The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-20

taught hlm but little If they had no
taught him how to bear their loss. Al
systems of education are predicatet
upon the theory of ignorance and thei
purpose is to reform and enlighten bu
the reformation must be a. reform o
the heart. The foundation of tru,
morality must find its seats in the affec
tions. Virture must be set before mer
knowledge. It is something that mus
be loved for itself. The furthes
sighted philosopher may be the neares
sighted moralist. he may forget whsI
Walter Scott did not forget that Their
is but one Book. knowledge is powe
such as the unbridled despot need
unless it is under the control of th.
highest moral culture. There is NJ
better way to secure this control thar
by reading good books. He spoke o.
the influence of good books in shaping
J the lives of men for noble and high
aspirations. John Bunyan had been i
| guide to heaven for many lives. Ben.
jalnin Franklin tells US that if he had
been able to do any good he owed it to
the reading of single book which vas
but q fragment. On the other hand
the reading Of bad books has baneful
influence. He warned the young gen.
tlemer against the pernicious influence
Of dime novels. Between their lids
may be contained the destipies OF two
worlds. Shun an evil book rs you
would viper. There is no poison &C
insidious as that contained in an evil
book and which it instils, while there
is nothing better than a good book.
But have books only an ethical pur'
pose? It would be contrary to all
periepce to say 30. He who reads car
be truly said to be never more alone
than when alone. Whatever may be
bis Surroundings he forgets everything
! in the enjoyment of reading. Cicero
tells US that be would have parted with
! everything rather than his books. The
poet Southey when he could no longer
enjoy his books kissed and cartssed the
lids of the books he could no longer
read.
Books have an Office as q mental
! stimulant. Reading tho thoughts OF
others will give rs thoughts of our
own.
When should We read? Pliny had
his servant to read to him at ,uesls.
The younger PliDy carried his books
around with him and read all the time.
We should not 60 to extremes. Many
who have taste for reading defrsud
themselves with the plea that they
have no time. We should economic
| our time and thus every one can ind
tia,e to read.
How should we read? There Is a
Latin maxim "Multum non multa''
which being applied to the subject
under discussion means that we should
read much but not many things. Multi
faricus reading is the worst kind of all
idleuess. There are exceptional cases
| like Macaulay who could read whole
page at a glance and take it in and
digest it but such cases are the excep-
tion to the rule. There is an old saying,
beware of the man Of one book", and
no truer warning was ever sounded.
One of the greatest foes of logical read
ing is the reading of the newspapers of
the day, but the man who does not read
the newspapers had better seek some
museum and place himself there ~ a
fossilized mummy.
Emerson said never read 5ook until
it is one year old. That is not always
true but it is we'll never to read any
but standard books. Read history, al
ways with the understanding that the
writer may be writing bis own story.
Read the history of your own State and
country and know it well, Read the
literature of your own language. Read
poetry; then philosophy; .hen works of
chastsned imagination; then works OF
fiction. Study the book of nature,
which lies open before you. But be
said there was danger here of mat. rial
ism. Newton in studying nature re-
cogDized the fact that mind and matter
were different hemispheres of the same
great globe, and he that knew either,
knew both, while the msterial;st in
studying nature did not look beyond
nature up to natures God. In this fact
Turks the danger.
But he said his talk would be incom-
plete without pointing the young gen
tlemen to the greatest of all beoks-the
Book of books. Looking at it simply
from an intellectual standpoint you
could find nowhere as in the Bible ex.
amples that challenged greater admira.
ton or alteration. Moses refused to be-
come Pharoah's son and heir to the
throne because be could not do 80
without sacrifice of principle. Nehe-
miah was the grardest exemplar of
love Of ceuutry that the world had
ever seen~ Numerous instances were
cited to show the value of the study Of
this Book of books. Even John Tyndal
said Of it that it was not one book but
a whole library. That was an uncon.
scious tribute but none the less true or
deserving. This record tells us offhe
redeemed in heaven, of Moses and the
Lamb, it contains the song Of Calvary,
and is symphony Of love from begin
ming to end. BE closed his most ex.
cellent address with the advice to the
young men, with ali your getting
from books; O, friends, get understand
ing"
Tho Class OF 'o4.
The nine young men who graduate this
year take the full A. B. Degree. The Her
aid and News extends its compliments to
the young gentlemen, and wishes them a
happy aud pleasant voyage over life's sea.
In presenting the photographs of each of
the graduates we would say our art de-
partmeut is yet young and if the photos.
do not show up as we'll as some fastidious
critic may think they should. we trust the
effort will be appreciated by the young
men and their friends. They appear this
morning on the rostrum and deliver their
graduating speeches, and then begins the
journey of life in earnest 1t is interesting
to know what their life work will be, but
as is frequently found many have not yer
decided what they will do. Circumstances
often change the whole course of the life
work mapped out by many young men
when they pass from college walls.
The pleasant duty of extending words
of welcome to the large audience this
morning devolv-
~ ed upon Mr.. c. J.
MS~ Ramage, Edge
M field, the second