You can always have company of a good book

THE EDITOR: Soon children will be asked by the Ministry of Education to read but it is a pity that people do not realise that one of the rarest pleasures available to man is reading. Teachers cannot teach children to read forever; they must practise reading by themselves. They must join the libraries and even buy books and read. Parents, too, must encourage their children to read widely and this also entails the mass-media such as Newsday the “people’s paper” and the “number one” newspaper! Most of our pleasures cause pain to our fellow men but the pleasures of reading are pure, unmixed and can be enjoyed by all. A good friend is man’s greatest pleasure in life but a good book cannot be compared. One can read a good book at will but a good friend is not always available. A friend’s temper may change but a book’s will never. A book is a better friend and gives greater pleasure.

If only students would realise this before it is too late. Teachers in kindergarten and primary schools must lay the foundation of reading and principals in these schools must see that it is done. This will alleviate the problems of not only reading in Secondary schools but also in interpreting comprehension passages, vocabulary and spelling. Remember that my friend cannot always be with me but I can ever have the company of a book! Most of the pleasures of life are best enjoyed in company but reading is one of the pleasures of solitude. Reading a book lifts us above our miseries and creates a new world of unmixed pleasures. There are some pleasures which only the rich can enjoy. Reading is the common pleasure of both rich and poor. Reading is not only the purest and best pleasure that man can enjoy in this world but it is easily attainable and can be enjoyed by all even the blind!

AHAMAD KHAYYAM
Former teacher
St Dominic’s Convent
Barataria