6 THE ACORN The ACORN. Published by the students of the Weber Stake Academy. Subscription price 50 cents per year Single copy 10 cents Editorial Staff. Editor-in-Chief, Orlinda Wooley, '05 Estella Hollands, '05 Literary Sarah M. Williams, '06 Miscellaneous, Marion A. Belnap, '05 Athletics MAE HIGGINBOTHAM, '05 Athletics Frank W. Becraft, '06 Lizzie McQuarrie, '06 Exchange Bryant S. Jacobs, '07 Alumni Lizzie O. McKay, '04 Local Wm. H. Manning, '05 Cartoonist Wilford H. Shurtliff, '06 Business Staff. Business Mgr. Chas. Brown, '08 James Wood, '06 Advertising Mgrs. Chas. Lyon, '05 Subscription Geo. R. Doxey, '06 Circulator Earl Emmett, '06 READING. The human mind is one of the brightest displays of Infinite workmanship with which we are acquainted. It is an inspiration to study even the comparative little that man knows of this wonderful part of our "living temples." When we think of what a task is left with this small portion of our souls, we cannot help but sense, to some degree, the importance of our training this mind so that it will not fall short of what is expected in the progressive ages to come. One of the best ways to school our minds is reading. One of the first things to be considered in reading is the material. We have been warned many times against books, the flowery language and imagination of which serve as trap-doors of evil which always bring hours of remorse, and too often lead to the depths of sin. In this age of books there is too much good to be found in reading the thoughts of deep thinkers to justify even one short hour spent with the frivolous writer of fiction. Bacon has given us excellent advice in the few words: "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read but not seriously (carefully;) and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention." This may give rise to the question, "How shall we THE ACORN 7 know what to read?" We may apply a test to books, which is suggested by the beginning of Bacon's words, some books are to be tasted." We can taste a book by picking out a paragraph or so which is dealing with some certain subject, and see whether that paragraph is what it should be. If it is not good, we need not read the whole book, any more than we need to drink a whole glass of water if the first swallow be unsavory. It is not good to try to read a book when we are not gaining anything in particular from it. We do this sometimes in the hope of finding something better; but there are no authors who save all their good thoughts until the last few pages; it is a pretty general proof that if there be nothing in the beginning, there will be nothing in the end. Leave such books you can find better. Why should we insist upon associating with bad company, when we may turn away and find that which is instructive and ennobling? "How shall you begin to read a book? Always look into your dish and taste it, before you begin to eat As you sit down, examine the title page; see who wrote the book where he lives; do you know anything of the author? where, and by whom published? Do you know anything of the general character of the books published by this publisher? Recall what you have heard about this book, perhaps you may read the preface, to see what kind of a bow the author makes, and what he thinks of himself and his work: why he has the boldness to challenge the public to hear him. Then turn to the contents, see what are the great divisions of his subject, and thus get a glance of his general plan. Take a single chapter or section, and see how he has divided and filled that up. If now, you wish to taste of the dish before further examination of the contents, then turn to the place where some important point is discussed: and where some valuable thought professes to be expanded or illustrated, and see how it is executed. If, after some few such trials, you should find your author obscure, dull, pedantic, or shallow, you need no longer fish in these waters. It will be hard to catch fish here, and, when caught, they will be too