New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-03

'ihoS PossesSed u, without being able To en-
pioy 1t to any good purpose: but when il i ioined
| Win the corresponding intellectual facni+;.s -
| becomes the most useful of servants For ~. ~,
| Al one wishes to see what Macaulay read CrceL
Latin, Italian, French books poems. novels rs
tories biographies, plays diaries let him look over
.ie fascinating book TO which / have rcferred
mere is not much profit in wondering whether a
writer so distinguished in this aqe will he conauy
distinguished in the next; but do not see why In,
best work of this most brilliant man shonld NOT
fascinate our great-grandchildrcn as 4 he's fasc;
mated MS, or why in the far-oii future the History
of England" should not lie read as the student, of
to-day read Thucydides.
III Is worthy of note how many autobiographies
begin by telling that in his childhood the writer
was fond of reading. There is no choic,r no ,nore
charming book o. this Kind than Penialnin Frank
EMS winch little readers to-day find as interesting
as " hohlnSon CIusoc" or "Gullivers Travels 4,
ih'hK OF the Boston hoy laying ont all the littIs
money mat came into his hands in books to be read
ana 'hen sold. that he might buy others! An tho
DOCKS OF poleinical divinity belonging t. his father
iackihg better proyender. he managed 10 swallow
Pintarchs LNes' which perhans bave .ri,..r
more young people profitable pleasure than any
DOCK IN the world, Franklin tells us he read album
u'ul'iN' ana then adds: - stll think that finn,
spent 10 great advantage" Then there were la
iD - Essay on Projects" and DIR. Mathers
Essays TO do Good" Franklin ALWAYS said ,b,t
had an influence on some of The rriDcinal fptnr,
events of his life Ii was this boolisb ;o.l;,.
,"h winch made Franklin printer. II he had
been taowchandler like his fsthe, II Is rossilla
'hi't we never should have heard of him. The how
went on borrowing when he could moi bnv. rot,in,,
az an odd volume of The Spectator which D,,s, a.,
nave given turn to his life: reading also ocla
"on Human Understanding the ~Prorinc;,l
LeO'ens OF Pascal, Aenophons " Memorable Things
OF Socrates inhdel books of ShaffeSlnrv AMI Col
Inns as a set-ol TO the polcmcal divinity. Pretty
ulY reading, fancy, the lads of today ,vouh con-
siuer ihis To be- They read 10 DE amused: Franklin
TO be instructed; and between the two purnoses
there is some difference. Hardly ANYTHING Init
strong meat was TO he had in those DAYS bue
Fanklins mind required it. OF such sfudies CANA
that love OF logical precision and those habits OF IN
'eHectua order which made hlin. 4 time needing
practical men, perhaps the most useful public man
OF the Revolution. Hamilton, OF whose swiftnesS
III reading have spoken. had an essentially differ
eht mind from that of Franklin. but was like the
philosopher in early love of books Imagine him
yet mere boy, going to see Dr. MitberSnoou at
Irihceton with the srangest request ever proilered
by "a juvenile candidate for matriculation: Might
he be placed AT the outset i'm any class for which Inv
ms examination he shorld he found qualified and
then might he be allowed to advance as rapidly as
he was able, untrammelled by the r. oula.;ors oe
the established curriculum .! Naturally DR. With
erspoon shook his head doubtless till al the pover
OF ms Wig made a nimbus about It. All that vounr
Hamilton got was pretty decided No" Forth
with, and 40 ways discouraged he started for
Kings College in New-York the authorities Of
when were more compliant He entered as an
undergraduate like soon 10 be swiftly graduated:
betakes himself TO extra stndi.s ANATOMY f,r i,,
stance: distinguishes himself as We may well i'm
aglne. IN the debating socioie finds time TO look
into public affairs, then becoming somewhat warm
ana interesting. writes for the newspapers and
when the fight comes is. may be sure in tho
thckest oil H. lie is another instance of the alyan-
tage of swift reading if Only one ha. the brains for
H. that OF Or. johnson being one OF the most not
able. Hamilton studied law after the war in tho
same May-a good way, considering how short life ia
and how many the books
The world which is fond of all the particulars Of
men who celebrated or DISTINGUISHED or even
notorious. is anNlous TO know what they read. and
how and when There as plenty Of this detail T., ID,
had without much searching. Thinkers. srecula-
tors, poets historians have not been AYERS. 10 let-
ting Ms peep into Their workshops or 10 giving IA
somewhat more than glimpse OF their manner If
handling the tools. do not know that il j. very
useful, bnt an snre that il is very diveriing For
the rest let Ms be thankful for those books which
ara our helpers our guides our sympathizcrs m hap
piness our CONSIDERS in SORROW. Man has been ,.e-
fined aS laughing animal. rs 4 tool-mak ina animal
As tins, that and the other bat Why not a. a book
making and reading animalg What other crea.urs
puts his acquisitions. conicctHres failures and sue
cesscs into print! The book makes all the accs
kin; II aholisheS time and space it r,seryes when
but for such preservation all would Dee lost and 20
hands down frcm generation To generation ito
legacy of knowledge, of wisdom and experience
We talk much of the noble art Of printing nor dol
say nay TO word of il, but what if we had ROLLING
TO print There were books before Gutenberg:
and even now If the mystery of Typography should
be lost the pen would again chccriulil take up fe
work OF the press and do d. after no very bad
fashion. And 80. with blessing upon the books /
take leave of my patient ,cader> commenting them
10 Inc peasanest of occupations. the digGll.cJ
OF laslllAes, lne most nseinl OF rnla Nallnns