The Saint Paul globe., 1904-09-06
WOMAN WHO READS
SHE MAKES BETTER NElGHBoR
THAN ONE WHO DOES NOT
ST. Paul Woman Has Her Own Ideas
About Neishbors-Those Who Do
Not Love to Read Miss One of the
Great Pleasures of Life

A well known st. Paul woman said
a good thing the other day when she
remarked that she would hate to have
a near neighbor who did not read. She
meant that woman who did not care
for reading would have entirely too
much time to devote to the affairs of
her neighbors. There are many women
whose reading consists of glancing at
the headlines of morning paper so
that they may at least know to what
people they meet during the day are
referring In their conversation. The
writer feels sure that there are many
women who actually never read a
book from one years end to the other,
incredible as it may appear. Some
times they are good housekeepers.
clever with their needles and excellent
women. But they do not care for
books. The writer remembers
woman who did not read once saying
to her that it seemed so silly for peo-
pie to read stories of the imaginary
doings of imaginary persons. She
read neither novels nor books of any
kind.
Now reading is one of the greatest
pleasures of life. Those who have
been unable to bury themselves and
forget their troubles in good book,
have missed great solace. The
woman who said she did not care to
be a near neighbor to woman VINO
did not read evinced a knowledge Oh
human nature. For the woman who
does not read usually has good deal
of time on her hands, and this time
she can devote to regulating the af-
fairs of her friends. A busybody
neighbor is a calamity. She usually
sits in her window and keeps tab on
the neighborhood. Her daughter, IL
she has one, is brought up in the at
mosphere of undue interest in the
affairs of other people and sometimes
at an early age is an infant Sherlock
Holmes. She comes home and reports
to her mother that the Smiths are
having mutton for dinner and that the
Jones have a new piano. Mother
immediately holds forth upon the ex-
trayagance of the Smiths and Jones.
This woman who does not read must
fill the time somehow and she usually
put it in in prying. She talks either
about her kitchen affalfs OF her heleH-
bors.
Now a love Of reading in woman is
a blessing in more ways than one. 1t
gives her perfectly safe topic OF
conversation; if lifts her above the
sordid everyday matters which ab-
sorb a housekeeper and occupies many
hours which otherwise would be worse
than wasted. This is, of course, leav-
ing out of account the education that
good books are to the mind, and the
elevating influence of intellectual
pleasures. 1t is safe to say there are
more men who do not read-leavine
out of account the daily paper-than
women. But when one remembers
that about the only time man has to
read is evenings and Sundays, he has
really more excuse than women. But
1 was not speaking Of those who have
not time to read, but of the women
who have no inclination for it.
There is, of course, the woman who
reads only trashy novels. Well, that
is poor enough occupation, but it does
not seem quite so appalling as not
reading at all. One has so much time
to gossip and mind the affairs of others
when one does not read that course
of the Duchess and Bertha M. Clay
might serve to make one better
neighbor.
If a mother sees that her daughter
does not take naturally to reading as
occupation for her spare hours, she
would do well to encourage in her g
love of it. 1t is an excellent thing and
some day will make her near neighbol
rejoice, that she has a way Of becom-
ing absorbed in something besides what
the aforesaid neighbors have for dinner