Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-04-22
The Reading Habit.

An eminent teacher, in an address
to boys, said, recently, that he at.
tributed the success he had achieved
in life to an accident that occurred
to him when he was eight years OF
age. He injured one of his legs Sc
that he was confined to the house for
many months. He could not plav,
and for weary hours had no one to
whom he could talk, and he was,
therefore, obliged to amuse himself
by reading. He read every book in
the house and all the newspapers.
and by the time he was through had
the book-hunger upon him. lie
secured the neighbOrhOOd for books,
but was left unsatisfied until he
moved to great city and obtained
access to large library. BY that
time he was confirmed in the habit
Of reading, and through a long life
had devoted all his spare hours to
mental improvement through read
Ing.
According to his view, the chief
function of an educator is to pre-
pare his pupils for intelligent read
Ing and to inspire them with a de-
sire to learn. That done, and the
habit of reading firmly established,
the pupil is prepared to advance to
any plane of activity for which his
mental endowment, when cultivated,
may fit him.
Too much value should not be put
upon mere book knowledge to the
exclusion of other kinds of knowl-
edge, but it forms ali excellent prepa-
ration for the acquisition of all other
kinds. Nor is il of great importance
what books shall be read first or
what course shall be followed, pro.
vided only that the books are of a
character to improve the mind in
some way, and that they are read at
tentively and with understanding.
The chief fault to-day is that we
have a superabundance of ephemeral
literature which engages the atten-
ton of young students to the exclu-
sion of standard authors. The pu-
pill of forty years ago had real adj
vantage in the possession of q linn
tied library of choice works from
which to study. But the pupil of
to-day can, if so minded, keep in
touch with current literature while
devoting large share of his time
to the classics.
This is necessary course to pur-
sue II one would get a fair literary
training, for current literature can
not be fully understood except by
those who are tOlerably familiar
with the great authors Of English
literature. Allusions to their works
are rs frequent as allusions to mytho-
logical tales in the poetry of the sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries.
The habit Of reading is very USE
tul habit, with no evil consequences,
provided it is not allowed to inter
fere with necessary work. Making
liberal allowance for hours of work,
of sleep and of recreation, mt least
three hours day remain to be ac-
counted for, and these three hours,
though they may be interrupted,
cannot be better employed than i'm |
reading Of useful works. The word
useful as here employed includes |
works Of the imagination in prose |
and poetry, as we'll as essays, histo-
ries and biographies, which are gen.
orally classed as substantial and in |
though so many of them
are dull and stupid.
In some respects good fiction and
good poetry are superior to the
learned books, for they contain
much that is instructive, while they
are made attractive by the play of
imagination. The boy who has de-
Veloped book hunger, if his tastes
are not obviously perverted, is on
the road to learning and culture, for
the earnest and devoted reader picks
up in the course of a few years a
great amount of information, and if
he reads good books, acquires
knowledge of words and literary
forms which in itself will be of the
greatest service to him. Baltimore
San.