Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-12-23

reading chairs. Some books we should
select because they are books OF travel.
some because they are the biographies
of men and women who were the great
leaders and makers OF the worlds his
tory. Tie higher the mountain peak
upon which you- stand the wider the
range OF your horizon. We should Sc
iect some BOOKS because they teach us
the geographical and geological or as
Economical or atmospheric on biological
construction OF the animal. vegetable or
mineral Kingdom. whether these studies
DO inside OF the world or above theworld
or upon the surface of the world. ON
the beginning God created the heavens
and tile eIr,h. tie sell aud all that in
them is IL is our duty to.rlearn as
much as possible about Gods creations
IL we can do 50 without curtailing the
work for which God created us. But
though we should select books of travel
AID of fiction. If the right kind of fic-
ton. we should also select certain books
as lifetime companions because first
and last and intrinSically they were
written 10 teach Us the duties OF the
spiritual life. We should read them
because they were written TO teach us
how TO love the Lord our God with all
our heart and soul and mind and
strength, ana our neighbor as our
selves.
The Docks For Laymen.
Limit my reading to books written
for spiritual ediiicationf'' says some
one. That is unreasonable. You would
not turn the home sitting room at night
into the class room Of n theological pro-
fessor. You would not tell the whole
human race to study theology as IL
they were young men studying for the
ministry. Why should a layman read
such books as Cotton Mather's Essay
on Doing Good or Laws Serious Call
TO Devout and Holy Life or Bun
vans Pilgrims Progress or Thomas
a Kempis' 'Meditations,' or Richard
Baxter's Saints Everlasting Restg
The only rest could get from reading
such books rs those would be to go
sound asleep over them. I might, per-
haps, stay awake for little while in
reading some OF the light religious
books, like Elizabeth Stewart Phelps
Gates Ajar or Elizabeth Paysons
Stepping Heavenwood,' but it would
not be for long. No, never did like
religious books. When L read, 1 read
for fun and for mental Improvement
You must not expect laymen, and es-
pecially young people, to read the same
books as do the minister's
Not expect laymen to read the same
kind of literature as ministers? No.
But would have laymen use common
sense in their selections of books.
would have them treat the brain in ref
erence to its mental food on the same
principle as we would treat the physic-
al body. You restrict your stomach to
one kind OF diet long enough, and you
Will starve your physical body to death.
no matter what kind of food you may
take. what did your husband die OFF,
L asked lady some time ago. From
starvation" she answered. HE had an
incurable disease, but that disease did
not directly kill him. We could only
feed him OH beefsteak and toast. We
bought him the very best steak i'm the
market, but beefsteak has not all the
ingredients in II Is support life. and so
he gradually starved and passed
away" Are you going to restrict your
mind and soul 10 only one kind OF men,
tai food? IL you are broker. Is the
full extent OF your reading to be found
in perusing the columns of stock mar
kets IN the morning newspapers? II
You are lawyer. are you only going
to read about the forensic giants of
the past who won their memorable vic
tories at the bar or spend most OF your
time I'm CflldVfnp
you are a tired mother, when night
comes and all the children are In bed
are YOU going TO simply while away
your evening hours reading n novel
ana crying over some princess who
never lived? With what books are you
feeding your soul? 1 am not talking
about the Bible now. What other books
are you reading that are deepening and
widening your intellectual and splritl-
nj lifef Are you reading any such
books at all?
The Greatest Book of All
But, il il Is necessary for us TO read
spiritual books for mental food. how
much more necessary is ii that we as
Christian students should read and
love that greatest of all books which
God has given to us TO be our guidel
We hav" read how the great masters
OF literature loved their books. DIR.
Geikie tells us that 'when Henry
Thomas Buckle, the distinguished his
torian, was dying his last words on
earth were, My poor books; my poor
books!" When Leibnitz died he died
with one OF his precious books I'm his
hand. When Death came to call Rob
ert Southey he found him an old, white
haired man. kissing and stroking the
books he was too weak TO open and too
blind to read. Cicero's greatest desire
ON earth was expressed in the words,
"Oh, take all that have, but leave me
my booksr' Could there be better
picture than that which Cunningham
Geikie drew of the love which these
masters in literature bore their books?
Should that love be greater than the
love Christians ought to bear the book
OF books which God gave TO us to show
us the way OF life? If spiritual books
are essential for our mental food.
should we not feed upon this book,
which is wholly divine?
1 want you TO class books among the
best of friends and the worst of enc
mics. AS I.oyola the wounded soldier
or fortune became Loyola the soldier
OK Christ by reading The Lives of the
Saints" SO | want the good books TO
lift you and purify you and make YOU
a gospel messenger among men. AS
Dad books are the worst enemies of
mankind. l want to enlist your help
IN hghting them Mt every step. IF
ever the devil had an agent on earth.
nave been one" spake the diving
author of pernicious book. "Oh. that
could destroy that bookr' want
you to fight these evil books wherever
you go. want you TO see that your
library shelves are cleared Of the
lepers-" want you to see that your
children never are allowed to touch
bad book. And furthermore l want
you, by the help of God, to scatter
forth the comics of fbot ono hool-