Littleton College - Chatterbox Yearbook (Littleton, NC)

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226 THE CHATTERBOX. is, a force to be reckoned With in the character and life of every man and Woman, but too much of it-sentimentality, in other Words-is an exceedingly dangerous. thing. Love is one of the things that make life Worth living-it Umakes the world go ,round 57' but if love and rose-colored dreams of love and romantic stories of love cause us to forget that there are other things in life of ust as vital importance, to shirk our duty, then We need to call a halt. Emotion, feeling and sen- timent are good things, but let us not have too much of them in our choice of literature. What do we need to read? NVe need to read less trash and more of solid worth, less light literature and more of the standard, less that is calculated to touch the purely sentimen- tal side of us, and more that will train the intellectual and moral side of our nature. If the girl has a lo-ve for histori- cal works she will find Scottish Chiefsi' very pleasant and helpful. This a great aid to English History and tells so much of the great men, VVilliam VVallace and Bruce, Who did so much for their country. From this can be obtained useful lessons in noble deeds, unselfislmess, and goo-dness. Then there are ttThe lVaverly Novels by Scott which are also an aid to history and are an education Within themselves. If any one is looking for something exciting and interesting, read Ivanhoe which pictures English society of Scott' s day and also gives descripftions of the tournaments which were very popular at that time. We would not forget Dickens whose greatest genius lay in his ability to arouse the emotions. He very often deals with the troub-les and hardship-s of people and always arouses the sympathy of the reader. Every school girl should read some of Ha.Wthorne's Works. If for no other reason she should for the reason that he is an American and We should feel proud of him for he is called Americals great- est novelist. He deals with the marvelous World of the human heart. All of his stories are strange and mysterious, in which

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THE CHATTERBOX. 225 others by various Writers too numerous to mention which show distinctly what our girls at least like to read. These books are so worn the writers would have difliculty in recognizing them, while upon the same shelf with them are the books of the greatest thinkers and writers that look as if they are never opened. Then, too, the magazine stories and the 'papers are read and re-read. Don't understand me to say that these books should no-t be read. The point I do wish to make is that all the time should not be given to these at the expense of neglecting the others that are m-ore helpful. There is a great deal of good to be gotten from these if they are read in the right Way. What We call a novel may educate the taste and cultivate the intelligence. It may purify the heart and fortify the mind, but it should never under any circumstances be allowed to deprave the -one and weaken the other-and it is possible for the cheaper brands to do this. What is the matter with our reading? Is it that our tastes are poor or that our brains are Weak? Neither, primarily, but it is possible for both to become so through lack of use and training. A taste for the very best literature may be- come perverted if We feed it continually with what is of an inferior quality, and the very brightest mind may become lazy, dull and stupid if it is not exercised. There would be no harm in reading some of the things T have mentioned if We read as Well other things more likely to stimulate thought. A good share of the blame for our failure to read thoroughly and Well may be attributed, then, to-pure laziness. Again, another thing that is ailing some of us is a severe attack of sentimentalism. School girls have been accused of it from time immemorial, and it would be a very soul-sat.is- fying thing to pronounce the accusation false in every case- but 'tis true, 'tis pity, pity 'tis, 'tis true. Now sentiment is a good thing-a thing that ought to be, and most usually U

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THE CHATTERBOX. 227 there is the shadow of some crime which is remo-ved by love and repentance. Then, too, every girl should read the biographies of all the great men and Women. This gives an insight into the character and life and helps to form ideals. Every girl Wants. to do something in this World so as to leave a monument in the memory of the people. She will obtain much encouragment to press onward and upward if she will read of the achievements of the truly great. She must not get discouraged but remember- ' The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden tiightg But they, While their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night. And, also, that 'L All are architects of Fate, Working in these walls of time, Some with massive deed and great, Some with ornaments of rhyme. This is also true in reading. No one can hope to get all the truths at one reading, but if it is pursued in the right Way one little truth after another can be stored away in the memory Which will be very useful in after life. I Would not have a girl go through school and not know the great poets and read their poetry which is 'ca joy forever. Some girls have no love for poetry outside of the realm of ,What is called society verse. They say poetry is too difli- A cult and the meaning too obscure. But what writer can be inore simple than Shakespeare although he presents great World Wide truths? Poetry should be read and studied be- cause it has the power of sustaining and delighting as noth- ing else can do. It causes one to cultivate a taste for the best, the truly excellent, and it elevates and broadens the mind. For the purest thought, greatest mo-ral lessons, and highest ideals, go to poetry, for they may be found there. 2 .1 - s