The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-05-11
Book knowledge and
Life knowledge as
Factors in DEVELOPMENT

John Foster in his paper on "A mans
writing memoirs of himself" remarks
tAAa. every parson of tolerable educa-
tfbffa has been ynsiderably Influenced by
the books he has read and remembers
with kind ct gratitude several Of those
that made without injury the earliest
and strongest impression"
There is no time Of life at which books
do not influence man. This is an age
of books and books play such an i'm
portant part in the culture Of these
times both inside the narrow limits, OF
the school and outside of it that they
are sure to come to the front whenever
we put the question seriously by what
Influence we have become what we are.
That We receive a strong undefinabla
influence from the mass of our reading
is. evident from the comparison of any
nIind that has been nourished by read
ing with another mind. however ma
tu'aly intelligent that has not.
IT is in respect to the difference, how
ever. that many people costruct too mar
row standard and make mere reading
test of knowledge. 1t would be as un-
reasonable to value an estate simply
from the number of acres it contains.
AS Oliver Wendell Holmes puts it. II
Hike books. l was born and reared
SNllsn l get into their presence that a
/. stable boy has among horses I don't
ANih1 l undervalue them either as COM
panions or instructors. But l can't help
remembering that the worlds great men
have not commonly been great scholars
nor the great scholars, great men, The
Hebrew patriarchs had small libraries
If any. l think yet they represented to
our imaginations very complete ideal
of manhood and l think if we would ask
in Abraham to dine with us men of let
ters next Saturday we should feel hon
Ored by his company" One may almost
assert with confidence that the man who
has read most among men who read
cannot be the best educated man because
he must have robbed nature in other
ways to attain his superiority.
The proper use of books is to stimulate
the mind rather than to store it. He
is the best reader who makes books
! help him to think instead of making
them give him thoughts. Often a great
scholar-whO is a scholar and nothing
more becomes being to be pitied. al
most like an opium fiend. He is under
the tyranny Of a habit which peoples
his mind with shadows which shuts out
the fresh realities. His outward senses
are torpid and human beings to him are
an indiscriminate aspect. Does he think:
Not the confirmed reader for he knows
it,, has all been thought before, and be-
sides his brain saturated with learning
has grown indolent and passive. In
|sEort. reading carried to excess be-
comes no better than lazy substitute
for thought. 1t is kind of mental glut-
tony that eventually produces a state
10Y mental stupor from continued mental
indigestion.
The real gift Of reading as 1t may be
Icalled is not very common or very gen.
|erally understood. 1t consists in a large
intellectual endowment by which a man
LEARNS that he is not perfectly right. nor
| Those from which he differs absolutely
,wtong. He may hold opinions; he may
hold them passionateiy and he may
know that others hold them coldly or not
at ALL But if he has the gift of read
| ing these others will be full of meat for
| him. They will see the other side Of
propositions and the other side of ques-
| lions. 1t is right here that he can make
| his book knowledke. his learning. his
reading an essential feature in develop
| ment Of his character. He need not
! change his opinion but he may supple
ment and correct them. 1t is people who
hold another truth. Or as 1t seems to US