Novel-Reading And The Fashions.


WE class these two vices together, because

of their like tendencies, and because one sin

generally follows in the train of another.

Those who love to read "smutty books " obtain

but little knowledge of the laws of

health, and hence they are not governed by

reason, but by fashion and fiction, not knowing,

perhaps, that "fashion kills." But we

hope that none of our readers are governed

by fashion, and trust, too, that they are not

pampering their young minds with fiction.

An impaired digestion is not soon restored,

and a mind stored with corrupt literature is

even worse. Following the fashions is as

great an evil, if not greater, than novel-reading.

To say nothing of the evil of fashion in

that we waste our money and time in covering

the body with the pride, how many men,

women, and children, are injured physically

by following the fashions? Fashion in this

age of the world kills almost as many, if not

more, than intemperance. Quite recently I

heard of a young lady that was killed by a

corset. Tight lacing caused her death, just

as it has that of hundreds, yea, thousands,

of others.

Many in the bloom of life and health today

will have to fill premature graves, just

because they will not listen to the voice of

reason. There are more suicides committed

than many are aware of. That young woman

who, by wearing the corset, (((tight clothes)))

is brought to the grave at the early age of thirty, 

who, perhaps, without it would have lived to the

age of seventy, has lost forty years of precious

life a life that might have been spent

in happiness and doing much good, had she

regarded the laws of life. Such, perhaps,

do not commit suicide (as that alone we can

term it) intentionally, but I would warn our

readers not to be governed by "the age of

fashion," but study well the laws of nature

and of nature's God. Let journals of fashion

and fiction go with the tide of evil

error, and seek the knowledge of truth and

virtue. Acquire a useful knowledge of nature,

thyself, and our Creator. This you will

not find in the sickening romances. There

is no soundness in them. All sensible people

should avoid them, and seek purer and

higher enjoyment. It is mostly those that

love to waste precious time in decorating the

body that must soon molder back to its

mother dust, with pride, that rage for fiction.

That is the reason we class fiction with fashion.

It is those silly persons that know little

else than fiction, that laugh at those who

suffer themselves to be governed by reason

and common sense. Then avoid such 

nonsensical quacks, except it be to reform them

and seek good society, good books, and they

will make you happy now and in the life to

come.





 F. M. SYNDER,

 in Pious Youth.