The Decay Of Conversation

i he aiuueut art ot talking ia falling into deoa}'. lt is au aseertuinable faut tbat, in pt-oportion toan inoreased amouut oí' populatiou, lbo aggregute bulk of coq versation ia lesseuing. People dow adays liavo somrtliiug else lo do thaii talk ; not only do they Uve in snch harrjr that there is ouly leisure for just conipir ing idcaa as feo Üi,o weather, b,ut thejf bave eaob and sill a gross qaantity to. do, whicli puts talking out of the rjut'stiini. If persuiia rciuain at home, lb,y read ; we have met misguided individúala out iü the open fields witb books in hand ; youn.o; folks have bueu seea stretuhed anderneuth tree3, and upoa tbe bauks'af rivera, poring over pagu ; on the tops af mouatainst in the üosort, or wiihiu foresta - everywhcro meu pull priuted sheets from tbeir pockcts, and in tija earliest, higheat oeeup itions of üfe, they read, Tliu fat-t is ineontestably true, that modern men :.oi woiaen are roading thtinelvL-g into a comp:iratively sileut raoa. lleading is the great delusion of the present time; it has beeome a sott of lay pii-ty; accordmg to whiuh, tho perusal of volumes reokon as good woi ka ; it L-, in ;i word, the supjrstitioa