The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-09
BOOKISH Bah.
Our Fair Writer LikenS Happy Books
TO AIaddin'S Lamp.

70 Smart Visiting Gowns-The Sea-
sons Complicated French Bodices.
Inviting Friends to Balls-Dining as a
Civilized Form of Entertainment.
New York, Dec. People have com
nenced to talk and to write about how
important il is to read disagreeable things.
OF how useless are good novels, and how
altogether desirable it is to count as of
great worth those heavy articles and es-
saws that really and truly tire one almost
10 death. There are too many good books
in the world for anybody to submit to be-
ing bored by those that are stupid, and,
after all, what good do they do one2 No
body remembers that which is tiresome.
Instead, We think of the weighty book with
feeling OF heavliness that comes, not only
to the brain. but absolutely affects the
stomach. If people who have the dys-
pepsia would often read a good novel, the
disease would be forgotten. For really
good novel is like Aladdins lamp. It
rubs up the brightness and makes one
think. Just now the world at large ought
to feel immensely indebted to the man who
wrote "Trilby," for, in addition to the
lovely story, there are those delightful
pictures to look at; and they are so good,
and tell so much, and make you so well ac-
quainted with the people, that you feel
ike giving your very best bow and saying
your very sweetest thank you" for the
hours of pleasure that have come to you.
What a lot 1t must mean to have writ
ten a book like that? A book that makes
Joyous hours for people, takes them out
Of the worries of this life. and makes them
appreciate goodness and kindness and
brightness. 1t was a wise man who said:
Never read book that you do not like"
The forcing your eyes to look at stupid
pages insisting upon your brain dgesting
tiresome sentences, only results in weari-
ness; whereas, a good book, and by a good
book mean a book in which there is a
good plot. in which the characters are well
drawn. and in which the English is good,
will make the minutes and the hours go
by so quickly that you will exclaim, not
only al the shortness of life, but at its
pleasures. Somebody asked what was an
immortal book, and / have been thinking
it over and wondering how it could be
described. 1t seems to me that the immor-
tai book is not the book in which there are
bad words, because that book disgusts the
reader, and is quickly thrown aside. No,
the immortal book is that one which, in
beautiful language, makes sin seem at
tractve, and wicked life the most de-
sirabe. one has to learn about books,
learn to divide them as men are, into sheep
and goats, and to select from them the
ones which will give the greatest pleas
ure and at the same time do the greatest
good.
A happy book is a good book, for it
makes you forget for a little while the
misery that is in the world, and forces
you to appreciate the good Generalizing
] do not like religious books. They are
too namby-pamby; but they are books
which draw pictures of beautiful lives. and
makes goodness and sweetness and vir-
4 tue seem at once the best of all things,
and the most desirable to obtain. You
like an amusing book? do. l like a pleas
ant book. that makes me laugh, because it
. is absolutely funny; but l don't look
4 book in which the wit has a sting, and
which makes a jest of what you or L or
somebody else holds sacred. That is why
n l like Thackeray. Sometimes his pen was
dipped in gall, but that is when he is
showing up the meanness of humanity;
when he wrote of goodness and patience
and virtue and loving kindness, his pen
went into rose-colored ink. and what he
said was written in clear words, that he
who read might understand.
people that it seems to me more thought
ought to be given to those that come to
q live with us, and are our daily compan-
4 ions. If you are a bit heartsick and
2 little lonely, you don't want to take up
F book that tells of the petty spites, of the
mean malice, and of the stinginess and
viciousness of the world; but you want
to read about somebody who is CHEEKY
and bright and funny, and who will make
n you forget your own worries, and give
all your thought to the story and its hero.
# You want to have Dumas, or Dickens,
a or Thackeray, or jerome, or Fang
will; or some of the clever women,
e like Mrs. Burton Harrison, who write
dainty stories of life; these are the people
whose books you want to read, and to
be part of your existence. And l want
to tell you one thing; if you are going to
Tread much, you must conclude that there
are number of things of which you are
ignorant, and you mustn't be afraid to re-
fer to the dictionary. Mine is worn out
by constant reference, and the fact that
lone of the dogs ate the back off, but still
1t is useful. Once you conclude that there
are something's you don't know, and you
will find that you are on the high road to
Hextreme knowledge. But, goodness gra-
cous! what lot l have preached.
One thing 1 did learn; a long time ago,
when Louis the Fourteenth was king.
Faces were appropriated, and morals were
not all they ought to be, it was the Gus
tom of the king to give to the lady who
had been gracious to him, gold girdle,
30 those ladies who thought more of their
Populations than of the kings pleasure,
had this saying: "A good name is better
lhan a gold girdle." Nowadays, it would
feem as if one might possess both the
girdle and have a good name, for fashion
Pbie women invariably display one as an
djunct to their smartest visiting gown.
erhaps they are not troubling themselves
about good names, but feally and truly,
don't think / ever saw so many gold Cir
lies in all my life. Girdles that are tight,
sirdies that are loose, girdles that are wide
eirdles that are narrow, girdles that are
ned up almost to ones throat and make
ne look short-waisted, girdles that are
lIdWn way down to point to make one
ooK long-waisted, girdles of gold braid.
slrdles of gold passemeuterie, girdles of
soid cord-any sort of a girdle in which
eold tinsel and paste jewels can be ar
day.
mere are girdles that fasten queerly,
equire some one else to tie them, girdles
ndt you can't hook to save your life,
eFales that only the skilled hand of a
"ludlQ hive