The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-02-13

the father. # not the creator, of the
modern scientific method, it has followed
naturally indeed, almost inevitably, that
his principles have become part of our
intellectual being, so that they seem now
almost sclfevident; while his actual OBJ
ServatiouS. though very remarkable, as,
tor inStarcc, when he observes that bees
on one journey continc themselves To one
kind of flower, still have been super
seeded by others carried on under more
favorable conditions. We must not be
ungrateful to the great master because
his own lessons have taught us how to
otLcr hand-I say 50 with all respect
seems To me in some measure to play on
words; very able, very philosophical, often
very noble. bnt not conclusive, his argu-
meuts, in i language differently con
structcd. might tel in exactly the oppo-
site sense. II this method has proved
less fruitful, il in metaphysics we have
made bat little advance, that very fact in
one priut Of view leaves the dialogues of
Socrates as Instructive now as ever they
were; whiI, the problems. with which
they deal will always rouse our interest,
as the calm and lofty spirit which in
spires them must command our admira-
ton. | would also mention .E'op'S Fa-
bes, Demostheues' De Corona which
Lord Brnugham pronounced the greatest
Grafton of the greatest of orators; Lu-
cretiuS. Plntarch'S Lives Horace, and
at least the Offices. Friendship. and Old
Age Of Cicero. The great ep;cs Of the
world have always constituted one of
the most popular branches of literature.
Yet how few comparatively ever read
the Had or odyssey, llesiGd or Virgil,
after leaving sch ol. The Niebelungen-
lied or great Saxon epcc. is perhaps too
much neglected, no doubt on account OF
its painful character. Brunhid and
kricmhill indeed. are far from perfect,
in Greek or Roman literature. Non
must omit to mention Sir 7. Mallory S
'Morte d Arthur, though | confess dc
SO mainly in Difference 10 the Judgment
of another. ! should like, moreover, tc
say word for Eastern poetry, snch as
portions of the MahAbharata and Rama.
yana (too long, probably, to be read
through. int of which TaIboys Wheeler
has given a most Interesting epitome III
the first two volumes of his History OF
| IndiA): the 'Shahnameh. the work OF
the great Persian poet Fndusi (of which
there is good translation by Atkinson)
and the 'Sheking, the classical collection
of ancient Chinese odeS. Amopg the
Greek tragedans E>chyluS, perhaps
PrometheuS,' and the TIilogy Mark
| Pattison considered 'Agamemnon' the
'gramdeat work of creative genius in the
whole range of literature }, or, as Mr..
Grant Daft recommends, the Persia:
Sophncles &c ilpusD, Enripides che
dea' }, and AristophaneS Tne knghtsD }.
though | think most modern readers
will prefer onr modern poets. In history
we are beginning to feel that the vices
and vicisSiluGcs nl Kings and Queens,
the dates of battles and wars. are far less
i npnrtant than the development of hu-
man thought, the progress of art, of
science and of law: and the subject is on
that very account even more interesting
than ever. ! will, however, only men
ton and that rather from literary than
a historical point of view. lIerodotus.
Nenophun (the 'Anabasis J, Thucy dides
and 7 ,citus GPrmania }: and of modern
historians Gibhu'S decline aud Fall,
NoltaiIc'> Charles MI, or Louis NV,
Hume's History Of England aud Grote' $
History of Greece, because with refer
encc to others find no general cot SEN
suS % opinion, and 50 much must de-
pend on the point of view from which
the selection is made Science is SO
rapidly progressive that though to many
minds it is the most fruitful ani inter
esting Sunjnct OF all, cannot here rest
on that agreement which, rather than
my own opinion, take a, the basis of
my list. | will therefore ouly mention
b ICONS 'Npvum Organum,' Mills Logic
and Political Economy, Darwn's . igin
of Species. and parts of Smiths Wealth
not intend to make study of political
economy would scarcely read the whole
Among vnyaGes and travels, perhaps the
most frequently suggested are Cook
Voyages and Darwin'S Naturalist on
the Beagle, Mr. Bright not long ago
specially recommended the less known
that every one would have read Shak-
spear". Milton. Dante, Spencer, Scott,
Wordsworth (Mr Arnolh's selection),
Pope, Snuthey, J. ngfello~, and others,
before cmbarking on more doubtful adj
ventures Among other books most fire.
quentIy recommended are Goldsmith's
Vicar Of Wakefield, Swift's 'Gulliver's
Travels DefOe'S Robinson Crusoe,'
The Arabian Nights, Buswell's Life of
Johnson Burke'' Select Werks, the
Essays of Addison, !inme, Montague,
MacauIay aud Emerson; the plays of
Moliere and sheridan, Carlyle's Past
and Present and French Revolution
and Goethe's Faust and Wilhelm Mels-
ter Nor can one 60 wrong i'll recon-
mending Bcrkclcy's Human knowl-
edge, Descartes' 'Discouls sur la Me-
thode, Locke's Conduct Of the Under
standing, Lewes' History of Phloso
Why while, in order to keep within the
number OF 100, can only mention of
,lramatiSts Moliere and Sheridan; and,
among novelists, Marivaux' = La Vie de
to be the best novel in any language, Sc
lcctions from Thackeray, Dickens, Kings
ley, aud last, not least, those of Scott,
which are, indeed, IA library in them
selves 70 any lover of books the very
mention of these names brings back
crowd OF delicious memories, grateful
recollcctions of peaceful home hours
after the labors and anxieties of the day.
How thankful we ought to be for these
nestmabie blessings, for this number
less host of hiends, who never weary,
betray or forSake us.
Granulat,d sugar selling at Tets.
MANLY DRENNHS.