Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-02-01


To crown the blind brows Of Eternity
es q Chambers Journal.
WHAT BOOKS TO READ.
THE following extracts are taken from
an address recently delivered by Ralph
Waldo Emerson, before the law students
of Howard University
If had prepared myself at all to adj
dress this company of young men and
women, think should have called their
attention especially to the books which
they should read. My own familiarity is
not at all with directing the attention OF
classes, except as the public sometimes
gather in miscellaneous classes to hear
lectures; but whenever have to do with
young men or young women, | always
wish to know what their books are
wish to defend them from bad 1 wish to
Introduce them to good books I should
speak of the immense benefit which good
mind derives from reading-probably
much more to a good mind from reading
than from conversation. 1t is of the first
Importance, of course, to select friend;
for young man should find friend a
little older than himself, or whose mind is
little older than his own, in order to
wake up his IN genius. That service is
performed for us eftener by books. I
think, it very active mind, if a Young
man of ability should give you his honest
experience, you would find that he had
owed more impulse to books than to liv-
ing minds. The great masters of thought.
the Platos-not only those that we can cali
the sacred writers, but those that are called
profane-have acted on the mind with
more energy than any companions. l
think every remarkable person whom YOU
meet will testify to something like that,
that the fast opening mind has found
more inspiration in his book than in his
friend. We take the book under great
advantages. We read it when we are
alone. We read it with an attention not
distracted. And perhaps we find there our
own thought, a little better, a little matur-
er than it is with ourselves.
To-day is the Sabbath. Are any of this
company accustomed to read any of the
divine songs of George Herbert, the poet
lie is called the divine George Herbert.
He lived in the time of King James. He
was person of singular elevation of
mind, and think every young man and
every young woman who wishes inspira-
tion from books should find for their Sun
day reading and their Monday reading the
little volume of George Herberts poems.
suppose George Herbert's poems are in
your library. If not, should like the
privilege of presenting the book. I speak
of that because it is little the best Eng
lish book that | recall. I don't know
any one who has spoken so purely or so
sweetly to the religious sentiment in us
as George Herbert. You all know the
verse:
Sweet day SO cool, SO calm, SO bright
Bridal of earth and sky,
The dew must weep thy fall tonight,
For thou, alas, must die.''
EVERY MIND HAS IT'S SPECIAL CAPACITY
l am of the opinion that every mind
that comes into the world has it's own
specialty-is different from every other
mind. that each of you brings into the
world certain bias, disposition to at
tempt something of its own-some
thng OF y0uf own-an aim a little
different from that of any of youl
companions and that every young man
and every young woman is failure SC
long as each does not find what. is his OF
her own bias; that just as long as YOU
are influenced by those around YOU. SC
long as you are attempting to do those
things which you see others do well, in
stead OF doing that which you can dc
well, yo are SO far wrong, so far failing
OF your own right mark. Everybody sees
the difference in children. They very
early discover their tastes. One has .
taste for going abroad one for books
another for games one wishes to heal
stories, another wants to see things done
one is fond of drawing, the other cannot
draw at all, but he can make a machine
This difference, as you advance, becomes
more pronounced. You are more dis
tlnct in your conceptions of what you
can do. Now [ conceive that success is
in fnding what it is that you yourself
really want, and pursuing it; freeing
yourself from all opportunities of you1
friends to do something which they like
and insisting upon that thing which you
like and can do One person persists al
the time in disappointing his friends be
cause he wishes to be painter, and they
have no desire that he should be. Another
does not like that his father should insist
upon sending him to college, because he
really wants to be a merchant or manu-
facturer, or has a whim of his own,
Now that is easily mistaken by an OBJ
stlnate young man who has taken fancy
and is not really pursuing that which i
his proper calling Though one NAV
easily be mistaken for a time, vet there
is in his mind this particular fitness fo]
his calling; and some things that he car
do, as in mathematics, or the right ar
rangement of facts he being able te
distribute the duties of the dav; thu
distribution of facts in his mind, so tha
he understands and can recite history
better than any other or the ner
ception of his aim, and keeninp fba
through all the particulars bv which .
logical mind acts, in various wavs n,
some eyes are ma e for color and som,
for form
SPECIFIC AIMS AND oc,e,n,.
The multitude of professions iSs n ond
less, and in a right state of society i,. tn.
objects and aims would ha munb 1Uuib'y IN
numerous. For instance in % the Germa' mo,'
Universities now instead Of bavin~ iti,,, fn,
orssix OF ten professorshins thew bav
sixty OF one hundred-the division O