The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-18
Advice 70 Young Hen n Rev. 3. b
9iggers sermon.
BOOKS a BANE OR BLESSING
The Influence Of Good Books Has
Made Good Citizens, While the
Sensational Has had Injurious Ef-
fecta Sensational Newspapers De-
plored-The Institution Of . Model
London Newspaper.


kind they should and should not read.
Sensational Journalism was deplored.
Rev. Mr.. Bigger's text was "Get Wis
DOM" from Proverbs 4;5, and he spoke
as follows:
Books are companions, and IKE al
other companions, they make Us either
better or worse; they are either bane
or a blessing to US. A small library OF
well-selected books in his home has
saved many a youth from wandering
into the baleful ways Of the prodigal
son. Where paternal strlctness and
severity would have bred nothing but
dislike and hxed resolve to abscond
at the first opportunity, good books ana
pleasant surroundings have weaned
many q youth from his first impulse to
20 to sea or cross the continent, ana
make him q docile, contented obedient
and happy lingerer by the parental
Preside. In family, however, rich or
poor, no other good Is so cheap or so
precious as wholesome reading.
A story Is told about an old layman
who came to Bishop Cranston, OF the
Methodist Episcopal church, extendinB
both hands In cordial greeting. You
are one OF the book concern agents"
sald me old gentleman, and want to
shake hands with you. I love that OLD
concern. It has saved me hundreds OF
dollars" ''Why, how Is that? Some
people say our prices are high" They
don't understand things" answered the
layman. II have raised family on
your books and the dear old Advocate,
and my children have all turned out
well. My neighbors, some Of them,
have had trouble with their boys; but
never had to hunt up my boys ut
night, nor pay any hnes or needless e&5
penses for them. feed them on geod
books and papers, and they have grown
up stalwart in principle, ana conselen-
tious in action. Oh, tell you the
Methodist book concern has saved me
hundreds Of dollars and deal OF an
xiety. That's why / wanted TO say 10
you, God Bless you-go on with your
good work"
Itell you, young men, It Is almost Inn
possible to become GOOD man Win
out reading good books. The age de-
uantls that you read and keep yourself
informed. The young man who does not
read is put in the column among the
ignorant. But you must. caretuly
choose what you read. You need TO pc
as careful abou. your printed companT
ions as about your personal compan-
ions. II Is natural for young men and
young women at times to make books
their companions. It Is an old saying.
''Tell me who Is you: company and
will tell you what you are" and It 10
equally true that II you tell me what
YOU read I will tell you whR% you are.
NY young friends, read good books.
Store you. minds with useful knowl-
edge. It will raise you to something
higher. And as every book you feao
will have an impression upon you lot
good or for evil, you should caretuiiy
make moral distinctions In these Writ
ten companions.
An indiscriminate and depraved APP
petite In reading Is as fatal as 1t Is de-
generating. Few things are worse Tor
a young man than bad reading. for II
he is inclined to be bad, It will make
him ten times worse. In speaking OF
those who never rise above lewd books,
and trashy novels and the indiscrlmi-
nate sensational yellow journal,
q, s. Lee, writer in New York, says:
"our thieves read the alphabet that
they may know where and now ana
why to steal. Murderers are trained 70
read each others murders. suicides
read and hang themselves. Anarchists
are drilled IN hate and kept informed
] Of wrath. A school Of literature Is de-
voted to adultery. Lewdness has It's
! daily and weekly press Disease has Its
poets. Mobs have their books. The
riot that fllIs the streets is a paper riot
| first. Ignorance can be subscribed for.
/ II can be hired by the year. The man
who confines himself to the same jour
nal, or the same kind OF journal-which
Is what most men do-can get Tor
cent or two, any morning ne VIII, more
ignorance, especially about hlmseh-
than any one man has a right 70 use IN
a whole lifetime and with hints ano
directions for using II"
We should be just as careful not to
nut poison into our brains, Us we are
careful not to put poison Into our stom,
achs. A healthy mind Is Safeguard
to a young man. but a mind poisoned
/ with had literature Is the Elimination Of
him. Beware Of bad books. Books
which are read under cover are guided
to hell. They are vipers. They are the
stepping stones to pefdltlon' Ihel'
very silence gives them power.
No less IS the evil abouhdtnB IN many
Of the novels Of this age. They lhvar'
lably lower the ideals Of young men
Many Of them are filled with arrogance
slanE, vulEarity Many OF them con
tain such exciting matter as to fre the
Brains 81 young people until they art
Intoxicated with Jealousy, hatred, envy
murderous feeling, or low animal love
such reading IL a curse to any younI
man. The portrayal Of treacheroul
lovers leading astrny the innocent, ant
OF Jealous lovers stabblng the life GU
OF each other, 80 familIRriGes the Teadei
with crime that they lose all their re-
pulsiyeneSs. DR.. Josiah Strong say
i'In addition to the sheets which maxi
specially OF sensation, vice and crime
thousands Of tons Of fiction, cheap u
every sense, circulate through TN
mails rs second class mail mater
special rates" BLOOD curdling atorie'
for boys and girls are large part o
this stun. Its character may be judged
from titles taken, almost at random
from thousands Of the same kind; title
like this, "Manhattan Mike, the Bower!
BLOOD; Eagle Kit. the Boy Demon"
wild Emma, the Girl Brigand," etc
some thirty-Slx million pounds Of thu
matter are foreign novels, anon
which are the fllthiest French publica
tons, outlawed in England, ana re
Gently even in France, but which cal
legally corrupt the morals Of American
youth. To cnrry the foreign Actiol
alone would require annually nine hun
dred freight cars, each loaded VIII
co. 900 pounds OF books.
But worse thhn all this Is the obscen
Literature which 10 being circulated VIII
devlllsh ingenuity and perSlstency 70
the purpose OF cOrruptine the youth. NJ
decent person can imagine It's charac
ter. II might have come from the cess
DooI OF perdition. This literature 10 cir
culated 50 secretly that very rev nay
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