--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Matthias F. Cowley collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 4 number: 12 published: 1901-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Matthias F. Cowley, "What Shall We Read?," *Improvement Era* 4, no. 12 (October 1901): 901–903.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0412unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0412unse start_page: 901 end_page: 903 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0412unse publication_year: 1901 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1901, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # What Shall We Read? WHAT SHALL WE READ? BY APOSTLE MATTHIAS F. COWLEY. Young Latter-day Saints should learn to read; and having learned, should read the scriptures, familiarize themselves with the doctrines of the Gospel, and the history of The Church. The sacred word should be read under the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the truths of heaven are not comprehended by the spirit of man. This statement is verified by history, from the time when the apostles of .the Lord were martyred, down through the ages. Men have disputed over the doctrines of the New Tes-. tament for centuries, without coming to a unity of the faith. As Paul says: "ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth;" and for Latter-day Saints to read the scriptures, without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would be equally in- effectual, but with this Spirit there cometh understanding. But our researches after truth need not be confined to religious books. The Lord has commanded us to seek wisdom from all good books. (See Doctrine and Covenants, section 88: 76-80.) This grants us the fullest liberty to gather gems of truth from every available source, and enjoins upon us to seek for knowledge by prayer, study, faith, observation, conversation, and reading. The unbounded field confuses the mind when confronted with the numberless volumes of literature which, in this age of en- lightened thought, invite us to read. To read anything and every- thing as it comes in our way would not only be unprofitable but an impossible task. Rules similar to those which govern the proper feeding of the body, apply in guiding us to feed the mind. The man who overeats becomes drowsy, lacks vitality, and abuses 902 IMPROVEMENT ERA the vital forces of his body. Eating too often, his digestive or- gans are overtaxed; indiscriminately and too rapidly what his palate craves, his taste is vitiated, and the organs of his stomach destroyed, thus bringing disease to shorten his life. A wise man says: "The temperate man feels better after a meal; the intem- perate man feels better before eating." This may also apply to men who read with and without thought. Many men read volumes without bestowing contemplation on the matter before them, or without having by previous thought any definite purpose or point in mind upon which they desire to obtain knowledge. All this is wrong, and such readers are like the intemperate eater. What shall we read? As every Latter-day Saint must understand the Gospel in order to enjoy its spirit and participate fully in its blessings, he should first read the scriptures, studying the princi- ples of the Gospel, and living by its precepts; great care should be taken in the selection of other books to be read. In the first place, the contents of a book should be so interesting as to fasten our attention, for books may be read mechanically, in which case nothing is learned. Failing to remember what one reads and hears is not due to weak memory, but to the fact that there was lack of attention to the matter. If a book is so lacking in interest, that it is read over without attention and thought, its reading is only a waste of time. In many instances, however, attention and inter- est should be cultivated; and this is often more difficult to do, and more necessary, in case of a good book than a bad one. But fondness for and an infatuation with the style or the matter of the book should by no means be the only consideration. Trifling and injurious novels, yellow-back literature and the like, contain- ing thrilling stories, written in a fascinating style, are always det- rimental to the habits and morals of the reader. They are either false entirely, or great exaggerations of the truth. There is nothing gleaned upon which to base good action or principle. Boys and girls who read such stuff render themselves useless for the practical affairs of life, and for true, good men and women, often feeling that all work obnoxious and distasteful. is They become fanciful in their imaginations, build impossible castles in the air, and fall far below the true standard of worth. Such reading often makes criminals, by inspiring people to emulate the WHAT SHALL WE READ? 903 example of thieves, robbers and bandits. A living example of this is related as follows by Elder John Nicholson, referring to an incident which occurred during his incarceration for conscience sake: One morning, on leaving the "bunk house," I noticed a new-comer. He had been brought in during the night. A fresh inmate was always an object of interest. This one at once attracted my attention. He was a splendid specimen of physical manhood — tall, broad-shouldered and erect. His face was ruddy with the glow of health, and I failed to perceive that it had any particular vicious expression. He was proba- bly twenty-one years old. I saluted him, and engaged him in conversation. He was refresh- ingly frank. As near as I can recollect, the following, in substance, is about what passed between us: "Why are you brought here?" "For stealing cattle." "Do you know why I asked the question?" "No." "Because I didn't think you looked like a naturally bad man. How did you get into such bad business? Did your father or any other of your relatives ever do any stealing?" "No; they have always been honest. I I was led into started it. the scrape by reading the wrong kind of stuff. was herding near I Skull Valley, and didn't know how to put in my time, which hung heavily on my hands. I sent word to my sister that I wanted some books to read. She sent me a lot of novels, such as The Life of Jesse James, and others of the same sort. When I read them, I got excited and hungry to do something desperate. It made me want to be somebody, and make a stir. I kept on getting more and more worked up; so an- other fellow and I put our six-shooters in shape, made a break, and stole a bunch of cattle. I drove them to Corinne to sell them. There I fell into the hands of the sheriff, and here I am." "Then it was your sister and dime novels that helped to get you here?" "I guess that's about it." Such reading is evil, and should be avoided just as we avoid eating poison. No one would eat poison just to be eating, if he knew it. No wise man or woman will read books that have the same effect on the mind that poison has to the body. Hence, the