The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-08-12

In the current number of the
American Magazine (Aug. 1851
appears an article bearing this title:
"a Sons Tribute to His Father"
among the many glowing econiums
rendered by this son to his father,
was this: He loved books and
apples". And as | read that brief
sentence, / marveled at the scol e
of character qualifications it cover
ed. Indeed cannot call to mind
any other two words, which
taken as description of personal
characteristics is more comprehen-
sive. Of truth they are Null
TUM IN PARvo.'
| / hold that everything in this vast
universe represents more than its
mere individual being. We speak
of fox and at once the mind con-
ceives the idea of low cunning and
subtlety, We mention the rock of
Gibraltar and our mind at once
thinks strength and durability.
do not know if this son had a gen.
erous concept of the power of those
two words to portray the finer and
nobler traits of character as he
wished his fathers character por-
trayed, or not; but / am inclined to
think he did not, for those two
words would, of themselves, consti-
tute sufficient euloeium for any
individual. The first idea that pre-
sents itself for our considera-
ton in connection with books, is
that of high and broad intellectual
ity. Intelligence is the logical Sc
quence of a necessary mental trini-
ty, viz: knowledge, reason, and un-
Outstanding.
Surely | need not remind you
that books are the foundation upon
which Is builded the superstruct-
ure of our present day knowledge.
There was time in the early hist
DRY of the human family when there
were no books. What little know
ledge men gained was transmitted to
the coming generations of men by
oral tradition; but that method was
too fallible, so in process of time var
lous modes of transmission of know
ledge by characters was invented,
until we of today. profiting by the
labors of those literary pioneers and
with a multiplicity of publishing con-
Germs. can say with the prophet Dan
iel, that. in the making of many
books there is no end" he loved
books" The man who loves books
may traverse the vast avenues of
knowledge where men of the cent
uries long since entered into history
have left the evidence of their men,
tai acumen.
Books lead us in mental journey
ings down the dusty corridors of
the past; and as we journey thru the
centuries agone we are made ack.
quainted with the mighty men of
old, who have been luminaries in
their particular sphere. The bril-
liant Athenian orators, the profound
Grecian philosophers, the Persian
astronomers; all these and many
more, have. by their profun 1ity en-
riched the peoples of their day and
time, and have made the gener-
atlons of t. day their beneiciaries, by
transmitting their knowledge to us
in book form. This son said of his
father. that, He loved books he did
not say that he merely READ books,
nor that he was INFATUATED with
books, but that he LOVED books. Books
are similar to ,mince pie. in this,
that you can hide an incongruous
mass of worthlessness between their
respective covers. If the contents
of each were merely worthless. there
would not be such ill results. / will
leave you and your conglomerate
mass called a mince pie to fight out
your physical Indigestion; but the