The Washington herald., 1907-09-22
On Reading.

Mr. Joseph @. Cannon has been writ
ing interestingly on the subject of books,
and reading and speaking of his own
youth when life was not so easy as it is
now, and when the farmers boy had 10
read painfully and somewhat heroically
by the light Of the fire. But even under
those conditions reading was a keen de-
light. OF the quality OF the books they
read. the Speaker says:
I'VE had the Bible and standard histories with a
few books Of the standard poets and novels. and
read these just eagerly the boys the street
to-day read the widest stories Of cowboys and In
dians"
All, those standard editons" What
boy is there that cannot recall with de-
light his introduction into the dream
world through the medium Of the mas
ters? If the books We're few, how much
better they We're enjoyed and how one
came TO know the pages almost by heart.
Do we not find the middle-aged men OF
to-day, those boys of fifty years ago,
garnlshing their speech with apt quota
tions from the books they learned TO know
and love IN those days of Old?
To-day We have come to the era Of
many books and great facilities for read
ing. but It Is d grave question whether
it is all gain! We are turning out some
Creditable books to-day, but who Is there
10 say which Of them are to live and be-
come a part OF our nations very blood.
as Fielding lives IN Tom Jones'" Defoe
in Robinson CrusOe." ThaCkeray I'm
Vanity Fair" Dickens IN David Cop
perheld," Scott In ''Waverley?" There are
enthusiasts who claim much for the
novels Of to-day, and that many Of them
will live and that some OF them can com
pare with the books Of that elder day.
But the contention is a aard one % main
tain. 1t Is as Mr.. Hiiaire Beloc has said.
that the literature Of the present day
seems 10 have a lack Of staying power"
He said:
Any one Of Us can call 20 mind from fourteen -
tWenty-eight frstClass poets. fits or sixty epoch
making novels Cmosuy Of a religious kind. aud a
fan gross or more Of political prophecies. which
were % have been classic, and which neys- grew
more than the wonder Of a season This is true.
unfortunately even Of verse. Where IS tie man
to-day who VIII write you verse on occasion as Ten
uyson could write IT, or as Mr. Gilbert did for the
newspaper fun in the old days5'
Who is there who remembers the novels
of yesterday, those great successes about
which We talked and wrote and which
We thought so tremendous? Who is there
now Will dare TO say that the much-be-
lauded Green Carnation. 'Dodo."
Robert EIsmere." ships that Pass in
the Night and a host Of others that
seemed as good when they first appeared
Will even be known by name 20 our
Children7 Can we not see already from
this short distance from these books that
they had nothing really vital in them?
Is there a character IN one Of them that
stands out as the characters from the
pages Of the standard" authors? Who.
from the modern books, shall we choose
to stand beside Col. Newcomer Shall any
OF our modern heroiues compare with
Diana Vernon? What heroic sacrifice in
our ephemeral books is fit to mention with
that Of Sydney Carton?
No; they came a noble galaxy OF men
and women 10 make sweet and fine the
life Of the country boy who read by the
fire in the days Of old. We can but think
Of that youth with regret, even though
to-day in well-lghted rooms our lads are
surrounded by gaudy volumes fresh from
the press.