Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-11-16

teacher of her childhood, whose theory
of life was reduced to a simple princi-
pie: Learn to read well, young la
dies-to enunciate distinctly, to modu-
late the voice pleasingly, to interpret
the words of the author with sympa-
thy and understanding learn to read
well, and all other virtues will follow"
1t is possible that the requirement OF
all the virtues seems a slightly more
complicated matter than it did to the
old gentleman of seventy years ago.
Nevertheless, the advice is not to be
laughed away, if only because it recalls
the days when reading aloud was count
ed one Of the most desirable Of the fine
arts of life. This is no reflection upon
the art Of reading as taught in these
latter days the question is not of the
actual process, but of the place that
reading aloud used to hold in family
life. Many gray-haired man or wom-
an who never heard of round tables,
and never discovered that authors had
early or late styles, yet knows his Scott
or Thackeray or Shakespeare as few
young people Of to-day ever know them.
In part this is due to the fact that the
field Of reading now covered by young
people is much larger than it was half
a century ago. A deeper cause lies in
the decline of the habit Of reading
aloud. We have no time now to read
oil No
fore we decide, might it not be we'll to
consider whether any other recreation
offers more permanent pleasure or
greater enrichment to the life. Books
read aloud winter evenings about the
fire, with the whole family sharing the
interest and the discussions, will hold
a warmth Of color which time will not
dim. Between their pages will lie
countless happy memories-a treasure
whose value will deepen through all the
years to come.
While certain elderly gentlemen Of
athletic proclivities were disporting On
the links Of a New York golf club IN
competitive endeavor to reduce records,
a Chicago doctor of theology was in
Weighing vigorously against the humor-
Gus DR.. Osler, whose merry jest at the
expense of 60 hobs up occasionally to
plague the supersensitiye. The theolo-
gian pointed out that Moses did not be-
gin to preach until he was so years Of
age, and from this undisputed assertion
he drew the conclusion that there is no
age limit until a mans vigor has gone.
If any argument were permissible 1t
might be cOntended that much of the
great work of Moses was performed
while he was yet young-young not
merely from the ancient but the pres
ent way Of looking at years. But no.
body now takes seriously the limita-
tons prescribed by DR.. Osler except
possibly few over-wrought gentlemen
who are, unhappily, devoid O. the saw
ing grace of humor. To calm the feel
ings Of these sensitive few we may
speak not only of the preaching Moses
but of the elderly golfers who went
forth to battle amid ''wintry blasts and
furries of snow" 1t is recorded that
of this goodly array of competitive an
clients and honorables not one was uu-
der 50, while most Of them had passed
the Osler age of usefulness, and several
of them were over so. A merry young
rellow of IS carried off one Of the
prizes, and a STRIPPING Of two and sew
enty figured proudly in the running.
And in order to accomplish the task
presented it was required Of these hus-
XIV athletes to cover ground to the ex-
tent of seven miles, mere bit of at
tendant exercise which they considered
hardly worth mentioning. In all lfkell-
hood Moses thought nothing Of walk
ing seven miles day, even after he be-
gan preaching, for he was pedestrian
of large experience and was in excel
lent training But the conjunction Of
the patriarch and the contemporary
golfers, for illustrative purposes, Is fe-
fictitious chiefly as showing that in ali
ages Of the worlds history decrepitude,
physical and mental, is usually not SO
much a matter of years as of tempera-
ment and mode of life. The octogenar-
ian on the golf links and in the pulpit
is constantly with us to remind us If
the humor of DR.. Osler's quips and fan
cies.
Demand for More Furs.