The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-30

to be interested In Dickens and Jane
Austen is unfortunate. indeed. she said.
but it is the appalling ignorance OF
the yohng OF to-day OF the charm OF
them that Is hard to understand.
The speaker believes that scrappi-
ness rs the curse of modern reading
, picking up a book when we have moth
ing else TO do instead OF reading as
ones inclination and taste may prompt
. There have been men whose advice
about good reading was fifteen
minutes in the morning and fifteen
minutes. in tho evening" as ifA you
could or cafed TO read like a littlS girl
practising her scales. "A book" says
DR.. Johnson. should help us either
to enjoy life or endure IL" To some
books are all-cNpressinG and simply
unrcvealing to others. Tho French have
wise saying that no house is fur
nished without books and cats and
fatr-hajred li:tle girls
Miss Rcpplicr said that she called
her lecture The Courageous Reader"
but il might as well have the title
The Candid Reader" since these two
qualities are essential IL one would
read. SO many have 4 lifelong init
macy with the titles of the classics
and a partial acquaintance with their
story, 0ut reading is not duty, II is
pure delight or nothing else.
The whole theme of Miss Repplier's
talk hinged upon. personal choice and
pleasure in the books with which IL
pleased ore TO content oneself. She
concluded with the note that 1t Is time
lhat somebody entered bitter re-
proach against the trivial and re-di-
gested literature with which the
minds of the children OF TODAY are
stultifed. What we read when we
are very young becomes our Inherit
hhce' and II their knowledge Is little,
their imagination is very big.
Recent Functions.
MISS Martha Valentine entertained
on saturday afternoon from TO G
o'clock at the apartment CT her moth
er, Mrs Walter s. Mcneil. in Monroe
Terrace. The affair was in bono,. ~
Miss Gulick
Mrs. Malvern c. Patterson, OF Hill.
crest gave n "dansant" on Saturday
afternoon Tor her nephew. Frank Mas
SIZE who Is student at tho University
OF Virginia this session.
Annirs Tor the Younger Set
MISS Mary Tomlin Anderson. the
daughter OF James III. Anderson. was
hostess at pretty dance yesterday
evening Mt the Country Club of Vir-
Ginia. The clubhouse was attractiyelv
decorated in quantities of holly and
inlstletoc tied with scarlet ribbons. and
bright red bells were strung from ono
end OF the ballroom to the other. An
| orchestra played for the dancing. Miss
Anderson received with her father. and
others assisting were Mrs. Churchill
Young, Mr.. and Mrs. Walter S. MCNEIL
DR.. and Mrs. George Bon Johnston and
General Charles J. Anderson. The
guests included 125 members of the
younger society set.
Another affair OF yesterday for the
younger society girls was the. tea
given by little Miss Dorothy Bruce of
2o7 West Franklin Street, when she
entertained about fifty of her friends.
Misses Elizabeth Cecil and Rebecca
AlSop assisted NJ IS Bruce in doing the
honors OF the afternoon.
In Norfolk.
Misses Marie Jones and Bessie Her
bort have gone to Norfolk, where they
are the guests of Mr.. and Mrs l.
Branch Johnson. Miss Jones and Miss
Herbert will attend the Christmas CO.
tillion and assembly danccs durin.
their visit to Norfolk
New Years Reception.
The Hermitage Golf Club will give
its annual New Years entertainment
on Thursday afternoon from 4 to 7
o'clock. Tho club Is say in It's holiday
decorations OF red and green, and an
orchestra will play during receiving
hours. This reception is one of the
yearly charming events Of the society
season, and several hundred club mem-
! bers and gussts win 10 u Astsaaance.
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