The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-12
DUNCAN breaches
ABOUT "READING"
Sermon to Young Men at the
First Methodist
THE INFLUENCE OF BOOKS
Reading Is Not the Privilege of the
Few, But the Province of the
Many--Modern
Novels.
THE INFLUENCE OF BOOKS

His text was taken from IL Timothy
4.13 ssThe cloak that | left at Troas with
Carpus, when thou contest, bring with
thee. and the books, especially the pareh-
ments.'
What books these were that St. Paul
was so anxious to have we have no means
of knowing That he valued them is evil
dent from the fact that he asks for them
at such a time. When men find death
within arms length of them they do not
ask for things unless they hold such
things very dear.
whether st. Paul had ever read any of
the great authors of his day is a matter
about which there is no little dispute.
and as there is no means of proving any
thing, argument on the subject seems
worse than useless. On one occasion, 1t
is true, he quotes from the poet Aratus,
but all that this proves is that he was ae-
quainted with what might have been an
oft recited popular poem. This much,
however, is evident, that st. Paul made
most excellent use of his acquaintance
with profane literature If this is all he
knew of 1t.
Before there were many such things as
books, traditions and stories were told by
the firesides and in the camps. The chill
dren of Israel are taught that they are
to tell their descendants the history of
the escape from the Egyptian bondage.
The memorial stones erected in various
places instead of having engraved upon
them the purpose of their erection shall
be pointed TO by the father and when
the child shall ask what the meaning Is,
then the story shall be related. In the.
east, where life is a leisurely affair and
where they have few books and the
knowledge of letters rare there are pro-
fesslonal story tellers, whose voices may
be heard in the street, the booth, the cof-
fee house, day after day
In our own land it is different. Day
after day the presses of the publishing
houses send forth hundreds of volumes,
the daily, the tri-weekly, the semi-weel<Iy,
the weekly papers; the magazines, from
weeklies to quarterlies. the books on
every conceivable subject, printed In
every conceivable style. and gotten up
apparently for every conceivable purpose.
Not Privilege of the Few.
Reading is not the privilege of few,
but the province of the many. The per-
eentage of those who can read in the
United States is greater than 1t has ever
been before. 1t takes real genius in
these days to go through life in civilized
country and not learn to read. Every
fence along the road and many of the
rocks on the mountains are covered with
letters, so that he that runneth cannot
help knowing how to read.
We are forced to read whether we will
OF not. but what shall we read is the
question. How, in the midst of this abufr-
dance. shall we decide what to take? 1t
is we'll to ask a counter question: What
do you to propose to read for? Is 1t for
Information or for pleasure? DO you pro-
pose to read to enrich the mind to furnish
yourself food for reflection to broaden
your views of life. or is there some other
purpose, or simply no purpose In view at
all?
The first suggestion | have to offer is
for you to read for something. Intel
lectual idling standing at the literary
streets corners and dawdlng with the
inconsequent utterances of thoughtless
writer's simply for the purpose of getting
rid of so much time is perncous in the
extreme If you are in need of rest there
are books whose very atmosphere is
restful. Take such a book as Mabie's
Under the Trees and Elsewhere" To
read this makes one feel as If he had
gotten out into the country, and is
breathing the fresh air, and hears the
song of the birds.
There are hosts of excellent novels many
of which have so established for them
selves a permanent place in the litera-
ture of the world that you need make
no mistake In reference to them. Thaok-
cray, Eliot Scott, these alone, have
written enough that is good to furnish
all the novel reading one ordinarily needs
to do.
As to the novel of the day read SPAR
ingly. do not say as some, do not read
at all. If that dictum had been applied
years ago to that day, there would be no
standard works of fiction for us In this
day. If in the days of Scott men had
entirely stunned modern fiction simply
because 1t then was modern, the great
writer would have been compelled to
turn his energies to something else and
his books would have never been writ
ten.
Admit no man to intimate communion
with your thoughts that you would not
admit to your parlor. Remember that
there might be some reason in your
knowing bad man or woman, as 1t is
possible for you to help such, but you
cannot reform an evil character in a
book, though such a character may do
you harm.
Influence of Books.
Books have a tremendous Influence.
Take such a story as Uncle Toms Cab
in" No one will ever be able to say how
the war between the states.
In books we are face to face with
ideals and institutions without having
to confront the man himself with the
force of his personality, for after all
1t is an exceedingly difficult thing, when
one is a part of a much stirred crowd, TO
think calmly upon any question that Is
being eloquently presented.
We can take a statement in book
dispassionatey. We can reflect upon
what is read. We can calmly study the
arguments presented, and the conse-
ouences when we have accepted a books
teachings. they -fasten themselves upon
us more firmly, and more tenaciously
than teachings that come to us In any
other way Books enlarge our ideas of
things.
We have very few intimate friends, and
often of those with whom we are init
mate, few tell us their real heart, but
in books we are introduced to many men
of many minds. We study the generous
man and the unselfsh man; the broad
minded man, and the narrow minded man;