73. Books

"Separate thyself from thy enemies, and take heed of thy friends." (Ecclus. 6: 13.)

There are, also, inanimate friends, who exercise great influence —namely, Books.

Here, too, an intimate intercourse takes place.

Thoughts and sentiments are exchanged, one becomes fond of the other; and, finally, intercourse begets resemblance.

Upon the young man — especially upon him who is susceptible and highly imaginative—books exercise a powerful influence.

O young man, in this matter, be very much on your guard!

Your thirst for information impels you to read. You desire culture, and know that books promote it.

Many idle moments are employed in reading.

The world is flooded with books. Every where there are opportunities for reading—public and private libraries, circulating libraries, magazines, journals, and legions of newspapers.

You are handed books, you are pressed to read them; your studies themselves require you to be well-read.

And amongst all these books—how many are poisonous, how many deadly! Here, especially, the words find application: Therefore, hath hell enlarged her soul, and opened her mouth without any bounds: and their strong ones, and their people, and their high and glorious ones, shall go down into it. (Is. 5: 14.)

Titles arousing the curiosity, elegant finish, suggestive illustrations, cheapness—snares in abundance! Add to this, the inexperience of the young man, the blindness of some parents, the bad counsel of others, and the general example.

The spoken word, because it is life, exercises great influence, but the effect of the written word is exceedingly powerful.

The former dies away, the latter remains. The one is generally the creature of the moment, while the other is well digested, arranged, smoothed and polished. The first is heard only once, while the latter may be read over thousands of times. That takes effect only upon a limited number of hearers, while this may be read by millions of present and succeeding generations. A book may be translated into different languages, and, through the marvelous lightning-like facilities of the press, may be spread through whole countries and continents, may bring a blessing or a curse, may build up, or pull down. A book has a thousand tongues; it speaks from heart to heart, and makes a deeper impression, the more solitary the reader, the more undivided the attention.

Learn the power of bad books from their dire effects: confusion of ideas, want of principle, false wisdom, faulty education, overturning of all rights, aversion from God, corruption of morals, paganism!

Many things are dignified with the name of enlightenment;—but, O infernal light, which sheds abroad the lurid light of hell! Smoke thou art, horrid smoke, in comparison with the pure, divine light of truth!

First of all, young man, moderate your thirst for reading.

You know, you can know, the duties of your station in life. If you discharge them faithfully, you will certainly have very little time left for the perusal of silly books. At all events, you had better learn what is conducive to your calling, through a moderate reading of useful books—by doing and practising, rather than by cramming your mind with useless ideas, or exciting images.

Do not rashly seize upon the first book that falls into your hand.

Even in regard to those books which are to prepare you for your future calling, be on your guard. If, therein, you understand how to separate the precious from the vile, you shall be as the mouth of God (Jer. 15: 19), an enlightened, a wise man.

In any case, the education to which you aspire, must be a true one; but education at the cost of the heart, is false, is madness, is the ruin of both mind and heart!

What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world (Matt. 16: 26), at the cost of his poor soul? What does it profit a young man to know all things—to be well-read in everythings that is, or is called, classical, if he suffer the loss of his soul? O cruel hell-fire, enkindled and fed by the indestructible fuel of pernicious writings!

And, from such muddy sources, you would draw pure cultivation?

With regard to light literature, you must be as exact as in your choice of friends.

Be cautious. Be not led astray by promising titles, by elegant, elaborate finish, nor by the names of celebrated authors.

Even the recommendations of others should have weight with you only as far as is conducive to the salvation of your soul.

If any man shall say to you: Lo, here is Christ, or there —do not believe him. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets; and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if it were possible) even the elect. (Matt. 24: 23, 24.) Of many books, it is said: This is beautiful, that is harmless;—nevertheless, be on your guard.

What do you care for the testimony of those who, perhaps, are not in earnest about their salvation? He that is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh. (John 3: 31.)

Avoid whatever the Church in any manner forbids to be read. She means well, she loves you, she has power over you; she can, and must, demand of you that you religiously protect her honor and your own salvation.

Avoid whatever you know to be bad or doubtful. Bad is every book which directly, or indirectly, jeopardizes either faith or morals.

Avoid, also, that which gives you just apprehensions. To make experiments here, would, at least, be fool-hardy and presumptuous. If you need counsel, consult your spiritual director.

Avoid effeminate literature. Do not waste precious time upon profitless books which do not fulfil the end of rational recreation.

Moreover, know how to govern yourself. If, in reading a book, you meet with anything which assails your faith, or which causes you to blush for shame,—away with the serpent!

Even if the poison be ever so sweet, even if it present itself to you in all the adornment of the most elegant diction:—nevertheless, it is poison all the same, and its effects are deadly as the venom of the asp. Separate thyself from thy enemies, and take heed of thy friend. (Ecclus. 6: 13.)

Again: be master of yourself; do not suffer the love of reading to so engross you, as to make you unreal and absorbed.

Avoid excess in reading; otherwise, your powers of thought will become weakened; your mind will resemble a kaleidoscope, in which bits of color of every shape are mixed up, without any regular or definite design.

To cause this vagueness in us, to enervate, to unman, to divert us from the real earnestness of life and from our accustomed duties, to over-excite the imagination, and then to weaken and demoralize it,—are some of the chief effects of novels and romances. In their wake, flows the deluge of sin, with its bombast, sudden showers and torrents of feelings, its foam, tumult, shipwreck, corpse, and carcasses.

Do you see that young man—how he broods over his book half the night? He is deaf and blind to all about him; he devours, and is devoured. What interest! What eagerness! All the passions treated of in the book, find an echo in his heart. Love, hatred, ambition, envy, revenge, rage, despair—what a chaos of feelings! What feverish excitement! What a mosaic of varied images! What a different world from that by which he is surrounded!

If the novel be an impure, obscene one—what a detestable atmosphere does not the poor young man inhale! How the imagination is defiled! How the blood circles in his veins! How the evil spark glows already under the ashes, and threatens soon to break forth into a bright flame! Ah,—perhaps, the next moment witnesses his sudden fall, or, at least, his resolve to perpetrate that wicked action How can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn? (Prov. 6: 27.)

How can a man so hate his own soul? Knowingly and wilfully, he casts himself between the sword and the spear, and leaves it to blind chance to preserve himself unharmed.

Young man, you have enough to do to arm yourself against the violence of your unruly passions. At least, add no more fuel to the flame. Forswear bad books at once and for ever. Save your soul. Give ear and credit to those who have your interest at heart.