The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-02-01

it you only care to enjoy a portion of
the work, according to the state of
your passion or sentiments or even
tastes?
There are any number of idiotic rich
who spend thousands of dollars in fur
nishing their homes with a library.
simply because it adds beauty to the
home and imparts an impression to the
guests that the owner has great intel.
lectual tastes, while as matter of
fact the owner knows no more of the
contents of those volumes than an
Idaho professor knows about Women's
Suffrage. Some will tell you that it is
absolutely impossible to stow away
such mass of knowledge and good
quotations. Of course it is, and the
question is answered by itself. Is it
possible that the reader is so dense in
his sense cf perception that he can't
see that the greatest portion of this
constant flow of literature is the re.
suit of his literary tastes, and as long
as he caters to his literary Indigestion,
the publisher will order more one.
dollar-per line rhetoric, style, construc.
tion or punctuation, from some shrewd
author, to satisfy his literary vanity?
Let us cite few cases of this liter
ary indigestion that we may the better
grasp the true meaning. A few years
ago, in the city Of Washington, d. c., a
certain literary critic presented him.
self for examination before the Civil
Service board, hoping to qualify for a
certain Interior position. This gentle
man was SO positive of his mental
qualifications that he thought it a
waste of time to rake over his memory
IIes was told that certain questions
would be'asked of him and these he
made sure were easy to answer. Now
knowing the gentleman to be of a
bright mind, and competent man to
give authentic criticism of great
authors, and as the position he aspired
to required strong mind, he was
asked to quote from some of his stud
les; he failed. He was next asked to
list the, authors he was paid for
studying ard criticising; he could not
remember the authors nor their works
by one third. This fellow was the Joke
of Washington at the time, but he got
his position on the regular examina-
tion.
What is true of him is true of some
of the brainiest men in this and per-
haps other countries. How many
graduates of our universities can
quote from the books they studied just
prior to their graduating? Few, very
few. How many of the many thous-
ands that have read, "The Last Days
of Pompeii," by Bulwer-Lytton, can
recount the parts played by Julia and
Nydia sixty days after they have read
the book? How many of us can give
the exact topography of our native
state, just as we knew it when in
school and in which study we were
credited with percentage of 80? Few,
very few. 1t is just this sort of hap
| hazard reading of books that causes
us to discriminate in our reading. One
particular work of fiction may leave
an indelible impression upon the brain,
caused, no doubt, by the great truth it
contains from the individuals own ex-
perience, and so he or she will remem-
Der the work more distinctly than you
or who read the book from a tuition
to enjoy momentary passion, only to
discard the book for new one, SEEM
ingly more fascinating than the one
just laid aside, but we remember
nothing of the book sixty days after
wards.
The cry today is, there is too much