The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-28
LECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY
INSTRUCTOR REYNOLDS ON IN
FLUENCES OF NOVELS.
A Large Audience Present-The
Next Lecture-Legislators Visit
the University In the Morning.

| The regular faculty lecture at the
university last evening was delivered
by Instructor +. w. Reynolds upon
the subject. Some Present Day AS
poets and Influences of Novel-reading."
MIR. Reynolds commented first upon the
prevalence of the novel-reading habit.
/ The success of u writer today depends
upon his ability to tell a story The
fondness for the novel is founded upon
mans ancient love for story, and his
desire to know human nature, to know
himself.
The modern novel is an inventory of
mans observations of man, a solver of
the subtlest emotions of the heart. 1t
reveals to US the fact that ordinary
meE have hearts and emotions, and
gives US the manners and customs-the
lives of other classes of people.
Novels are beneficial, because they
are more accurate than experience it
self. In experience we are partakers;
in novels we are mere lookers-on. They
give US happiness. in that they reveal
to us the human heart as seen by the
quick eye, deepened by the larger heart,
and presented by the ADLER pen of the
artist.
The danger of novel-reading comes
from the fact that in them we get
pleasure without eXertion, and thus
check the development of our aesthet-
ic nature. Some novels deaden the
moral sense, benumb the intellect. and
stupefy the Imagination; others arouse
inordinate desire for fame on the one
hand, and create dissatisfaction with
life on the other.
The speaker reviewed briefly some
good novels, among them The Choir
Invisible" and commented upon the
90 ,Hr1r-
similar papers. Reading from the re-
port of the city public librarian for
January, he revealed the fact that
4, 225 of the $3.50 books drawn during
the month were novels-more than 60
per cent.
In conclusion, Mr.. Reynolds insisted
that the true novelist must be a true,
deep man; must have keen eye to see,
a large heart TO feel, an able pen to
arrange, and the spirit of genius to
inspire his pages with the deeper les
sons of life.
The house was filled to overlooking,
and each person present enjoyed thor
oughly both the subject matter of the
lecture and the able manner of pre-
sentation. Most hearty applause fol-
lowed the close OF the lecturers re-
marks.
The next lecture of the faculty Sc
ries will be the postponed lecture by
Professor George NJ. Marshall on
Westminster Abbey The lecture
will be given next Monday night, and
Will be fully illustrated.
The legislators visited the university
yesterday morning in a body, and were
heartily greeted by both faculty and
students. Shortly after S o'clock they
began to assemble in the laboratory
where the students were al
ready at work in both the physical and
chemical laboratories. Nine o'clock
found them in the west building, visit |
ing the various classrooms and the |
normal training department. From !
here they went through the main |
building. visiting in turn the recitation
rooms, museum. library and artroom.
In the latter room the students as
sembled. Every seat was filled, the |
aisles were crowded, the doors and |
seemed overflowing with |
happy students, and as the Legislators |
the college yell was given. |
Short addresses were delivered by |
Senators Rideout and Tanner and Rep |
Crosby. Murdoch Parry !
and WEIGH. Each spoke with spirit !
and animation in behalf of higher edu-
cation in Utah, and each was greeted |
with rounds of hearty applause. With
nine 'rahs for Utah and as many more
FOR her legislators. the assembly broke
up and the students resumed their reg
liar work