The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-03-10


They keep on reading and never thInl
or care about what they are reading.
Look out says the old adage. FOL
the man who is master of one book.
Look ont, say l. for the master of q
few great books. Too much reading
truly BECOMES a WEAKNESS 10 the flesh
Mr. Spurseon in one of his sermons
quotes the myective which Iucian u
Disuelrs "Curiosities of Literature
makes against those men whose pride
Is in large library which they never
properly read and therefore cannot
profit 10y. such "a man is like pilot
who has never learned tie art Of mayi-
CATION or cripple who wears cmbrOid-
cred slippers and cannot stand upright
in them. Why do You buy So many
books? You have no hair, and you pur-
chase comb. You are blind. and You
must need buy a fine mirror You are
deaf. and You will have the best music
al Instruments But the foOlishness of
buying q library Of books for the shelf
50 that You can look upon their hand
some bindings is not To be compared In
its evil effects 10 the sin against the
brain by too much promiscuous read
/ Ing. / protest against the examining"
processes we have in our public schools
| l protest against the "cramming" proc
eSses we have in our colleges. protest
against the lightning rapidiy with
which men and women gallop through
their books in an evenings reading
/ Buy fewer books. Master those books.
Read them over and over again ana
make them integral parts of your
selves. The discOrdant voices around
the tower OF Babel could not nave
been more helpless TO do good than are
the babbling tongues of many books
which have been hastily read. Better,
far better, master "A few great books
than have mere speaking acquaint-
nnce with a thousand different books
Myriads of books are coming forth
with Outstretched hands. claiming our
welcome We can only afford 10 take
few to our hearts How important,
therefore. 1t is for us not to invite into
our sanctuary a bad book.
How many men have been ruined for
time and eternity by the influence Of
one bad book. Am / describing the
experience Of any of You when imag-
Inc scene of demoniac siege and con
quest? For many years Satan was
trying to batter down the doors Of
your fathers Christian home. Again
and again he had charged upon that
carefully guarded stronghold 10 cap
tuTe your heart but again and again
he had failed. Satan would come up
to that front door and he would hear
the family singing at evening and
morning prayers, and he could not get
In. lie tried TO entice you away from
the straight path Of virtue. but your
Christian parents had surrounded you
with so many pious influences that it
was almost an imposslbility TO break
them down.
At last Satan became completely dis
couraged lie called a council of war
OF all his fiends to plan for your de-
structlon Plot after plot was gone
over and pushed aside as useless. But
Just as the Satanic demons were about
to scatter in utter dismay an arch fiend
spoke up and said: LET me try a flank
on that home. Instead OF
sending any more of our stalwart ennis
sarles Of flesh and blood to that Chris
tan household LET me write a bad book
and slip 1t in through the crack Of the
open door into that young mans hands.
In that bad book / will open that !
young mans eyes TO the pleasures Of |
sin. | will excite all bis evil passions !
Before that young mans eyes I will |
halo sin in as fascinating language rs |
Lord Byron ever did in his autobiog- |
'aphy Of Don Juan I'm that book |
through a garden Of fragrant roses
will lead that young man up 10 the /
very gates Of hell | will make him
hink he is approaching the gates Of
heaven Then. just at the right mo-
nent. when that tempting book Is
working its charms, we will give that
-oung man n shove and push him into
he flames Of the bOttOmless pitt
'Ahaw cried the demons exultingly.
Aha! We will capture that young man
through the influence Of a bad book
man, am | going beyond the truth
when ! state that your eyes were first
,pened to the sins Of this world
through the influence Of a bad booki
And am going beyond my right when
state that one Of the reasons, and the
'hief one, that you are not what You
,ught 10 be in Christian character is
BECAUSE every little while you allow
.ourself to revel in scenes Of wicked
less and riot cOnjured up by the imag-
nation OF some licentious author?
here you associate with characters Of
hat writer's creation so vile that you
would shrink from contact with them
( you were introduced to them I'm the ,
esh. but you are fascinated by the
lamour with which they are clothed in
lis pages
But the fendlsh heart Of a bad book
/ not satisfied with Staying one mem {
or Of q family. Like the fatal coils +
+ the serpent Of LaocoOn, it would
rush out the life Of father and the
yes Of bis children also o man,
our spiritual life may be poisoned by
ad booksl Have you ever stopped to
hink that your children's spiritual
ives may be in the process Of being
'oisoned by the same deadly fangsy
What is your boy doing in the next :
ooml lie is reading" is your an =
wer What is he reading? only {
.OOk." What kind Of a book Is he Y
eadingf Where did he get that book +
Oh you answer, Il do not know. | b
It my boy select his own literature to I
cad. / believe he said he borrowed
hat book from one OF his compan-
ms" DO you not know what your
oy is reading? After your own awful Y
Nuprinuee rnanv vaare ogn iu reading ( r