The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-10
AMONG THE BOOKS.
A Commencement Essay by Very
Bright Girl Graduate.


The following, containing original ideas
terscly stated, was the graduating essay OF
Miss Susa o. Yates, an intelligent and popu-
lar young lady whose diploma was given at
the lligbeo seminary commencement exer-
else Thursday evening last The lady was
librarian at the seminary during the recent
session, and each character 80 strikngly and
cov,rly alluded 10, was taken from real life.
A sketch Of 800 words could not have more
ccverly described the fair graduates expcr-
fences and observations among the books:
IA school seems to me like a little world.
We truly have all sorts Of people there,
leaving out the teachers who are our arts
tocrncy, and OF whom we may not speak
lightly. The commons represent every type
of mankind, In embryo, of course.
1--WE have baby Bccthovens; we have In
cipicnt Prcscotts, budding Raphpls aud full
blown Longfcllows and liawthornes, who
are loved, even ms Shelley loved Keats. And,
judging from the groups that climbed the
tower stairs To gaze ON the mystic scroll UNI
rolled in the blue vault OF heaven, we may
produce n Caroline llcischcl Maria Mitchell
and Mary Liyermorc Little Louisa Alcotts
may be found porting over the lives OF good
aud brave men and women.
"Now, much Of this has come 20 me from
my vantage ground IN the library. You can
always Judge Of man by the company he
keeps. Of woman by what she wears; Of a
girl by what, how and when she reads
when Bessie comes ! know she Will ask
for No. ., where Dickens, Thackeray and
Shakespeare are 10 be- found. Mamie will he
sure Ia seek the poets corner, and viii,
without doubt, take out Shelly. Thought
ful Helen we will find coming the shelves
Of fha Wlffa gusns where the books
bear the stamp Of old age and much good
service Locke in folio Is her chief delight
since DR. Daniel and Sir VIM. Hamilton
taught us to be philosophers. The inquisi'
tive Birdie thinks the Young Folks Cyclic.
pcdia" the book Of the library aud
She Is often there fitting about
like butterfly, yet gathering honey Ike
bee. Robbie must always have something
about the Presidents mayhap his life will be
bound up there some day, who knows
The studies Of the year could readily have
been traced by the lists of books
taken out. Was IL Shakespeare, How, liud
son, llumcs. White and liazlitt were In de
mand, or Milton3 How the classical diction
aries suffered, the ancient atlas, the Bible
| Yes, they were read then more than ever be
| fore; and where Milton ever did get all hi
| hard names from l. still q mystery Did w
| turn to astronomy, all wanted Ncwcomb q
| once, anu lntn f'flfntt ioi ~ .H'
| Chambers information for the People,
6rst proycd their very great value. but VI
learned something not down in the books
vet realizing What II meant to b
wiser than Fro licus, aud that w
were but dwnrfs standing on the shoulder
Of giants.
"Oncr We bsd the study Of rivers giyel
us. Was there ever such a subject for empty
ing the shelves IN order tO supply the dciici
In our brninsl Ia mathematics we did no
rummagc much. There wa, enough between
the covers Of one book for each ot th0s
subjects dear 20 the old philosophers.
have read somewhere that Plato had IN
scrbcd on his portals that no one SHOULD
enter here who was ignorant Of geometry.
suppose some one here nj ours considers thi
subject the key to all knowledge. Well
that accounts for our forgetting Il, for tn
door once unlocked we need the key m
| maroN