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Show TELLS WHAT TO READINBOOKS Superintendent Bennion Talks on Literature in Rela-to Rela-to Life. "Literature in its relation to I life." was Supt. Adam S. Bennion's subject in His lecture before the students of the B. Y. U. on Wednes-1 day morning. He quoted President-1 Emeritus Charles W. Eliot to the' effect that literature should be the means of supplying health, honor, and culture to mankind. Culture was not to be considered in a narrow nar-row sense, but in the way of broad development. In discussing the definition of literature, Superintendent Bennion stated that in a general sense, literature liter-ature includes everything that has been written, but in a specific sense, to quote Arnold, "Literature is a record of the best that has been thought and felt in the world. The latter definition was the one accepted ac-cepted in Superintendent Bennion's lecture. "When you read a book you get tae nest of a man," declared the speaker; "a book of literature contains con-tains the heart beats of a great character." In referring to poetry, he quoted Shelly, "Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar what is unfamiliar." The superintendent spoke of three outstanding features of literature durability, universality, and ideality- Such books as "Ivanhoe," "Silas Marner," "Lea Miserables," and "The Divine Comedy" he characterized char-acterized as possessing durability, n quality not possessed by many of the "best sellers." The required quality of univer- snlity, makes it hard on Browning, the speaker said. The obscurity of Browning prevents that poet from receiving universal appreciation. The quality of ideality was explained ex-plained by the imperative: "When you have read a book, you shall be better than when you sat down to It." |