Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-01-05
HABIT OF MUCH SUPERFICIAL
READING LEADS TO HALF
DOING OTHER THINGS.
Impairs Mental Power-Great Think
ers Always Thorough Readers
-Macaulay's Rule for
Concentration.
BY DR.. orison SWEET Marden.


the man who knows one thing well. lie
is dangerous antagonist"
Thoroughness is the foundation of
worthy achievement in any direction.
In reading it is foundation, solid CON
tents, apeX-eyeything
A smattering of books, no matter
how extensive, will never strengthen
the intellect or enlarge the mind The
mere book faster is as ignorant of lit
erature, as unappreciative Of the true
riches of books as the globe trotter is
OF the countries through which he
rushes, merely to be able to say that
he has been in them.
Mental Dissipation.
Life may be crippled by a habit of
superficial or desultory reading, for
such reading weakens the mind i'm
pairs the memory, undermines the pow
ers of application and persistence, and
destroys that desire for completeness,
for wholeness of life. which is the
crown of character.
People who read with half a mind,
who turn from one book to another,
skimming here and there, and not read
ing any thoroughly or to the close, will
soon begin to half do other things or
leave them unfinished. The habit will
manifest itself in every phase of their
lives.
The temptation to reading of this
kind is greatly increased by the enor-
nous recen+ n,ultinrication of Iitara.
ture, and is a menace to depth of cul-
ture. especially to dwellars in cities
Anxious to be able to say that they
have read the latest "best-selIing books
of the month" and desirous of being
regarded as aufait in literary matters.
many people are silly enough to try to
skim through a hundred books and
magazines in a month, without any
effort or wish to appropriate and make
.iieiI own 'ne cioush'7 .neS contain
I,i"' - any ol VH3lA liI"l contain
yHousn1 worm ieiileLlOeI!hs' "ilch
'"nnoI Oe S"lu VI many ol our De"I
7eIIIns DooNS'
ms IS the worst sort OF mental dis
sIpaIioh ana the most perhlclouS in lts
'e9ulIS' ~ IS me hIHu Vi huItlIa
r4ouS Te"oIns "nIch rev l. W. itoD-
sltsoh says "edhehS IAe AlAu more
'hah uolAs h"InlHS' IoF 1t becomes
necessity at Iast' IKE smoking, ana IS
al excuse IoF lhe hihu 10 lie dormant
Whiie IhoushI IS poured H. ana runs
.hrouSh cIear stream over uhproduc-
I'VE gravel Oh which HoI even moses
grow
No superficial reader ever became an
exact or great scholar or an authority
oh any SuoJecJ' NO matter now many
'chooI and college diplomas you may
mold II you are not educated for 1t is
-horoushness IN reading that gives
breadth and solidity to education, as 1t
IS thorouShhess IN work that gives
SIFehSIh ana staDlllty 10 character.
Desultory Reading Bad.
One GOOD bool, tborouphlv read di-
.,as+ad ard accumulated until = baocr,o.
IiI,e tho iron atoms IN orr Mood . nort
,f orree1vee ie worth noro +o = roador
han tho tbougbtIeee sl,imnnfDe. o,,er or
tbousonde of yo1ures
r,s,,,a,,,I I,,.o,,a,t r1,,o .o,.- .,,o4 =
,,orso,, ,,'ilI +oI.o 49,, car,o ,,,,,ia1t -, =
etudv II thorougblv he will have q bet+er
l,row1odoo of II IN opo month tto,, o,,,,
ora a1eo hut = enecia1iet Co if ,.o,, aL
gorb and mako anart of vonr Iifo a fay,
o,r.o+ hool,e instead of soi,ond ,.a,,,.
time and damoraIizfna yorr r,orto1 foc.
,,1+io. ~, o++oro,,ti,,eT - -. -,.itI,
out digesting. every volume that comes
in your way, you will be better read
man or woman than any but a specialist
in literature.
Probably not one reader In hundred
to-day could give an intelligent synopsis
of book he has just read The matter
lies a confused heap, and underlined,
nebulous mass in his mind.
Whatever is taken into the mental
chamber, without any attempt at classi-
Hcation or systematic Arrangement
merely induces mental dyspepsia, After