The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-02-18

medHInSleSS seeHS 700 mucn TO be the
order Of the day. II language were in
deed invented to conceal thought. O,
words to convey ideas, the ordinar,
current language of the day effectual
ly does the one, and almost as trul,
fails to do the other. In it's train i
brings carelessness of manners. loss 81
dignity, and one who continually in
dulkes himself in 1t, even if carefully
guarding against the coarse, eventual
ly marks his lack Of self-respect. and
meets the reward of the want of re
spect of his fellows.
OF all the many ways by which one
mind may convey ideas Of beauty
truth, right and grandeur to another
! whether music. painting, sculpture
architecture, it still remains that the
average of us have no other means OF
such communication than by the use
Of language. Not many of us will ever
be permitted to view the master pieces
of art, many of which even in our
times are meeting the fate of those
wonderful works of former ages under
the mad d~evastations of war. To most
Of us there is little possibility that we
will ever hear in this life the wonder
full melodies and matchless harmonies
of the great works in music; probably
all of us will be denied access to the
wonderful works of building by the
masters of this and former ages, and
may v see the grand panoramas
and wonderful vistas spread out over
the earth by the lavish hand of the
Grand Architect of the Universe. The
best we may ever be able to accom-.
plish along these lines will be to i'm
agine them as we have opportunity to
come in contact with the lesser lights.
or read the glowing word pictures of
them in books.
What a glorious thing it is for us
that while our W eyes may never
behold. nor our ears hear these won.
derful things, others with eyes clearer
and better trained than ours have seen
and have been able to transfer to the
printed page, pictures that glow true
to the life.
If ave il vas true in all history that
"of making of many books there is no
end" it certainly is true of our times.
The wealth Of material ready to the
hand of the skillful, touching every
phase of human thought. and endeavor,
has created a vast army whose bust
ness in life it is to write and make
plain all things worth knowing. In
these days the busy artizan, farmer,
mechanic merchant and scholar has
laid upon his table beside his frugal
evening meal the opportunity to enter
the great university of life and learn
the things he most needs to know. The
busy toiler in any place, may at very
little expense secure an education. He
meet upon terms of cordial friend
ship the great minds of all ages. He
may get that large view of life which
shall make him content to fill his place
with credit to himself and his fellows.
Books. books, books! What endless
possibilities are bound up in them.
Not only are there to be found things
useful for the everybody life, but as
we'll for the relief of the mind from
the dull routine. Things that elevate
and expand the heart and enliven the
spirit. That helps TO make life worth
that pushes dull care into the
background. while the soul of nan
gets strength for a fresh start. The
and errors of this and former
times set out in clear fresh terms.
Hints of the right way to get the most
out of life for the individual, the com
munity, the state, the nation and the
The sorid and the evil relegated to
the real the bright and the hopeful
brought to the front. All these things
in due course until the reading and
thinking man can obtain the right per
spective through which to view life.
You have established here a library,
you have stocked it with books, to
these you hope as time goes by to add
until you shall have something
that will not only be a credit to the
enterprise of your citizens of this gen.
Grafton, but that shall be of benefit to
your community in helping to mould
strong and fearless characters able to
give a reason for the faith that is in
them.
This library ought to be used by
your whole community. not merely for
as a recreation, though this IS
not by any mean to be despised. 1t
should be a place where your thought
full and earnest young men and wo-
may come in contact with the
great minds and learn from them, in
part at least, the solution of the prob
that sooner or later will confront
them. 1t should be the place where
your whole citizenship can gather the
inspiration for the best things for your
city in all its departments of life and
1t should furnish in great
measure the stimulus for the city beau
tiful, the high ideals for civic improve
.ent.
While the building and it's surround.
as you shall develop them will be
a most pleasing addition to your al
ready well planned and beautiful city,
and be always a source of pride and
to your community, it is
Of vastly more concern to you now
and hereafter that 1t shall be more
than a beautiful store house of books.
Its reading room ought to become the
mecca of all, both young and old,
where they may indulge a desire to
keep up with the times, and also a
for the worlds best in literature.
l cannot but think that the time is
when communities will tire
Of the ceaseless round of pleasure
hunting; when amusement and utter
will not be allowed to fill all
the waking hours not absolutely nee
acSorv for tho ordinary ayocatiOps of