The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-05-31
HOW TO READ.
It's a Good Plan to Have Set Time In
Every Day for This Purpose.


Again and again have been asked
by girls who had very little time what
they should read, and sometimes have
answered: THE question of what you
should read is not of half as much con-
sequence as the question as to how you
should read" Indeed, when the method
and habit of reading is once settled up
on it helps to settle the other question
of what to read. The mind will natur-
ally choose, first, something that would
be agreeable for il to consider; and be-
fore we should attempt to form a
taste" we should try to become ac-
auainted with what tastes we have at
present. Stop and think for a mo-
nent what you would natural
ly choose If | should tell
you that | would send you the very kind
Of reading that would give you the most
pleasure, how many of you, do you
think, would ask me for a book of
history? How many Of You would want
TO read an essay? How many of you
would care for book of travels? How
many of you would say:"Give me a story;
do not care much what it is if it only
zones out well in the end, and if good
many things happen along the way?'
| How many of you would, if you were
willing to confess it, prefer not to have
book at all, because you have no habit
If fixing the mind long enough on any
| one subject to make it desirable to take
up book over and over again? If you
answered me honestly, would you not,
good many of you, say You would like
1 story, but that you would like short
stories, such as can be found in period
/ Gals?
Many of the girls who ask me what
they shall read are young, and many
II them, also, very busy. Real life
laa begun early for them, and they are
either much occupied with their school
studies, or busy all day long in some
occupation by which they are earning
money in order to board and clothe
Themselves; or they are helping their
parents to pay the rent, or they have
taken upon themselves the expense OF
sending younger brother or sister to
school. Such girls have little time, and
out Of fifty of them should probably
find thirty-fve who would answer the
questions above by telling me that they
would like IA story.
My first suggestion would be, let us
take, to begin with, the things we
would like the best Let our own in
clinatiOr and taste decide. Having
chosen our story how shall we read it,
First of all, read with regularity. Let
US take the long day and divide it II
our minds and see how much of i
really ought to be given to work; how
much to the care of our person, how
much to our family and friends, how
much to rest and sleep, and then SCI
how much time is left for our own i'm
provement. 1t is hard for me to be
lieve that any young person is so cruel
ly situated as not to be able to have a
least fifteen minutes in the day whicl
she can call her own. BE
gin then to take that tifteel
minutes regularly. Let us go to on
book or our periodical just as prompt,
as we go to our dinner, and make TO
ourselves as early as possible the habi
of putting some reading regularly int
the programme of the day, Do no
think of it as one of the things that ca
be omitted. Do not be easily diverte
from it. 1t is habit that we wish t
fix for all our coming life. There ar
many habits which it is unfortunate t
form because nature continues to max
! a demand for that which has been sur
piled. But this habit of reading is on
of the things for which we wish natur
to make demand, and demand stron
enough so that it shall be felt al
through the busy years to come,-Mar
Lowe Dickinson. in the Housewife.