The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-09
DR.. KENT ADVISES
READING GOOD BOOKS
Teachers Hear Interesting Talk Al
Charlottesville Summer
Normal
READ TO STIMULATE THOUGHT.
Imagination VIII Be QuiclSened. He
Declares, Even In These Practical
Days-yitahze Past and Map Out
Future.

Charlottesville, Va, July Stalking
as his subject. The Ministry OF
Books DR.. C. w. Kent talked to the
teachers at assembly hour yesterday
on the value OF reading good books
Dividing his subject into seven short
divisions tho speaker spoke briefly but
with such emphasis and strength as to
ence. In substance. DIR. Kent said:
The first benefit that comes from
the reading of good books is the en-
richment of the mind. Lord Bacon
said that Reading make.h a full
man" and only recently H G. Wells
declared that the Man who gives up
reading must give up hope OF ever
becoming an informed man" Books
are a great reservoir from which come
the gems OF thought which enrich and
develop the mind.
GOOD books also ennoble our think
ing. The studying OF them bring noble
thoughta They stimulate thought and
direct the channels Of our thinking.
Thus association with the best that
has been thought may lift us out OF
an Insignificant place in life and put
us on higher plane OF thinking.
But VIE should not only read good
books 10 stimulate thought: we
should read them TO enliven our i'm
agination. In these days of SO called
practical affairs the tendency has been
to underrate the man of Imagination.
the tdealist who makes dreams come
true II have no desire to he prac-
teal" declared DIR. Kent. 'All the
great forward movements OF the world
have been led by men with construc-
tive imaginations." Imagination thrills
and v4talixes the past: It maps out
for IN the extensive future. It In only
uots Of men with Imagination, that we
can develop our own powers.
Moreover. good literature encour-
ages our memories, Today we are
afraid OF being called pedantio If we
even leave the impression that we are
making . useless display OF knowi-
edro. Hence the old method of mem
ortx1ng the most significant passages
in literature for our own pleasure has
not even been used lately. we ought
| to teach memory: we ought to make
more extensive use OF memory gems
that was once found In every reader,
said tho speaker. When our power TO
memortzs comes back. we can get
deeper feeling for the best In litera-
tnre.
! With the development OF memory
must come an understanding OF the
material we are meuforizfng. Hence
rood reading will enlist our emotions
I-emotione OF all kinds from the tend
crest TO the strongest ITO say thai
you understand a poem said the
speaker, land then not to respond to
fine feeling that the writer 10 tryins
a. cir
al not to read the poem at all" There
fore IN the reading Of any great work
Of literature we need not only intel
Iiectual apprehension but emotional re-
Spouse as we'll
| Literature can also reinforce our
willis The statement made by one OF
the enxtneers who was here the other
day that success in the professor de-
pended upon twenty-five per cent
ability and seventy five per cent char
acter was a most significant one. IL
shows how necessary Is the develop
ment of selt-control. OF will power
We need discipline OF our wills ano
we can get II from books because the
stroprest minds have written for our
own profit Books contain the hfe-
story Of mon who have learned to dis
Ictpline themselves and 10 develop their
own latent powers
lastly we need 10 read books be-
cause they Undue us with tho spirit
we exist IN two -worlds-the spirit
iuai and tho material; both are neces-
sary for tho fullest life The ma
tertai we may get from everyday ME-
but spiritual development we mus
ret from books. We long for the
suirseusl and are continually speculek-
tnr about the higher and the inner
fhin9s Of NE Books are the results
OF mems HIVES and the reading OF Thorn
Is bound 10 give M larger and
broader spiritual vision.