The morning call., 1892-03-20
TRAIN HER MIND.
"Dl Vernon" Thinks Girls Should Read
the Daily Newspapers.

"Di V-Tnon" Thinks Girls Should Read
the Daily Newspapers.
a young girl should read nothing that will
unduly stimulate her mind, iniuriously ex-
cite her imagination or scar her soul. I'm
moral fiction, passion poems, dream books
and fortune-tellers' cards, should never be
permitted to engage her attention. That
some or any one of these may fall into her
hands is quite likely, for such things are
always circulating on the quiet in large
schools and in all circles Of society. Whether
or not the young girl viii fling them from
her when they do reach her depends upon
how both her conscience and her mind have
been trained.
That there are bad people and bad books
in the world she is bound to find out sooner
or later, and she might just as well be told
how and why they are immoral Simple
prohibition will not keep her from associat-
Ing with the one nor from reading the
other. She must be educated above the de-
sire TO read such stuff.
In this day ignorance Is not to be CON-
mended. L have heard sweetly innocent
and astonsbingly ignorant young girls dis
cuss LA Iosca" with a freedom that wo uld
have made dowager's wig stand on end,
and yet they did not know what they were
talking about.
Ruskin's advice. keep the modern maya
zine ont Of your girls way" Let her read
old and classical books" is not good coun-
sell Until young girl has left school she
will not have time to read novels, except
such as are distinctly in her course of liter
AZURE. or illustrative of some epoch. some
historical period TO which her attention is
particularly drawn. But as for the maya
zine and the illustrated periodical of the
high class, let her be familiar with those
from her earliest childhood as a part
of her education. Even the pictures
Of paper printed in foreign
language will teach something, though
the text be as Greek to a rustic. 1t seems
10 me that when a girl is as cd as 10 she
should have placed in her way some monthly
summary Of the affairs of the world, such
as the Review Of Reviews and also another
magazine and be encouraged to read and
think for herself. What her mind is able
to assimilate will be distinct gain, and
what is beyond her comprehension can be
passed over without loss.
Certainly let a girl read old and classic
books, under guidance, Of course, provided
she takes to them naturally, or as the re-
suit OF previous training. but no intellectual
benefit can be derived by her from their per-
nsal II she be driven to them like the gal
ley slave scourged to his dungeon" 1t is
nlgh!y important that at an early age chill
dren must not imbibe distaste for good
reaGng oy having goody-goody or wishy-
Wasiy Literature forced upon them.
But simply because book Il old does
not make 1t desirable reading for every young
girl. Tom Jones" and Frederick Ran
dohl Would each need liberal blue pencil
Ing before they could be decent reading for
the young girl OF to-day, and yet both are
old and classics Of their kind.
Shall young girls read the daily news
papers? Certainly. Two or three times In
my life have met familie5-I am happy to
say that they were not Americans-where
the young people were not allowed to read
newspapers, and a more sweetly inane and
stupid set Of young women l have never
been condemned to meet.
Keep the Duchess" aud ali others of that
ink away from young ladies while they are
at school. and when they have flushed
good course of English grammar and Theto-
tic they will not be satisfied with tho in
ferior productions of the publishing world.
While the habit of study and the love of
research is still with Ler, young girl can
90 no better than to join a reading club. or
10 agree with an Old scho0mate to meet
once week to read the masterpieces of
English literature She should read Chau-
GERS Canterbury Tales" Sponsors "Faery
Queene," Dante's Inferno" Paradise
LOST" Carlyle, Emerson, and Just
as much poetry MS she can find time
TO read. both silently and aloud | wish
that more were ready TO enjoy the
earthly paradise of William Morris, aud the
Intensely human ! ostry CT Helen Hunt
Jackson. She should at least dip into famous