The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-03-11

inventions, would have his food left on a
little shelf outside his door, and. when hun
ger compelled, would bring it in and warm
II over his open fire. Bancroft also works
from nine till two, and nobody is allowed 10
disturb him.
Like the libraries OF John Hay and Mark
Twain, Mr.. Cooks three rooms are as NE ar
the sky as possible. Are they sumptuous?
One sees nothing but mine of books
and pictures. Here is chair for Mrs.
Cook, who is welcome at any hour of the
day, SO thoroughly is she in sympathy
with his subjects, and so close student is
she as well. Mr.. Cooks chair is a cane-seat
| rocker, With broad, fat arms, and board
resting upon them, SO that low lamp NAV
be used If he works at night The first room
wnlch you enter 10 CHEEKY and full of sun
shine, The three windows looking toward the
Charles river and the blue HILLS of Milton.
On the walls bang pictures of the Himalaya
mount aims, which he loves, the great tenn
oles OF India, the classic structures of
0reece, picture OF his manipulating faith
er, and one of his wife on porcelain. Here
IS his upright desk with case of books on
either side, flying mattresses" he calls
them-one devoted TO science, the other to
theology. Beyond is another large case in
winch see six volumes of Dorner and sew
eral OF Keshub Chunder Sen-the latter not
often found in this country.
Mr.. Cook, with all his orthodoxy. is a
broad reader, and has great admiration for
such expanding mirds as the great Brahmo
SomaJ leaders, Cbunder Sen and Mosoomdar
VINO see light upon the hill tops, but through
a different glass from ourselves.
Before another case of books see an an
tlque bust of Scipio, as old as the Caesars.
and BESIDE it pictures of CARLYLE, Gladstone
and Prof. Park of ADdover. These three
Mr.. Cook always carries with him when he
gees on his lecture tours; and in strange
city, on his table, these men are an inspil a.
ton. Human nature, however strong, is
always cropping for ideals, and, when it finds
them, IS as much of hero-worshipper as
the bluff maker of Sartor Resartus.
Everywhere are proofs of the lecturers
travel and lsludy. Here are several paper
weights-one of marble from he Partheoon
one cross, carved CT white limestone, from
The Mount of Olives; third from the battle
held OF Mara hon; others from places which
Burns and Scott have made immortal.
These mean much to any scholar who, in
mind, lives owe; again that greatest of Ath-
Man victories, under Miltiades, or reflects
upon that one mount greater than the
%ASiOPOAio VI OdpltOilut, WUOE6 QaIlOWeQ CQD
reaches even TO heaven Itself Here are
desks full of note books, for Mr.. Cook has
been no idle traveller; little blue blank books
tied In packages-one devoted TO ST.. Peters
and written on the spot; aud another to the
works of art at the capitol Memory is
treacherous and cannot be trusted: therefore
pictures of travel are OF little use unless
done at the moment. His notes or Germany
are written In German, as he speaks both
this and French fuently. A Bible which he
uses has six parallel columns in as many
languages. Equally interesting are MISS
Cooks twenty-five note books. bound in
leather and illustrated by photographs
bought at the time. They read like ro-
nance, so fascinating, yet SO sad, is that
dark Asian life. She has already been asked
TO give lectures from this full storehouse,
and has done so at Wellesley College, Boston
University and elsewhere.
Here are shepherds or Joks from Inverness
and from Pdrnassus, where Mr.. Cook spent
the night; brass cup from India, from
which none but Brabmin may drink. If
one lower in caste needs water, tie aristo-
crat pours 1t into his open hands, SO that
proiane lips may not touch the cup. We
profess in This country to be far removed
from caste; but fear that the Wendell Phil
llpses who believe in the equal of all,
women with men, black with white. Door
with rich, are notsfound in every American
home. We talk we'll about the dignity of
labor, and bring up our daughters in idle
ness, fearing the speech of so-calied good
society,"
Let us look at the old books in Italian.
French, and Latin; full sets OF Goethe aud
Carlyle; exquisitely illustrated books from
China and japan. and his youthful library
at Harvard CnilPge,-most loved. perhaps.
among them, Hamilton's Logic and Mental
Science.
Ia an adjoining room a shelf, set near the
top, like frezr, is piled with newspapers.
No one CAR afford 10 ignore the wealth of
knowledge in the newspapers of the present
day. While they are not yet what they will
be, eventually, teachers of the commou
people in the place of books aud magazines,
bringing biography, histo y, and science to
the doors Of the poor for a cent or two daily,
vet thep are vast reservoirs of information.
When Mr.. Cook is at his summer home al
Ticonderogi, on Lace Cnamplain, he lakes
fwenty-seven weekly papers. He does not
sit down to read three or four in an evening,
but Thirty, perhaps, marking with red what
be desires 10 preserve, his wife usually cut
ling it out. He has many scfap-books and
drawers where clippings are placed accord
ing TO subjects. Such was the habit of Presi-
dent Garfield, and it helped 10 make him
one OF lhe most Intelligent men of the ma
ton. Madame de Stael did the same.
Mr.. Cocks life has not been an easy one.
but rather one of incessant labor. He has
made bis own place. When, less than de-
cade since, he spoke each MONDAY 10 Boston
before the Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton meeting, few knew the power that was
in him. Now bis books are eagerly read
everywhere. As looked at large book
case in this now famous study, and saw
thirteen different editions of the Monday
Lectures, published by various firms, some
expensive, some as cheap as one shilling aud
sixpence volume in England, all sent as
gifts BY the publishers, | thought how grand
~ 1t had paid TO Study night and day, and be
dead IN earnest to help humanity onward
and upward.
eshas no time for frivolous or idle con-
versaion. He is forever learning. forever
giving out bis knowledge. He talks not
to Boston audience alone, but to the West
as we'll as the East, to India as well as Cali
iornla, 10 Australia as well as to Florida.
In bis Ultimate America he draws picture
OF what is to be when our great country
comes TO its best development. Before that
time. we shall need all our strong voices in
the perils of success; we shall need all the
fearless and incorruptible to stem the tide Of
avarice and ignorance.
After the study on Beacon Hill is vacant
the authors books will live and do their
work. Is there any grander things than
lifting the human mind out of the trivial
and the commonplace into high thought and
right living?