The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-04-23

T OST ART
OF Thinking.
Editor Of the TRIBUNE.
Dear Sir:--Your recent editorial
'For the Young who Toll" bears the
mark of sincerity and Is therefore
worthy Of the attention Of the few
thinking mortals who have given the
social problem of the present. in this
locality, some serious thought. ! say
a few, for II is even strange to hear an
editor utter himself seriously uow-a-
DAYS He. too. like the rest Of us, must
look to the circulation of his paper and
flavor his oil Of Aattery to suit the
taste of his patrons But this is not
personal, Mr.. Editor. The practical
christianity parts OF course. 4 very
old theme How many times have ws
not heard it--how many thousand
times And with what dramatic ef-
feet, too Aud yet the theme is ever
new to us from the lips or pen OF a
siucera mOrtal--or, as | should say,
from the heart Ahlit we could only
take eve the poor, little makeshsit OF
q Christianity OF ours 70 work with US
IN Monday morning and stop brayIug
aboutit! 1t is a poor, little selfish con.
tract with most OF Us even on SUNDAY.
but 1t would be better than nothing on
Monday.
The plan outlined BY Rev. Mr.. Nice
will commend itself to many who are
interested in the hundreds Of boys
aud girls unl.r the necessity O. work
ing for q livelihood but what OF
these hard-iaced children aud youths
who trot these streets every day and
are not under the necessity OF working
for a livsllhool2 There are your big
school castles on every hilltop, laugh
ing At your American immeu'ity, and
here on these streets are hundreds o.
hard-iacsd children piuing for the
breaker or the mill rather than 20 to
school, like the youth Of English sea-
ports piuing for the navy, Even
worse tuan this, for the navy gives the
English youth some hard lessons in dis
clplins, while these same young oilers
Of ours will each take to himself a
wife before he IL scarcely ant OF his
small clothes and be ia the stuff that
shall mako your law makers, your
judges, your jnriss. aud your holes
In the walls" by and By. as indeed his
his bigger brothSs are making the m
now TO NJ very small extent.
go
What noise about university ex'sn-
sion, ]lscturing on thv poets, etc ! used
10 hear from this valley away out in
the country. an how | used to envy
the lot Of this enlightened people with
all It's facilities for education aud wis
dom. There are, no doubt, q few, far
above my humble station. whose rap.
lures about Byron and Sh kespsare at
tributes are not affected, hut for one Of
these there are a thousand specialized
men, young aud old, who would 20 into
real rsptures II some good professor
would grow eloquent for them over ths
science Of ball playing or the price Of
corner lots, We have a public library
In this city to b. proud OF. The libra
riau's reports show, II | mistake not,
that we ara a reading public and that
we read the best books. | myself have
watched many a tins with much in
terest the large number Of people,
young and old, who p%atroniZs this
fountain Of learning; and yet, In my
daily intercourse with people OF the
working class like myself, people with
whom | associate, and Of whom | must
be SLOWED to have as enlightened u
knowledge "a the next, ] must confess
that ! see very little traces Of this al
legged thirst for wisdom. Truly Wa all
read something, but it ia only one Ia
several hundred among us that knows
what to read, II difficult task enough,
indeed, todsy,-onO In several hundred
that knowc how to read an author,
and, the o ,ct Of all reading, one in a
thousand w1o has learned to think.
go
While | was looking ovsr the publi-
cations In n Scranton book store re-
Gently, an intelligent looking man en-
tered and said to the clerk.
II want to buy a book for my girl. "
What book do you want. sir" asked
the clerk,
Don't know yet; good large one
if any; and cheap
"Wsll, here is \ good book. showing
him CULVER.
Have that-the biggest lie out Of
. school"
Here is another popular book, /"
showing him Stsvenson's celebrated al
lsgory.
Have that, too, bigger lie STILL"
Then hero is q very popular book
called 1.-THE Prairie Schooner" q think
that was the title).
"Guess I'll take that" and off he
walked with his Prairie Schooner"
$50
asked a friend one day what no was
reading, THE Act Of Extsmporaneous
Speaking" was the answer. ALL that
Is the art that most Of us cultivate
with O vengeance. Now If some such
project as that of Mr.. Mills will only
teach the youth not only how to read
and what to read but also the art OF
"eItemporansous' thinking, we may
discover something about this labor
and capital question that few of us
have yet dreampt Of. We might In
deed reach the root Of the matter. We
are not prepared for learned Lectures on
the poets yet. Far from it, friend,
The most of u are still in a very crude
state; and these affected raptures shall
deceive no mar with his eyes open.
ERAsTus FREEMAN.