THE ATTACK ON BOOKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 621, 25 September 1909, Page 15

THE ATTACK ON BOOKS.

Pii- 'X'''- Tho : : (>A'slati£'ht : ! oit Hha •■Am'bif isj' =' yvv-''£>nth^ ;;X J-tb: ; ]iy.r,i).-'- H.. -.J; .: r ßtbybu'i, writing?pn.':'\VhaVCollege Students, V;v..^fieadj;'vin.the(eurreht::''Outlobk;!'..'::::Ho,fin(lfl- . f . : •..thoKV.coJlegp.'' sttidenti .of. ..to-day, has / a: j.'mis'guidM; tastb'.inT'.liis•:gbneral "reading"; -" .':;, but s'bnio'of ;tbo■";statisticsVlio')a'dduces seem ,;■:•'•/';;;■ tb poihttb a'.contrary.'conclusibn. ■,: For.in--.0. :; ; ;stanc6,;::he/:shbws'''Hhat';. , '•■•.'.--j : ;dents; 'iti tho,':.field.'of/hisvinvestigation, '.a. -.;;•;:.:very'siiail.percentage'.read hovels.; The short '!;•-'.'■■ story'. 'or essay.isVprcf'erredj:the.reason given. ..':r::.beihg that :thcy;:nayo;,no;'time ,to read long' r.^-i;'-;'.books:;': 'writes,;, Vara ■i: '■;■■ i'-k abtirig^bs: : aArcstraint;: upon -;the 'tchdency^to :,';i, ~•, rea'd- : :novels:'.:that;:;is, : natural : to v younger ;:.': -':i , ''.:;. : jpeb'plbi";. : 'Ho ; ;seems -tb-takbit'.-for 1 granted. .; Y:';;'.v.that:"this.'rdstraint:;is ,bad;;;•But 1 it is highly W 'j',',-.jirobabloithnt'th'b iastnbf :the'.'young.i3ve'ry: : .'>>< [■% Literary tasto js ":fpriued' by.''inSuonccs; which'' ;::)'[. ; : : . lbiid:;i' Btu(lorts»'jseb ; whore : .'aiid':hoiv»,lifo';is :;;:::i.:'::exr)ressed;iiv form. ;lri: ctjllef^ifthb'Btiideht; ; ::',S.. is''bfbugbttih.tcbntact-witH ::.;],'; of .-the; fprmcd.'.lifb, of, /whether ho" , : (i'■':';■'rbiifls:novb|3 or not.; : Conrsos;iri ! comppsitioii,\ '; '■ .jiiibwj'prcsb'riiied'in:.toahy'fcollegcflr.'ltavo ; a's-' ;:';:!.'■ sbcinted-with; them -.lectures.' and 'collateral :•.'"i > readitig :from: ; .the,rcliis's!cs;-.;• Kciv;'boys: can go ;:;;;.l■;';■'. thrqugli 'rcbllegb'::'without : . havihg v ;.inany,':an. ,■•'..'.'.' . appreoiatp. how form and sub- ... : :;';; stivtie'e arc,:in' : succ!«ssfli] literary "art,' bcauti-'' .'■':'..l':v'fully.-'i'.wodtlcdiii To get;this'.'foeling,; the' boy: ;'; :riccd;'tb':fcad:eVen':th6;n6vel.:Tho ; slibrt'storyis easily .read,';tho poem maytakb- -,'-.', '■■ |. ;bnlyj ■ five % minutes,' ':-:. tho best /.parts ..of .tho; '.'■'■.■.'■"';-.'classics'./arcnot long;.: That'^his.taste' is: bet-' ;■.;■■; ;--.'-.j-:'-';i..er,'itroinca-''.iiii.'.coilego;' thaii,.it : .:.wquld 'b6 .'puli' -' ::';.is'/a;'cpmmoriplace; >:.■'■':'.<>. ; .:;' : '.''-X' ■ ";:■':.■'!•■-■: ■■'■ the,'r'cadino;' of;a;cbllego.student ..'.'.; i,,i9 far;less.;''caprioious^.than^it'.would:bb at. ':■''••■• '|:.'hbmdjV;:i'or^'''in.coltcßc; i ,therb-.is'a;stan'dard - ;: . of.fastb whioh.in'.the'ordidai'y-homo, is lack- ;;, -j.ing. ;,. That-tbo'student; tends'to; read i'.'coni ".::.; --J- den'sct]. stories'', fathei'.:thah ! ''lbng novels, is ' ■"'V l.;,nb; : sign ,th'n't,:,his tasto' is'dogenerating., Tho :'.,.' ■'.Vi'-'gieSbral.'tendency, ofvmbdern;taste in UtorttT

