the order
that Is by nature weak and vain and trivial
l should say that ii made very little differ
ence what she reads.
If we could choose, there is nothing bet
Ter than to lay down the law that reading
should be diversified Any young girl who
has desire for better things should say to
herself For every novel read, L will read
one sensible book, and the sensible book
shall come first" When she goes to the
library for the last new novel, she will also
select a volume of Taine on art, or of
Macaulay on history, or OF Emerson on phil
osophy, or OF the masters on science, and
coax herself to leave the novel last.
In regard to RGskin's advice. Keep the
modern magazine and novel out of your
giifs way and let her read old and classical
DOCKS, ms serves admirably TO produce
y n hnE
sweet and interesting. But unfortunately
we belong TO practical age, and such a
course OF procedure would leave our young
girls IN complete ignorance of the worln Of
science, OF modern art and the realm of dis
coyery. Writings OF tie present day will be
classics hundred years from now; why de-
pTlve our nineteenth century madens of
these books and recommend them to their
great-grandchlldren?
Let us not deceive ourselves. The harm
IS not IN the novel nor in the magazine, as
sum total; 1t lies in lack Of discrimina-
ton. Why condemn the good with the
bad, the choice with the vulgar, the mighty
with the low? We might as we'll condemn
the sun because 1t helps to breed maggots
and pestilentIal vapOrs, and close our eyes
TO the exquisite purity of the water lily, ris-
lag from the same pool, by the same process.
When a sudden growth OF vile books
spreads out, Ike crop OF poisonous toad
stools, over the bOOkstalls, on the sign
boards. IN the book reviews, We are not left
Ia doubt on the subject. And when en-
lightened We should be observation-disclosures
have but one duty in the matter-to ignore
the book thus proclaimed.
90 so Tar as 70 say that il a book Is not
ut tor young girl to read, neither is il fit
for her mother. BY the integrity of the
women oil nation shall you know that ma
ton. AS American women, young or old,
We must seek the water lilies Of literature
ELLA STERLING CUMMINS.