The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-02-01
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X Literary lndigestion------.4 :
10000 DO OMNIVOROUS READERS
\ X n REMEMBER WHAT THEY READ?
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Written for The Prison Mirror.

Written for The Prison Mirror.
Literary indigestion; how absurd!
Whoever heard of such a disease? i?
Very few of us have ever heard of the
malady. but very, very many of us are
troubled with it, and the great trouble
about this form of indigestion is, that
unlike the other form of Indigestion
the kind that makes you double up
with paint leaves no trace of its in
fuences upon the physical man, but
will eventually cOngeSt the mind and
memory to such degree that the vic
tim will sooner or later find himself in
very perplexing state of mortality,
SO much so, that he will be incapaci-
bated from ever enjoying or appreci-
ating any literary work, no matter how
great it may be.
How many students of literature are
there today that can quote Homer,
Dante, Byron, Burns, Scott, Shakes
peare, Chaucer, Lamb, Whittier. Long.
fellow, Goethe? "How many are there
that are competent to converse upon
the many different themes that each of
the above authors have left behind
them ?" Very few indeed. The ques-
tion is often asked of authors and pub
fishers of literature by ambitious pa
rents, what sort and what authors are
the best to be read by young daughters
and sons from which they might CLEAN
the greatest amount of knowledge and,
at the same time, improve their
morals
This question has never been an
swered candidly, and never will be, for
the simple reason that it is impossible
to inculcate literary taste into the
young mind and make 1t a permanent
fixture: for there is constant flow of
new literature being placed before the
old as we'll as the young, with the re-
suit that ones literary tastes become
partial, and will not hesitate to dis
criminate against the style of some
famous author. This is the beginning
of literary indigestion. OF course there
are various forms of this malady, too
numerous to mention. but as rule.
the disease is superinduced by reason
of the author not being acquainted
with the individual likes and dislikes
of his or her patrons.
"Oh," the bookworm will say, 81 just
detest Shakespeare; mis- writings are so
vulgar" Another will say: 81 have
read Chaucer, but he is as dry as the
Sahara" Then again others will say,
81 read Howells, because he has a
splendid way of construction, then if l
feel passionate and care to cry or
laugh, read Hugo"
Some read books because they enlov
the rhetoric, punctuations, style, or
any OF these eccentric notions; but few
read with any intention to improve
the morals, to fathom the authors in.
tentlons, or care to guess the original
Of the subject; for once read, the paper
or book has served its purpose in that
it has either satisfied or disgusted the
readers literary vanity, and is resold or
laid away upon the shelf as an orna-
ment, according to the financial condi-
tions of the owner. How many will
patiently submit themselves to peruse
Gibbons decline of Rome?" How
many are aware that their literary
tastes can be fully repaid, be it rhetoric
or construction, passion or humor, to
say nothing of a knowledge of facts
dating back for centuries. were their
literary tastes not too particular, and
if they really meant to read the book
for the purpose it was intended, name
ly, to enrich the memory permanently :?
What is the use, nay sense, of purchas-
ing volume after volume of literature