The San Francisco call., 1909-02-06

un your mind what Is best for you 10
read and read IL Read a few good
books and master them. Make a rosary
OF your books and string them on rope
Of knowledge. Life Is short and books
are manly. Put the books on one By
one-do not crowd it with the trashy,
the sensational or the criminal books,
but choose each one as d lapidsry does
the precious stones he cuts. for there
are silver books and golden books and
both with jewels gIfsten- When you
VIII have finished the stringing Of the
books you viii handle each with low
ing care. turn each leaf with lingering
thought and listen 10 the voices Of the
past now glorihed- Let each book you
select show a moral expression and
give forth an inspiring influence Let
them prove TO be a moral guard 10
both the boys and girls. In cultivating
a taste for books based upon a high
moral standard you prevent a thirst
for exciting recreatiOns and debesing
pleasure and you VIII seorn the low.
coarse and vulgar. How much trouble
We would avoid IN neighborhood gos-
sip II we would form the habit Of
coed reading in leisure moments and
hours An idle brain Is the devil 5
workshop. so let Us cultivate the best
society. that which lives in books. II
is far removed from vulgarity. strife
for social place and power, and is so
harmonious and truthful that we can
always ind strength, grace and refine
meut- In the monotoHous routine of
daily life even the strongest are sub
jecL TO weakness and weariness- We
pick up q book turn the pages slowly,
are lost for time 10 all about Us.
and when we are ready once more 10
assume our duties We are inspired with
faith and patience
When girls and boys leave school is
the period that their minds must be
awakened 10 womanly and manly inde-
pendence and started on a vigorous
course of self-culture- After this time
very feT ever rouse themselves TO in
tellectual tastes. IT is at this period
that corrupt reading Is usually strong
est and 70 read books with pictures
which present the details or crime, how
done. how concealed and how found out
gre dangerous. and We Would say, be-
ware Nay they not prove z criminal
school for those whose inclinations lead
them that WaE2 The most dangerous
element in the sensational novel IS the
contemporanecus one If these stories
could be laid a few centuries back they
would do no harm. But when the he
roes and aeroines are men and women
OF Ike passions as ourselves and living
In our midst they have all the wicked
influences Of personal bad company. Il
IS highly creditable 10 modern society
that the staple Of the novels OF today
are domestic and semireligious.
Critics call the novels Of Miss Austen
Mrs. GaskeN. Miss Yonge- Mrs Oliphant
George Eliot and others ~hreside con-
Germs. but their heroines carry with
them a distinctive social power. for
they first taught girls what beautiful
tEing Kindness is (Uhe principle of love-.
which sofCens and gladdens the heart
10 visit the poor and sick and interest
themselves in Sunday schools. The
young men OF the same period were
equally susceptible 10 kingsley-s nov
els. for he portrayed heroes as God
fearing and physically and morally
healthy Another popular writer Is
HOwells. his stories are domestic and
analytic Il IS 70 be much regretted
that al the present time public taste
must be consulted. and the larger the
sale Of books the lower must be the
taste are commonplace. which is a
average taste, YET II IS this that must
be written fer If financial rewards are