Bisbee daily review., 1903-10-27

at the club house. In the absence o1 the president, Mrs. E. G. Ord, tue meeting was presided over by the vice president, Mrs. H. M. Shields. Al ter the general business of the club was properly disposed of Mrs. s. W. French read before the club a most interesting paper from the Interde- Eominational council of women of New York, which was listened to at tentively-
 The meeting was then turned over to the chairman of the day, who an nounced the subject, Current Litera ture,'' and introduced the essayist, Miss Katherine Riley. Miss Riley s paper was well received and was most nhly presented
 Miss Riley said, in part:
 one is inclined to ask what shall De Kept in mind in a consideration of this topic. There are several ques tions one might ask, as what is cur rent hterature? What value has cur rent literature above the classics2 What time should be stolen from his tory, biography or the classics, if any, to spend upon the lighter books of the hour? I believe, upon weighing the above questions, that my thought con- centrated upon this theme, The value O. current literature in comparison
 with the classics, history and biogra-
 phy' Y.
 Current literature means all maga-
 zines, literary periodicals or popular
 looks that arc made to be sold, as any product IS made for sale. The popular book trade is a legitimate one and trade is fne name to apply to il rather than literature. Though there may be some elements of literature
 between the covers, there is not enough of worth to cause it to bs more than ephemeral.
 The general public finds recreation | and amusement in a perasal of these books. If one lives a sordid, com ! mcnplace life, with very little poetry 1 in 1t, then II is easy to enter faiE5 world or an adventurous one through the pages of a popular novel, which i: ! indeed a reritable Alladin's lamp fo
 transforming ones consciousness. Librarians have observed the de mands for books of the day to ths 1 exclusion Of those that have beconlt 1 standard. To the careful writer, suci 1 as George Eliot, that tendency is to b, 1 deplored, for he works for the art 1 rot for the trade. This clinging |. l the passing books of the hour to th, | exclusion of the worthy literature i | as fateful to culture as the mania fo :; rag-time music. 'Tis said of Georg
 Eliot, who was an unusually well reat l woman. that to know her was 10 hay, ! a liberal education.
 1 Hamilton ". Mabie, well knowl 1 literary critic, says to be well inform 1 ed one should Know the standard lit 1 era.uTe. and a woman should kncy tie noble and tragical women of lii | arsture. He observes that a woman | 'cses her beauty but Sfe need neve | icse her charm, if she be well real i aLd to De a well read woman is to D. l t WSlt sutOTul1J WOIIdb II IS bdlu Q
 Helen Keller. that wonderful blind an
 deaf girl, that her literary style ha
 Teen formed by contact with the clas sics only. tae classics of history aD
 biography as well. Her literary styl ,, is unioue.
 II Gan one become imbued with ta spirit of his age without having b. ' ccme more CT less imbued or saiura Ii CT with the current literature. . ::iink the following will assist in a, |. swering this question.
 T There will always be this aItith' , si9 in the cultured mind between th II literature nf tried and proved classic tl ty and the mass- of current ;iteratur Il struggling with the problem of su LI vival. There can be DO doubt wha kj ever. thN tf one wishes to acouaiI \ rlmseE with the great themes of h t1 man thought to relieve 1he great i } sues of human experience. to repr