Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-12
Gull TlVATING READING
OR EATING. WHICH?
Which Costs MOSt.-Library
or Dining Room.
(By Rev. Madison G. Peters,

-AA4CW many 1lCu PeOpie, DuI lHtlI
dining rooms are larger than their
Libraries. AS a minister, | get into
many homes, and | know that one
home in fifty has a library worth the
price of some of the rugs or bic-a-
brac. If you bring up your children
without surrounding them with
books you are wronging your family
cheating them. Children learn to
read by being in the presence of
good liteature close at their hands.
They love the knowledge that comes
with reading.
From good library there is a wire
less telegraph to all lands and all
ages. in my study" observed Sir
William Waller, Il am sure to con-
verse with none but wise men; abroad
it is impossible for me to avoid the
! society of fools" Every family ought
to be well supplied with a cho ce col
lection of books. without books,
God is silent, justice dormant, science
at a stand, philosophy lame, letters
dumb, ami all things involved in Ctm-
merriam darkness" "A reading people
will soon become tn hiking people,
and thinking people must soon be-
come a great people
The most appropriate gift that any
friendship can make is a good book.
The books you buy for the family cir
Gle will be worth more to you and to
yours than all your boarded gold and
silver. Good books in a family are
invaluable as moral gu des and guards
to the young.
Tie culture of the taste for reading
Will keep the boys and girls quiet
and prevent the thirst for exciting
recreations and debasing pleasures.
The reading habit will prevent that
restless temper that drives SO many
to the saloons and the streets to
while away Their leisure hours.
Wherever you economic don't cut
off the supply of good literature Turn
over your old dress once more, make
the old coat do duty another season,
rather than do without good books,
good papers and good magazines. Go
without your cigar go without your
meat. go without pies and cakes, with
out butter on your bread, but don't,
if you love your family, go without the
best books.
If you want to be in the best So
icety in the world, the real aristoo-
racy, live in good books-no faint of
YHlgarity there, no petty strife for
place and power to disturb TIE har-
mony no falsehood to stain perfect
truth, and you will be nodded into
culture genius cannot give and a
refinement society knows not
First of all books for you to read,
mark, learn and inwardly digest s
the Bible. II furnishes the true view
point for he right understanding Of
history. 1t has produced the best
scholarship of the ages. The finest
educational essays of the world are
written in the Bible The highest call
to earthly scholarship IS in the BIZ
Bile. The richest specimens of fine
arts in the galleries of the world are
Bible pictures. Dante, Schiller, Mil
ton, Burns, Moore, Longfellow and
ShaKespe takers to the
heart had their inspiration in the
Bible Everything that is great in
modern music had its rise in the BIZ
bile. The worlds best craftsmanship
derived its principles of justice and
examples of wisdom from the Bible
There IS no eloquence like that of the
Bible, no religious poetry like that Of
the Psalms, no ethics like that of the
Sermon on the Mount, no spiritual IL
Illumination like that of John, no en-
thusiastic driving power like that of
Paul.
This precious book I'd rather have
Than all the golden gems
That eer in monarehs' Golfers shone,
Or on their diadems;
And were the sea one chrysolite,
This earth a golden ball,
And gems were all the stars of night
This book were worth them all