The herald., 1894-08-20

"Golden volumesl richest treasuresS
ublects OF delicious pleasures
You my eyes rejoicing please
YOu my hands IN rapture seize;
Brilliant wits and musing sage,,
Lights who beamed through many ages,
Left TO your conscious leaves the story,
And dared TO trust you with their glory
And now their hope OF fame achieved,
Dear volumes, you have not deceived"
We could hope that such q poem
would truly represent the library of the
City Of the Angels, and trust that moth.
ing shall come to this institution OF 40,
900 volumes that will leave q cloud
upon it.
would indict all publications in the
public library or on the shelves OF book
stores that contain matter of ques-
tionable character. In fact, there has
been too great Doldness on the part oi
publishers and booksellers in placing
before the public q MACS of printed
matter called books, when in fact scch
publications were only mental poisons
to the young mind, and only prepare the
subisct for more terrible fate.
Ii there 10 one method used by the
devil and the powers OF darkness more
effectively than another in the prepara-
tion OF victims for 1.-TWO worlds,' it is
the casting into the fresh and fertile soil
OF youthful minds the dAmuable pic
lures for the imagination, which bring
forth harvest elm mbracing every sin in
that fearful catalogue found In the fifth
chapter OF Galatians. We have been
criticized for giving publicity to the fact
that bad book or books existed
in our library. Well, how can the end
be accomplished which we desire, viz,
the getting rid OF the evil books which
are in circulation, unless strong meas.
ures are made use Of? Can you or |
swing the danger signal too quickly and
surely when we know that behind us is
an obstacle of death and in front of us
is great train of immortal souls?
A little American girl was honored
the other day by the government OF
France for taking her red skirt and run
ming up the track and signaling the
through express. She discovered q
bridge on fire over which that train
must pass, and 80 had presence OF mind
enough to signal the train. France
heard OF her act because there we're two
or three Frenchmen on that train. and
gave her title OF honor. She deserved
it. 30 every man, woman or child that
swings danger signal on the track OF
moral destiny should be honored rather
than condemned
Ii you would be happy and safe in
after years, young people, implore you
to pass by all shops and stores
and libraries which deal in the
cheap and filthy literature of the
day. That holy man, John Angel
James-snd better man, says
an eminent writer. England never pro-
duced-says in his old days that
he had never yet gotten over the
evil effects OF having for 10 minutes
once. read bad book.
But need not go to history to prove
my position. II | were to get con.
census of opinion as to the effect of bad
literature from this audience tonight
you would be appalled, at the represen,
tation. No man can tell just how far
the influence reaches toward moldina
the taste OF community, even though
masses of people could rise up and say
that they never read bad book.
The influence is seductive and itt
waves strike on this and unseen shores
Look through your library and see if you
need to burn any books. Look again
and put ON your glasses. Some of yor
are growing old and cannot see as vel
as you once could. Let us take warning
from what the HERALD discovered il
our public library ; possibly we too may
make discovery.