Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-12

and digested. Perhaps that author
would agree that some books are not
even to be tasted.
a little boy came home from school one
day with Il report which had fallen below
the usual average. His father asked MN
how that came, and the boy replied IN II
he did not know. Now the father had
noticed number of dime novels lying
about the house, and wisely decided TO
give the boy a lesson. He told the boy
to empty out a basket of apples that
stood near and fill the basket half fun oi
! chips When the boy had done this he
told him to replace the apples in the
basket When half of the apples were
in the boy said:
Father. they roll off. l can't put any
more in
Put them in, 1 tell you
But i can't. father.
'Of course you can't. my son, sand
the father. And you said you didn t
know why YOU fell behind at school. !
will tell you; Your mind is like that i,a..
| basket. 1t will only hold so much. For
the past month you've been filling it up
with cheap dirt-dime novels
The boy turned OH his heel. whistled,
and said, Il see the point 1t is said
that not dime novel has been seen IN
that house since. Happy the boy who
sees the point in time. With all thy
getting, get understanding.
When Sir Walter Scott lay dying he
said to his son-n-law, Lockhart, Read
to me, Read to met What shall
read?" asked Lockhart How can you
ask" said the maker Of books. There
is but one Book now.
In the multiplicity of books of today
there is great danger that the one Book
| will be forgotten: that many will find
, when they come to die that there was
truly but one Book worth while, and
| that they have not learned it.
1t is said that Luther's wife one day
grew weary of the long psalm her hus-
band was reading and said she had heard
enough. and. besides. she read great
deal for herself every day and knew how
to talk about fl. too. '.Ah, Kate said
her husband, with a sigh. this is the
| way WEAKNESS of Gods word begins; be-
ware lest new books come and take It's
place and the scriptures be driven again
into the corner.
greatest book Of all The ordinary reader
seldom gives it even the same reading
which he gives to other books. For one
thing, he does not bring to it the keen
appreciation and enjoyment which he
would bring to a novel. Then, he seldom
reads it through from cover to cover.
getting the connection of the wonderful
story Amos r. Wells has put the sug-
gestion most beautifully into a poem:
Iou who like to play at Bible.
Dip and dabble here and there.
Just before you knrel, aweary.
And ravn through a hurried PRAYER
You who treat the Crown of writings
AS Won treat other book.
Just a paragraph disjointei.
Just a crude. impatient iook.
Try a worthier procedure.
Try a broad and steady view:
You will knpe in rapture
When you read the Bible through
Charming once wrote: No, matter how
poor l am: no matter though the prosper
Gus of my own time will not enter my oh
scure dwelling; If the sacred writer's will
enter and take up their abode under my
! u threshold
to sing to me of Paradise, and Shake
speare to open to me the worlds Of inn
agination and the workings of the human
heart, and Franklin to enrich me with
! his practical wisdom. ! shall not pine for
want of intellectual companionship, and
may become cultivated man. though ex-
clltded from what is called the best So
ciety in the place where | live
Great men OF the world have been great
readers Tt is said of Lincoln that he
would walk miles TO borrow book. and
even a dictionary had power to enchain
him for hours motionless. But in these
days the books are SO many, and many
of them are SO worthless, that we can no
longer claim help from q book just be-
cause it is a book There are books and
books. and even those with a moral pur-
pose may not always be helpful In every
way. The ones that have helped are
those that leave behind them the desire
to live better. nObier life and the sense
of unworthiness CT self These helps are
found not alone in the strictly religious
Rocks. of which there are many and WON
derfu ones too. This help may come from
hist DRY. biography. or from fiction.
Thank Gcd there is fiction today which is
acknow lodged to be great by the literary
|! world. which yet keeps a high standard
! and lofty aim. and which portrayS char
acter as it should be without leaving the
mind filed with the filth of the details
!, of life as It sometimes is.
There is little parable Of Il mother and
daughter WHO We're walking along a coun-
, try road together, the daughter carrying
in her hand novel OF many pages,
which. while it undoubtedly taught Il
great truth. did it by detailed portrayal
Of crriDg human nature. Vividly enlarg-
ing upon the s ms and tempta tons of some
Of God people. and making the vice
most realistic. The mother objected Sc
riously to the book i'm spite of its great
moral but the daughter most energeti-
calIy defended tho book and said she read
il for the great moral truth II taught.
They passed Il barnyard where cattl ,
walked kneedeep III mud and filth and
the air filled with sicsening odors.
The mother picked rose by the roadside
an holding il toward her dauphtar III