The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-08

ature.
What Shall We Read?" was the SUBJ
ject of what was received as very
sensible sermon yesterday morning by
Rev. Willian Edgar, pastor of the
Providence Methodist Episcopal church.
From almost any standpoint, but par
ticularly from that of a minister the
discourse was a very broad and liberal
one and calculated to benefit those who
heard it.
Mr.. Edgar's text was. "And further,
by these, my son. be admonished: Of
making many books there is no end"
Ecclesiastes, xii:12. He said the words
were those of Solomon, and, if true
then, they were assurediy true now
when so many thousands of volumes
were being printed annually. In the
days of Solomon printing was un-
known and books were written upon
skins and papyrus. In one sense they
were like the books of today, written
within and without" as were those
Ezekial saw.
The dreams Of Gutenberg, the In
Ventor of movable type. was related.
The inventor dreamed that type were
to be instruments of evil and he broke
them, but later dream was that they
were to be means of good, the in
vention was renewed and the dream
has come true. Now the British
Museum contains l ,200,0OO volumes, the
Library of Paris 100000 volumes and
$4,000 different volumes are published
| annually, all Of which renders the text
appropriate.
A GREAT BLESSING.
The printing press is a great bless
| ing; it is time-SaVer, il serves to
| impress knowledge and is a preserver
| of knowledge, it widens the influence
| of speaker or writer. One Of the great
| est blessings impaired by books and
| printing is its medium of ministrution
| to the afflicted. Hundreds of thou
| sands of sick persons and the deaf,
! who never hear a lecture or a sermon,
| are preserved in comparative health o.:
| body and mind by means of good read
ing.
In view of the fact that in the maxi
| ing of books there is no end. the oues-
tion quite naturally follows: What
| ought we to read? All the books can
! not be read and those available are Of
| two classes, good and bad beneficial
and harmful. Some authors and pub
| fishers are in the business solely for
| financial gain, while others, fortuna ,e-
| ly, pay as much heed to moral as to
| moneyed worth. There is such a vast
| quantity of impure and corrupt litera-
ture that a reader ought to be very
cautious in his selections.
One kind of bad literature is that
which tends to shake faith in Almighty
| God.
| Publications which contain the min
! utest details of murders, suicides,
| highway assaults, etc, should he
stunned. 1t is right that newspapers
| should give the news, bad news and
| good news, but it is not right that the
accounts should particularize and di-
| late upon the details of crime. There
are, of course, newspapers and news
papers, but yellow journalism" So
called, is to be avoided. This criticism
included all fiction which by method
and matter dealt with harmful sub
jects in q communicating and intec-
tious way. Not on that ground, how
ever, could standard novels or the par
ables of the Bible be included.
WHAT WE SHOULD READ.
What shall we read? naturally fol.
lows. We should read nothing that
will weaken us mentally, nothing that
will defle us morally. Recourse shoui1
be had to high-grade literature, litera.
ture that will increase the fund OF
useful knowledge, and it should moi
be forgotten that knowledge is power
Recently one hundred circulars, ask.
ing what class of literature was most
read, were sent to as many public
libraries, and from the answers re-
ceived it appears that 20 per cent. OF
public reading is novels. AS the minC
grows in health ones mentality
reaches for higher and better things
This is indicated in facts obtained al
Harvard university library, where OF
the books read by freshmen four-firth,
are novels, by sophmores two-fifths
by juniors and seniors one-fifth, whict
Conclusively shows that good reading
and good minds go together.
1t is not claimed that fiction should
never be read. "Bea Hur," Pilgrims
Progress" prince of the House o,
David" prince of India" and similar
works are worthy of careful study
they are books that would be men,
toned with the recommendation tC
spiritual life.
| To illustrate the imDossibility Of eS.
tmating the power Of good book
Mr., Edgar related one instance. A
uaner scattered by a tract distributor
fell in the hands of Richard Baxter
and was the means of his conversion
From this arose BaXter's Saints Ev,
erlasting Rest" The book brought
about the conversion of Phillip Dod
drige, who wrote Rise and Progress
of Religion in the Soul" by means o.
which Wilberforce was converted. vii
berforce wrote practical Christian
ity," which found its way to Thoma.
Chalmers and blessed his soul
CHURCH PAPERS.
, Mr., Edgar's views on church paper
We're very pronounced There wer,
many reasons why they should b,
more widely read. They serve to keel
one abreast Of the religious times, AM
to keep informed of ones own church
If read by children in the home tn
church paper is an effective means o
causing a love for the church. 1t 4
recognized that Christian literature 1
of the highest grade from literar,
standpoint, and is a great help t
moral and spiritual life.
In finally answering What Shall w,
Read?" whatever else is neglected w
must not neglect the inspired work o
God. The Bible is a history of tn
past and it's science and a history o
the Christian religion and other relig
ions as we'll
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