READING 



4938 



READING 



With the dictionary and reference work for 

 a foundation, one can build his library to suit 

 his purse and inclination. Let the advantages 

 of the public library be what they may, every 

 one should occasionally buy a book for the 

 mere pleasure of owning it, and of feeling that 

 he can annotate it as ho roads, thus blending 

 his thought with that of the author. 



The most valuable private libraries are those 

 that grow slowly. If a book is not bought 

 until it is needed, it will be read and probably 

 reread, and "one book read is worth a dozen 

 looked at." A book not worth reading more 

 than once is not worth buying. Many of the 

 w r orks of modern fiction are like the moth that 

 flies in the light for an evening and then dis- 

 appears forever. These works have their brief 

 period of popularity, then they pass into obliv- 

 ion ; it is not wise to fill one's bookshelves with 

 them. Some new books, especially the works 

 of standard authorities on scientific subjects, 

 should be sought, but others should be allowed 

 to prove their worth. Bulwer Lytton's advice 

 is good: 



In science read by preference the newest works ; 

 in literature, the oldest. The classic literature 

 is always modern. 



In collecting a library one should have due 

 regard for variety. Some of the standard works 

 of fiction, such as those of Dickens, Scott, 

 Thackeray, Hawthorne, Howells and other 

 great writers; the works of Shakespeare, Ten- 

 nyson and the leading American poets Long- 

 fellow, Whittier, Lowell, Holmes and Emerson; 

 a few biographies; at least one or two good 

 works on American and English history and 

 an occasional volume on some scientific subject 

 in which the reader is interested will give one 

 a library which, though small, will satisfy many 

 demands. 



How to Read. Professor Henry Van Dyke 

 says there are three classes of readers the sim- 

 ple reader, the intelligent reader and the gentle 

 reader. Readers of the first class read chiefly to 

 occupy their spare time and without any par- 

 ticular purpose. The intelligent reader, on the 

 contrary, reads for information and remembers 

 what he reads. Readers of this class usually 

 follow lines of investigation in which they are 

 interested and value books according to the ac- 

 curacy of their information. The gentle reader 

 reads to broaden his intellectual and spiritual 

 life, "to purify his tastes, deepen his feelings 

 and broaden his sympathies." He loves litera- 

 ture and seeks it because it leads him to a finer 

 and fuller manhood. The reader of this article 



must decide for himself to which of these 

 classes he belongs, but whatever the class, he 

 will derive benefit from his reading. With this 

 general statement we offer the following sug- 

 gestions : 



1. During the school period of his life the child 

 should acquire a love for good books, and on leav- 

 ing school he should continue his reading, be- 

 cause it will help him to connect his studies with 

 the affairs of everyday life. 



2. "There is as much need of system in using 

 literature as in studying chemistry." Follow a 

 system in reading, not only in pursuing some line 

 of investigation, but in all reading. The reading 

 habit, like all other habits, is formed slowly. It 

 is better to plan wisely and make a right begin- 

 ning than to have to "back-track" when one dis- 

 covers that he is on the wrong road. 



3. Form the habit of reading thoughtfully. It 

 is not how much you read but how much you 

 gain from what you read that counts. When a 

 page has been read stop and try to reproduce the 

 thought it contains. If unable to do it, read the 

 page again. By continuing this practice one will 

 in a short time, be able to glean the thought of 

 an author with ease and accuracy. 



4. Acquire the art of skipping. It is as sense- 

 less to read a metropolitan daily through as it is 

 to attempt to eat through the menu at a restau- 

 rant. The wise reader will skip the society scan- 

 dals, sensational reports of crime, and those ad- 

 vertisements and other matters which hold no 

 special interest. Some books contain chapters or 

 parts of chapters which are of little or no value. 

 The discriminating reader soon learns to discover 

 these passages and to pass over them lightly or 

 omit them altogether. The art of skipping saves 

 valuable time and enables the reader to pass 

 over matter that is uninteresting and often ob- 

 jectionable. 



5. Use a notebook. Every book of value con- 

 tains discussions, facts or descriptions worth 

 placing where they can be easily found. If the 

 book is personally owned these passages can be 

 marked, and an index of them may be placed on 

 the flyleaf, or recorded in a notebook. But if 

 the book is from the library or is one that has 

 been loaned by a friend, the passage should be 

 copied. Besides the opportunity it affords for 

 collecting information, note taking is an excellent 

 aid to memory. 



6. When reading for recreation drop every 

 consideration except pleasure of reading, ;m<I 

 let the book or the magazine drive away the 

 cares and worry of the day. 



7. Make use of what is read. "Books," said 

 Washington, "are waste paper unless we spend 

 in action the wisdom we get from them." 



Time for Reading. One will secure better re- 

 sults for a given expenditure of effort if a regu- 

 lar time is set apart for reading each day, but 

 many are so situated that such an arrangement 

 is impracticable. They must read when they 

 can. The business man may glean the news 

 from his daily paper on his way to and from 

 his office. Many a student working his way 



