=Advice concerning books.=--Every young person should possess some good books of his own, even if but few. They should read good books. Time is too valuable to be wasted in reading bad or even mediocre books. In this way they keep company with the great men and women of this day and of the past. In this way they become heirs to the intellectual and spiritual wealth of the past and are intimately associated with and related to the mental and spiritual aristocracy of the present. They may not be recognized in their community as belonging to the “upper tens,” but they can keep company with the best men and women of the ages by reading good books. Just as we have read and talked together about good books and stories in the past, so I trust we shall find it pleasant and profitable to be companionable in our reading in the future. I will be glad to aid you in the selection of such books and magazines as will be pleasant and profitable for you to read in the near future. I will always appreciate the privilege of hearing you read a book that you like, of discussing the merits of a book with you, or of giving you the best advice that I am capable of giving with reference to any book that you may desire to read. CHAPTER XXVIII THE PUBLIC DANCE =Why attractive.=--Dancing is one of the social temptations that come to young girls when they are fifteen and older. The gliding, swaying movements of the dance, the brilliantly lighted halls, the intoxicating strains of fast music, the gay and jovial throng and the display of dress appeal strongly to the feelings of young people. =Dancing in itself is not sinful or objectionable.=--There is nothing intrinsically wrong in the act of dancing. There is nothing sinful in the act of bathing the entire body. But the act can be performed under social conditions when it would not be only a sin but a crime. There could be no moral objection to the dancing together of young men, neither could there be any moral objection to the dancing of young ladies with each other. Individuals could dance alone, brothers and sisters and near relatives from homes of culture, refinement and good morals could dance together without committing a moral wrong. Or if society had remained satisfied with the old “Virginia reel” or the “square dance” little harm would come of it. Dancing with these restrictions, is seldom engaged in to-day for the reason that the pleasure found in the waltz and round dance is so largely diminished.