:ture is,towards greater cbtnpab'ttiess,"groater' ;i vividness, >less ..circumstances; •>loss',indirect- :' ness':' than \- fbrm'orly.V:". The Russian novel,' • though -often long, : is: yat. short: in .-quality.;- i 'that-is.to say;" it .is dir-actj, simple,- nnd : "quick, ■( in.jnovemcnt. It does not indulgo iii thoso i long-winded '■■ dosoriptipna. of,rporsoriago; dnd :1 'landscape ■ which are,; in; the. oaso of, tho Eng- ' lish. iibveli whothbr it bo- classic or .'modern- J so wearißomo to some'impatiorit-souls..C That. ' jthia".tendency: is ';."American," | in one son3o, ! is truei it.is also true that it; seems to.'be '~ ! ',conneot Gd .■; with . tho :.Bp.mq,-national'temper. -.' : whicli makea tho itbwspiper, sUch;an import-. -'~ ant thing.in bur lives...But:a very good ease i' could bo raado : out Jor;,tho.contention, that : arfy vital literature is.'based, in part, on the ! ,widb oharactoriofitHo.timey and shows:sighs '. ,of that-oha'raoter .\a :its forni.'.:,.Art.inirrois life. ;'Let'uV.'bhcor, up;: thoroforb,'.and :nbt' '', moUrn';becausei',studbnts.aro."introduced ; only' .' 'to thbs'o literary forms' whibb_: thoir : duties, , and.'tho, Bclcctivo'.tastd of;thoir instructors/ bring,, to their- attoition,, , .. :; ; ,j.' . ■■':'■'/ •;' A .writer; in: tho; "Indopcndcntj'':.; Harold E.- Gorstjioutdoes, Mr> Stevens, in -point, bf radicalism.': • merely'that bur ireiding is : .untrained and ■: misdirected. Tho latt«r, ; thiuks 'wd'','ought;.not to read at nil,,;or;i';haraiy j :i(it.'-aJI/','';.'Ffllcd: witJr'tho ,'dcas. :bf others -wp.ihavb'ihpnp of.ou'r, bivii, is; his . :rcasbning,:' :: :He : .:rC'cbniriieh<ls:'keeping ::'yottr head; olear> books, -so that. you ina'y'obsor.ve_ljfb.at,leisure, and assiini- ' Into; yotir-'iimtetial;', turning it .out ; In ■• tho , form of - fresh,, thought.' ■; Hb' states that,'pn one /occasion, lie began to : 'read a book: "ButVl had"not read three, -pages beforo I shut it up. with a : snap and '■ rotui'nkl.'it to. the 'OWiior. -A simplb glance : was .sUfrioieiit wnrning.'' . Had I: renu : ,t,ho book froin cover to odvor tboro would probably 'havb : becii : an cndj'So farasl was oonoof.ned, to nil original reflection on tho subject, of which' it evidently treated in tho most :masterly:and ihtcrestingway.",'... ; ■ 'This''is,.thb point of view of • Wio pro- , teotiailist, of ideas; to dbvelop.his owti goods hbiWill oxcludb, thbse'of others. Yet.anidea that, cannot survive:a little reading would : seem to lack.- vitality. It is easy for . an -empty ,'b.bad to. imagirLe ithat hia only, idea

; 13 original;.;ho- lias. nothing to',compare .it. iwithf :One:;would -supposo that a -Wind bf ■ any.robustness.would cpntinub to think;'in smto of I .,any .•'knowledge-; it.'might have'.oftnb - thoughts; of others;; n/nd 'a'. thought ■•. that survived and'bad freshness'and'originality, notwithstanding/.widb; collateral ■;■ knowledge; would, bo, of. ; great.,importancoy relatively,to tho thought which;. in air ' anaemic .spirit, defended itself .by the 'protective tariff of sedulous ignorance.';'.' "•'",•'•',' '.'.'■'■',\"•.•'■ ; : : '.-.." ■ - Andyet,: of.coUrso,. there is'.'some truth in ,Mr.. Gorst's-.thesis: it /is. well, to• react freshly on life.' 'But- to.:ensure.the, validity .of '-our./thoughts wo .need .the/ in-; 'fluonccs .-. to be : derived' from odtication* nnd culture. 1 , Iti tho ardour of - our intclisctunl ybuthj.ifc is easy-to bo "bitten'with ''life," and scornfully;./to :■ reject, Itho ■;pale//cast: of 'tradition/ ,aiul: ..history. "But'.ithis fresh Molonco, like other intensity, 'may lead.us '.fair.'afield.'-■:■'. Fo- instance,. Mr..;Garst' says: ''.'Tho boor-sodden; autocrat of the' villago p'othouso, .hiccoughing; ~f ortli : ' some, homebrewed blasphemy.: against : tho .established order, makes a dofinito contribution toward tho/sum of human, ; thouglit.j.. whoreas .',lho political figurehead,' -repeating; a. well-worn platitude v/itii ■ pompous wisdom, contributes' nothing at .'all.'- Theso strains show greater familiarity with --the politician's: ; platitudes than with .tho; forms: of expression .'■ of;tho. sot,':wheh,.to the manJwhb.is;''wise'.' to'this low life, aro equally platitudinous.-"Common Benso and an'opeh. mini arb^at'lenst partly tho.results, as ,-well; in. part.'the-causes; ; .of experience, and' narrowness of ; ,nvind, is;' as likely to; bo the.lbt of your, lover of. "life" as it 'is ,of your, lovbr 'of .books.—New York' 'Tost.;":,: ..'::, ; ; ;/7,'. ■■' ■ /'O; ;'- :^\ '.Tho joy of the Salvation Army is the joy'oi doing good.—Goncrnl Booth. '.When'winter's cold blast. Is afearod by all tongues, 7 - : ACACIAN BAXSAM.is' ' '■• . / Best for tho lungs. Tako.a.dbsbnow and then, The/TCraody's sure,/. ■ , : l'or couching, if left, is ' . Not easy to cure. : ' Birraolough'i Acacian Lung Bakjam, U, fid. 4 k Aatl