The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-10-10

While l am mere,
You give me love as true
AS that I give to you,
Oh, heart most dear.
A decade or so ago books were
much dearer and scarcer in every
way than now and it is questionable
whether the present flood of litera-
ture of all sorts is a blessing. In
these days of free circulating libra
ries and cheap periodical literature,
the true reading habit seems to be
fast disappearing. 1t has been suS-
gested that one great reason for the
decline of the reading habit lies in
this very flood of reading matter, and
the utter impossibility of attempting
to keep up with it. But this can only
be considered the poor excuse said to
be better than none. Every reader
worthy of the name cultivates in
stinctively what may be called the
selecting habit, and only a single
glance at book or at an article is
necessary to decide, not whether it
is a good book or a well written pa
per, but, what is of far more import
ance, whether it is of real interest to
him individually. Very ready we are
to say of book, "How good this u.s.
or Exactly what l think" But the
right way for us is to think is How
strange that is" I never thought of
that before, and yet | see that it is
true, or, if | do not now I hope l
shall some day"
The "scorching SKINNER" on the
erature as about the same, and races
through the carefully prepared, well
written article and the last light
novel at the same high rate of speed
The fatal result of such careless read
ing is that in time the intellectual
scorcher is only able to read the days.
news, in so-called popular articles IL
cheap magazines, or, what is fal
worse, the sensational or, at best
the weak novel.
That this is deplorable condition
is true; a condition of things which
days, at least in or near the large cit
les books and periodicals are within
reach of every one, and yet how com
paratively few avail themselves o.
their privileges. On all sides one
hears people say I'm very fond o
reading, but get verv little time TO
it," or 81 should like to read such ant
such a book, but | am too poor to bu.
it," or There's such lot of books
want but | can't afford them" all O
which, being interpreted, means Their
are so many other things they woul
rather do or have that neither tim
can be found, or, rather made TO
reading nor money spared to pun
chase the desired books.
All this is no doubt due to the il
tellectual scorching, which is trul
the curse of the age. The scorchin
skinner, like his brother bicyclis
know no more how to read for plea
ure-for the pure love of it-tha
does the average bicyclist know no
to ride slowly through the prett
country lanes and wood roads, enjo
ing as he goes the scenery, the pun
air, the ever changing sky, and tt
thousand and one little surprises n
ture has in keeping for those wi
can appreciate her bounty. No; Il
intellectual scorcher skins rapid
over the printed page, killing an id
hour, and gaining as little pleasu
in so doing as the aforesaid whe'
man, who is only anxious to break
record or make a good cyclomet
showing. 1t is rather a curious b
indisputable fact that the create
readers are the most often fou
among the busiest people who,
stead of listlessly passing away t
hour for which nothing more exc
ing can be found, carefully pl
their time SO as to leave as much
possible free for books, actually
ing more solid reading, and getti
more pleasure from it in the odd n
ments at every ones command tn
the scorching skinner manages to
with practically unlimited hours
fill at his own sweet will.
Leland Tansil and F. F. Steve
will return from their hunting trip
Echo lake, tomorrow.
Society's four hundred have be
resting after the whirl of Dime