New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-14
RECOLLECTIONs OF A READER
By CHARLES T. CoNGDoN.
INTRODUCTORY.

WHICH ARE TALKED ABOUT AND NOT READ
THE "saLLusT1 or CoRIIus-THE BOOKS oil
OUR CuILDHooD-THE PHILADELPHIA WOMEN
PRINTERS.
There ale two ways of regarding books
first in respect of their cOntents, frSt, OF
course, in the most honorable sense, as they art
still what they we've called long ago in Greek,
the physicians OF the mind =; as they are the
compendoIs preservers of all human knowl-
edge, the magicians bringing the brains OF all
ages into companionstip by mysterious clair
voyance as they are welcome advisers, per-
petual CONSIDERS in our hOgls OF detection, con-
slant friends though all othrr friends may east
us OF, the tools OF the writer's trade, ready as
sistants, swift servants, guides, and takers
who can he s,lenced by relegaticn 10 the she'f
should they prove IN the least tedions-as
takers in the flesh, alas cannot be. Even II
books chance to he foolish, ihey are nor VIII
out their value y my dear brotherhood OF
readers Through what quartos OF queer things,
through what duodecimcs OF dementia, nave we
not waded, half angry and ha amused, grow :
ing wiser from the id'Oey cl others, bored
without even thinking OF protest, and dream
ing down fms dull page, or iubbing our eyes
10 gIappe with the other. and stall wondering
what our prOseT would say nex', until the doze
deepened into ccma and oar faces fell fiat upon
the foilos ! Maybe the Stiffness cnraptured us {;
perpetual hlunucrs became rs good as any
Zane; simplicity approx mating 10 fatuity only
touched us into tenderness, and we could not he
contemptuCrs over such a lab + Of love all los.
Then, toe, oar f0ndness Tor Tins book or aAat l.
such a personal Matter. We feel as II we were
brothers VI ihe RIIter, or cousins al least, ana
so bound 80 defend the family reputation. S.r
Walter Scott mentions Il couniiyblaii OF fiis
who foughI duel in lonOr a. Aberdeen butter
but there something better III III. moore
novel of Zclnco where DISPUTE about George
Buchanan ltrnsihes a dispute about Naly
Queen OF Scois. and ends IA most .eroclous
rencontfe. There have even been mel of one
book (not he Bibe), WHO read and reread II
until, ii t.cy had possessed brains Tor such IA
feat of macmonics, they woald naye known il
by heart. | 0acc knew an ap0tGecaly's lad, who,
when he was not putting up prescriptions 81
pounding with the pestle cove MS whole mlnd
to TuppcIs PrOverblal Philosophy, which ne
really thought the wisest ana most fascinating
book wllica ever came from the press. Jonn
Hunter. the gIeat anatOmist, used to read NIrSl.
over and over, and sOmetmts, rs II 10 lld lliln-
self of a sgell, fling the book away, declaring
that IL had the devil III it, Napoleon had !.
similar hiking for Ossian, and so IL was BOT
strange that something of MacphersOns calico
style is noticeable here and there III the cOn-
.queroI's tpigio bulletins. IEen there are BOOKS
which are not 20 be read in haste-NoTtt :
"Plutarch =" for instance, that uObly proper
toned too which is worti all the other Eng
lish TRANSACTIONS of the Lives put together Dug
which certainly cannot be completely perused
before breakfast Such book is the standby
of lifetime. Ii is a sirlOiu which bios you cut
and come again. Clsverhouse, the reader viii
remember, in SCOTS "Old Mortality half
sportively wishes that he could Keep Morton
prisoner ling enough for him TO read through
.frOissaTf's Chronicles.
There are books which ihOIgh full of rich
merito. iOa >ness, are only much talked OF aud
hardly ever read through by any body. No;
one man IA ten Thousand Las fairly mastered
either " lhe Faery Queea, or Paradise
Lost" or Sir Walter Raieiehs History Of the
World TIE present generation approves
breyity, economically considers the shorincss
of human life, and is too III ch engrOssed oy
e
days and nights TO any one writer in particular.
The bill Of fare is much too long for more u;an
tasting OF this Wand or that. The men OF folios
had better chance when books were fewer,
and reading opportunities longer aud more
numerous. stu dent OF the sixteenth century
was student indeed. No such hard WORK Is
done III bvok making now, because II would be
utterly wasted. 1t would be absurd TO devote
the best Yeas of lite time to classical COM
mentary prolonged through thousands of pages,
which publisher would undertake, which
no purchaser would buy, aud which nobody
could Iead though pad for doing II. Think
what life lie German commentators used %
lead-thoso ancient fellows wfos- feats are re-
corded upon the ample pages OF b yle or ut
Morpri Imagine old Corlgs. tOI instance. 90
ing regularly 20 work upon Sallust very morn
ing, smoking his pipe over disputed passages,
writing long note about almost every me,
pressing and guessing with Amltless patience,
consulting half his library 20 settle a single
verbal doubt, and only resting himself now and
then by freeing his mind when ne encounter d
q notable bnDder OF some other scholar! 1t
must have been hard work, but just look at the
noble resa,t. The text Of the remains OF sal
lust is extremely meag1e, but here we have
him expanded into a fat quirtO OF nearly
thousand p1 yes, which will undertake to read
for coed annual salary; but not otherwise.
II was in nix way that books were once made.
There vas notion that they We're nothing il
not most respectfully pOnderoaS and prolonged.
Commentary required ample verge. W hen
Ii tod af 81
without notes. 1t was sucl a job to take down
"a folio; IL Was so like moving house or a
heavy piece OF furniture that readers were in
no hurry To pat the book Vi again. 1t occupied
the whole desk. and not being easily dislOdged |
its owner read II all day ia sheer despite.
But maybe II is just as well to begin at the |
beginning The small books which he |
thumbed and dog'seareG in his childhood are !
dear 10 the genuine collector, especially as they |
have way III these days OF constant changes |
and of dubious understandings be ween pub
fishers ana school committees, Of getting out of |
print and OF growing scarce. do not envy the
man whose feelings are not senSibly touched, as
he encounters III the pile or water -staintd and |
dust -begrimed rubbish upon a street STALL the
poor foiiOin book out of which he learntd his
letters and TO secule which he would not
gIudge more money than lac will be called upon
to pay. Ii is pleasanter TO hs eyes than would
be q yeritabe specimen of the English born
book OF tie fifteenth century. The children of
this age who have never heard of Gutenberg, |
have reason enough to bless his name; and 1t
Is one of the peasaDtest facts which we en-
counter IN studying the invention of printing
to know that the youngsters as well US poor
people were among the first to share in the
blessings and joys OF the new and wondrous art
in its beginnings, and especially in the rude
block books which preceded the use Of types
But 1 am not writing a treatise upon printing
even If were competent to write it. My bust
ness is with this shabby little copy of as
Woods New York Primer. New-YOrk: Pub
ished by Samuel Wood and Sons, No. 261 Pearl
st., II. d." 1t has double value, for some of
the wood-cnts are evidently by Anderson, whom
would cali our American Bewick it did not
much dislike such style OF christening. Sall
Anderson worked good deal in Bewick's