The New York herald., 1877-10-19
BOOKS AND READING.

Rev. William N. Taylor, d. D., delivered lecture
last evening in the Brick Presbyterian Church, f'n
avenue, on the subject OF "Books and Reading" ms
audience was both largo and fashionable one OF .ne
chief objects OF the Doctors lecture to show whas
books should especially receive our attention
moments thought, he said, will be sufficient 10 con-
vince any one that he read every work that -
published and very slight acquaintance with the char-
acter Of many OF tho works which are being con-
stantly launched into the mdgnum Of
print VIII be enough to mako HIM feel
that Il is not desirable that he should
Evidently, therefore, selection Is Dccessary and the
nature OF that selection each will depend on
the principles on which the reader proceeda The
choice which he makes will be regulated by the pur-
pose which he has In WOW, and somewhat also oy
those personal tdiosyncrasics which moline him 10
one subject rather than another, and which are usu
ally strongest III the direction in which his mind is
greatest But whatever mans leanings may DC,
there are certain great books with which he should
be moro or less acquainted IL would be impossible
for mo TO reckon up all those members OF the arstoc
racy Of thought who have by the concurrence Of all
been elevated TO the peerage Of literature but would
not DO credtaoie TO any ono using the English tongue
to leave unstudcd the works OF Shakespeare Milton.
Wordsworth or Tennyson among poets, or these Of
Hume, Robertson. Giboon, Macaulay, or Froude or
Irving or Prescott or Motley among historians, or
those OF Locke, Reid, Hamilton and MIL among
our philosophers. or those o Butler, HILL Chalmers
and Edwards among our dvines. BY all thoughtful
these ana others ike them have been put apart
and Whatever else we may miss we snouid on no ac-
count pass over at least one or more Of the namos
which In each list l have mentioned or course
In The systematic prosecution of his studies each
man will be led TO that subject for which
no ia most fitted aud should In large measure Keep
himself thereto. Some will have leaning to physical
scence aud these beginning with the great work OF
Bacon, which rs the seed plot OF all our inductive
progress, should then single out for themselves the
particular branch ofinqury which they mean 10 pur-
sue. whether astronomy under the guidance Of
Herschei and his fellows. geology under the lead
botany under the tuteage OF the masters Of that IN
tcresng science or chemistry. or electricity, or what,
ever else. The choice Of tho department Will
lead at once to the works that are most
important IN It, Others again may wish
to study history they will have rich
choice in the works which / have already named,
while others still may read for Tue cultivation OF
taste aud the education OF the Imagination and Tor
this purpose work will serve more admirably than
tho plays Of Shakespeare Tho speaker then went
through nearly tho whole range OF art science, era-
ture and theology directing his hearers TO the intel
lectual lights which would best serve to illuminate
their pathway and easy their progress through
the labyrinthinc windings OF human knowledge.