The Holt County sentinel., 1911-11-17
OREGON alon SCHOOL NOTES
The Character Of Our READING.
tBy r. N. BROOKS, SUPERINTENDENT

SOue lew UOOkS are purchased lot
ornament, and are valuable as curios
or for their elegance OF design and
mechanical construction. but in the
large part books are valuable to us
first because Of their contents setting
forth In the best language the hest
thoughts Of the best lives OF all the
ages past. Through the medium OF
books, the most precious products Of
the greatest minds Of the past, the
record Of the hopes and fears, the
longings and conquests, the joys and
SORROWS, the superstition, the trials
and trlumphs Of the human soul In
Its evolution from darkness TO light;
the struggle Of humanity In It's pro.
gress from savagery to enlightment,
In its searching for the truth, its
striving after nowledye, the feeling
after God, are preserved to us. In
song, story, chroNicle, grafton, expo.
sition. narrative and descript ion the
achievement OF the race In literature.
art, science, invention, civics, eco.
Monies, ethics and religion together
with all Of these In the Revelation OF
God to the world In the book called
the Bible, has been transmitted "a
priceless heritage ours for the ask
ing.
But books are not valuable to us for
their contents alone, but because We
read them with care and aDprecia.
ton, because we know them, believe
them, love them, make them our
friends. Two things render book
worse than useless, one Is either an
unintelligent or a pernicious subject
matter, the other hasty or listless
perusal. or the tirst two faults some
books are actually guilty Of both. A
book may he written In poor English.
or In disconnected manner or In a
roundabout expression, there being a
peck Of chat to each grain Of truth,
while still other devices may be EN-.
ployed to render the book unintelligi.
ble and consequently worthless. We
frequently meet textbooks Of this de-
scription as well as duh and uninter-
esting general reading aud fiction.
We say the book u not readable.
That IL Is u waste Of time to read
such books Is putting the case chart.
tably.
or the pernicious books there are
two general classes: One Is the So
called light literature, composing the
silly and trashy fiction which Is Hood.
ing the country. Not immoral In It's
story and suggestion, but simply SHY.
They are written by obscure authors,
contain no moral Of truth, deed, or
character, Illustrate no worthy mo.
tive Of life, and stir no noble impulse
and inspiration In the reader. hut
their influence Is not wholly negative.
They are read for the foolish ovestory
and the trashy sentiment they con.
tain and hence tend TO produce the
shallow mind, giddy disposition, sur
face otions, frivolous sentiments
and u palled literary taste which
make appreciation OF good literature
impossible. Again such trash Is read
hurriedly under sensational pressure
and hence not only destroys the
power Of memory but cultivates that
most pernicious Of all reading habits
Swimming for the cream ins, cad Of
churning for the butter. Such pro-
cess does secure all the bad there Is In
a cheap story, but most Of us will
never be able To comprehend the
truth Of q great classic by reading
fast. "Of all the follies," says Rus.
kin, "reading fast Is the least excusa.
ble. You miss the POINTS OF u book
by doing SO and misunderstood the
rest" Finally the reading OF pure and
solid books In literary prose and poet
~, In science, art, history and fiction
becomes distasteful and Is bore. AS
q reader the victim belongs to that
class Of society, pictured by Punch:
"Mamma lying Oh the sofa showing
her pretty feet--the children delight
fully teasing the governess, coach
man, maid and footman--the close Of
the day consisting Of state dinner and
q reception" So much for the light
variety Of literature.
The other class Of pernicious litera-
ture we shall designate as "rotten."
by this We mean mo good" contain.
Ing no nourishment, decayed, nause.
ating-story stale, characters moldy,
morals putrid-the whole decompos.
ing mass poorly disguised In a morbid
sensationalism which arOuses de-
PRAYED curiosity, appeals 70 the base
and cultivates the evil In human
thought. Its effects are TO the mind
or soul what a diet Of stale milk,
mouldy bread, putrid meat, spoiled
eggs, decayed cabbage and rotten po
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