Morris tribune., 1905-09-16
Books, says Osgood,

| " friends for season bright OF dim,
Angels seraphim
Come down and whisper sweet and low
And spirits of the skies all come and CO."
Books" said Southey, as he passed his aged
hands tenderly over the loved volumes, III bid
you an earthly good night, soon in Heaven to
bid your authors good morning" "Books,' said
Charles Lamb as the curtains were drawn and
the friends gathered round the library table for
an intellectual feast "Let US have grace" and
folding his hands as before dinner he said "for
what we are about to receive the Lord make US
truly thankful"
SHALL WE READ?
Like an hour glass, merely in position so
long, while thoughts run into and out of our
minds and grain is left? AS sponge readers
inbibng everything and letting it out the very
first squeeze? AS jelly bag readers passing out
all the good and retaining the refuse of dirt?
AS day dreamers letting only hazy phantom
float through our minds to be entirely forgotten
the next hour? As skimmers taking up little
of the surface and holding only the scum?
Pliny read when on a journey. Can not we do
as we'll :? The Methodist itinerant used to
read horseback. DIR. Todd, author of the
students manual Systematically marked the
paragraphs thus wnnowing a book for re-
reading DR.. Olin never thought it worth while
to read any book the author of which did not
present an ANALYSIS. Martneau read hardly
more than one page an hour, but found all
there was on that page and it's relation to other
truth The habit of reading page after page
leaving scores of words not understood and
dozens of illusions clouds the thought, is
+C
Euclid" said the king, "is there no shorter and
easier way to this knowledge?" And Euclid
replied, There is royal road" 1t is by hard
work in reading that people attain Let us
read as did Compile who mentally digested all
he read; read gold miners work, forsaking
thin soil and grinding quartz, Let us grind
on Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Butler and pour
gold of truth into the mind Soak the mind in
Shakespeare, David Homer, till are penetrat-
ed with the quality of heroes. Sieze upon in our
mental hunger and mentally eat of Moses, Isai-
ah Solomon Paul. Jesus: till their truth poured
into the blood like iron shall make us intel1ec-
tual athletes. The use of the spare minutes
makes the difference between the philosopher
and the fool. Who has not heard of DR.. Hurl-
butts friend, of his rapidly acquired riches, of
the doctors question, of thereby, II hire the
privilege OF. sweeping where precious metals
are worked and grow rich on what others throw
away" System is good in reading as every
where. University extension, or Chautauqua,
Correspondence School, Institute of Sacred Lit
erature; all better, any one is better
than haphazard work without system or aim
In this connection let ME refer to the sys-
tematic reading of the life of Christ as planned
by the Institute of Sacred Literature They
take up "The Testimony of the PROPHETS"
"From Bethlehem to Olivet," "The Early
Church." equivalent books They are not
studying any system Of theology, but finding
who Jesus was, what he said and what he did.
All denominations, and those of no denomina-
tio~ at all are in this course of reading, and the
results are seen in the making of broadminded,
sweet spirited and life long followers of Christ.
AS much system is better than chaos so
almost any spare minute course is better than
ain1less reading
After we have read it is necessary to keep
reviewed that our knowledge may be ready for
use. Rev. DR.. Buckley, of New York is confess
edly the ablest debater in the world. He has
thoroughly reviewed the subject, and can bring
to bear all that is known of the question. That
is much better than the young orator who said,
L will close by quoting the words of the i'm
mortal poet-ah, ah, | forget what his name
was, but-ah, ah, / forgot what he said too"