Evening journal., 1901-10-28
MONDAY, OCTOBER -, 1901
wuAT Ann HOW TO READ


These are the days of free schools
and open libraries. Few persons are
80 circumstanced that they cannot OBJ
tain the education they desire and the
best books on all available subjects are
almose thrust upon us
Recently there has been much inter
est taken in the matter OF free libraries,
and the Legislature at its last session
established commission TO carry on
the good work. Our city has a fine col
lection OF books open to all Of our peo-
pie. and the large towns in the State
have established. or are establishing,
their libraries under the same liberal
conditions. The womens clubs have
taken the lead in the matter of con-
ducting travelling libraries TO meet the
needs OF the people in the rural COM
munities who have no means of procur-
ing permanent collection, and this
work is being fostered by State aid.
This great work is most important
and should be extended but we must
not lose sight OF certain fundamental
facts in our enthusiasm. Books are
like persons; some are TO be met and
forgotten, while others are to be as
intimately associated with our lives as
the members OF our family.
Certain works may be borrowed from
the library. read huTiedly, returned
and in a short time be forgotten. Many
will remember that in their childhood
days the library consisted in a shelf Of
,,;iiv cbooiSs containing such works as the
Bible Shakespeare, a volume OF SER
mons. Plutarchs Lives, Pope, Milton
Byron and Burns Locke's Essays on
the Human Understanding. Macaulay's
History of England and Goodrioh's
History of the United States That
oe would make a pretty good library yet
The Youth did not prefer that kind
OF literature, perhaps, but he had no
choice. When he was in a starving
mental state he dipped into Shakes
peare or Plutarch. and when he had
10 speak a piece at school it was apt
TO be from the Essay on Man, or an
extract from Childe Harold or Para
disc Lost All the early reading of
many of our really great men was con-
ined to a sphere almost as limited as
that indicated.
The result was that when they had
once been fed on the food of men they
could not return to that of babes. As
the years passed, sentiments which
they had memorized became significant
and tastes which were TO be enduring
were acquired from browsing over the
ponderous tones in the old library at
home.
Now all that is changed; we have
learned to depend upon a public insti-
tuition. and from its shelves we may
take whatever suits our fancy. We
compromise on the latest novel, and
put our names in weeks in advance in
order 10 secure the sensation Of the
hour. II may be good literature and
exceedingly interesting-and that is nc
mean mission for book-but too fire.
quently it takes the place Of something
more substantial. and we come to re
gard ourselves as literary. when we are
able TO give sketch of the latest nov
els. and chat about their authors
Recently, too there has been an ides
that books for the young should b.
written down to their comprehen
and how often child is held up as
literary paragon, who. as a matter o
fact, simply devours volume after vol
ume OF l1vid adventure. 1t is a ques
tion whether both the young and tn
mature are not reading too much, sine
there is little time to weigh and diges
Carlyle says that some men an
worldwide and others world-deep, an
in This generation the charge may b
made that we know something aboI
everything and that our children ca
converse about a thousand thing
when we know nothing to the bottom
IN cur colleges IL is a well-known IA
that the men of independent thougl
who are able to form their own iud
ments and to rely upon them are tho
who come from the country or q
mountain districts who have had fC
books. but good ones, and who ha
had great deal Of time to ponder on
their contents and allow them TO sil
deep into the consciousness.
Certain needs no public library q
meei. There are books which we shou
have ever near US They may becoI
ours in every sense. Occasionally