The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-04
WHAT ANp HOW no READ.
DR.. Holmes Remasl.s Before BOSTON

|
DR.. Holmes Remagks Before IostoI
society.
Alta meeting Of the society to encoul
age studies at home, held recently in Boz
ton, Dr.. Holmes made some remarks "ol
Reading, . speaking as follows:
l. Shall we tead-that Is, shall We max
q serious business OF reading2 This seem
q strange question 10 ask, but let me Civ
some meaning 10 II. II was ut the hos
pitable board Of this very house that
heard the late Mr.. Edward Everett tell I
story Of Lord Palmerson, which have
never forgotten and often repeated. Somt
one asked him, 'EHave you read certain
book r. naming It. ~ never read printed
books" was Lord PGlmetston's answer
Mr.. Everett did not explain or account fol
this answer, so far as / remember, but
suppose he neant4hat he had enough Ia
do with reading written documents, news
papers, the faces and characters OF men;
and listening 70 their conversation to find
ont what they meant-perhaps quite as
often what they did not mean,
Some persons need reading much
more than others. One Of the best
preachers ] have known read comparative.
ly little. But he talked and listened, and
kept his mind efficiently nourished, with
out overwhelming II. On the other hand,
one OF the most brillitntm have known
was always reading. He read more than
his mind could fairly digest, and brilliant,
as he was, his conversation had too much
the character OF those patchwork Guilts
one sees at country cattle shows, 30
yariegated was It with all sorts OF quota
tons.
The first time ] ever visited Theodore
Parker he was not quite thirty years old,
and / own that his reputation as ascholar
had not reached me. In looking round
his library l saw upon his shelves the
great series Of Quartos-which l knew by
Iheir title only, fiat aIl-Bruckers Historic
Critica Philosophe. "You have hardly
read that, suppose" said, notthinking
that any student, in these degenerate days,
grappled with these megatherial monsters
Of primitive erudition. "0h yes, l have,
he answered very quietly; and then /,
who thought I was dealing with modest
young divine Of the regulation pattern,
took another look at the massive head Of
the young man, whom Mr.. Wendell
Phillips has lately spoken Of as the
Jupiter Of the pulpit"
Somewhere between these two extremes
most OF US find ourselves. But we must
remember the French saying, "Fappeta
cent IN mangnelt," or, as Hamlet would
phrase It, increase OF appetite grows by
what it feeds on; and Il we do not love
books enough naturally, we must acquire |
the habit Of loving them, IL possible, as |
people acquire bad habits, that of intoxi-
cation or opium. eating, beginning with
Little and trusting that by and by we shall
thirst for more.
What shall we read2 am very thank.
full that it does not fall TO my lot to an.
swer this question. do honestly assure |
you had rather ask this question OF the |
ladies' and gentlemen who have under
taken TO direct the home studies OF those |
who are fortunate enough to be under !
their guidance, than TO answer it. What |
infinite waste Of labor might not such |
guidance have saved me, could have had |
1t, and have had wisdom and good sense
70 profit by 1t, at a certain period OF my
lie! congratulate you most sincerely
and deeply that the thoroughly cultivated |
intelligence Of the scholars who surround |
me has been made tributary to your ad.
vancementinsound knowledge and whole
some training. 1t is task Of great diff
Guilty to point out the proper course for
50 many minds Of different natural apti.
tudes and different stages OF education.
In this humiliation Of literature / have
spoken OF most young minds will be over
powered by some flood or other.
The daughters OF Danaus are not, all
dead yet; on the contrary, their number
is legion. All those young women who
pass their days and nights in reading end.
less story.books-noyels, so-called, doubt
less from their want of novelty-what are
they doing but pouring into buckets whose
bottoms are as full OF holes as cullender,
and which would have nothing to show il |
Niagara had been emptied into them?
>. How shall we read? must answer
this question very briefly. l believe in
reading, In large proportion, by subjects
rather than by authors.
Some books must DO read tasting, as it |
were, every word. Tennyson will bear
that, as Milton would, as Gray would-for
they tasted every word themselves, as Ude
or Careme would taste pota0e meant for
q King or Queen. But once become ia.
rl;liar With subject and you can read |
page as flash Of lightning reads it. Learn
q lesson from Houdin and his sons prac-
lice OF looking in at shop winGVw and |
all they saw. Learn TO read |
page in the shortest possible time, and to |
stand thorough examination on its con.
tents.