The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-10-03

ThoughtfnlIy Discussed For Careful
Readers.

4. \
ThoughtfulIy Discussed For Careful
Readers.
i Some one says that "You cannot
measure the length of mans brain,
nor the width Of his heart, nor the
extent of bis usefulness by the size
of his library"
Nor 10 tae size of his library n
measure of his culture One of the
most stupid men / know has long
row upon row of beautifully bound
volumes, not soiied spot on the I'M
used pages, not a note or pencil mark,
all fresh and fair as they came from
the hands of the binder They are
merely a matter of furniture, we'll
kept but purely ornamental. In
striking contrast is the library of
poor but scholarly man, some four
hundred volumes, but plainly bound,
and with very evident marks of usage
upon them.
One has little patience with the
man who fills his shelves with entire
sets of Bulwer, and Scott, and Dick
ems and Thackery-and did you ever
notice how uniformly unbroken are
their ranks?-and yet bnys them as
he buys his bric-a- brac, upon some
one else's recommendation and with
even less enjoyment in their posses
sion. In beautifully kept library
OF this kind the owner replied to a
remark on his rich collection, "Yes,
| think they are quite pretty"
! confess have grown rather sus-
picious of dainty, unbroken sets of
books, and want to take them down
and examine the fly leaves, and learn
if possible little of their history.
want to see if they were gift from
some friend who wished to give what
be knew would he valued most, and
bestowed in the giving a delicate
compliment; or if in a purely un-
biased and impartial frame of mind
the owner made his literary purchas-
es. If because he had no preference
he bought the lot; if he made his Sc
lections because ofconfidence in other
peoples opinions rather than the per
sonal delight to be found by the true
book lover in odd volumes by authors
both little known and we'll known.
The genuine library that gives
comfort and rest, where the books
seem loving friends and sympathetic
companions is collection that grows
under the hand of its owner, because
the contents Of the books appeal to
his heart, furnish the food in which
his brain most delights, and are suit
ed entirely to his individual needs.
Indeed the authors of the books, TO
su. b collector, are a secondary con-
sideration.
| or course when one has unlimited
means, and buys books as furniture,
some one else had as well, perhaps
better, do what thinking may be nee
essary in the matter. But it does
seem to me that we who have little
money to spend, and genuinely wish
our books as improving companions
make very great mistake when we
expend what we have upon uninter.
esting material. There is too much
in this world for us to try to know
all about it, and we need not be
ashamed to confess ignorance of
few things. We will attain much
more satisfactory culture by devo-
ting our attention to the things es-
pecially interesting to us.
If we are not philosophical we
need spend neither money nor time
upon Emerson, and we can attain a
fair degree of intelligence without
following either Henry George or
Edward Bethany; and, especially, if
we do not like poetry, and years of
reading would not make Browning
clear is it a ridiculous waste of time
and false conception of culture to
toll on fruitlessly after him.
There is nothing disgraeeful about
not liking poetry, but there is as
much lying about it as though there
were.
~
The September Century has an in
teresting article on "The Distribu.
tion of Ability in the United States"
and the writer takes Appleton's En-.
cyclopedia of American Biography
as his authority for selection of dis
tinguished names.
In the large number of 14,243
names of course are included all
those who have lifted themselves even
slightly above their fellows in the
domains of literature, art and science,
or who have in any notable way af-
fected the history of mankind
Massachusetts heads the list, and
Virginia comes fifth, with New York,
Pennsylvania and Connecticut pre-
ceding her. West Virginia not hav-
ing existed long enough to make his.
tory for Encyclopedias is counted in
with Virginia.
Connecticut has the largest per
centage of ability in proportion to
its population.
New York has the largest number
of prominent soldiers, lawyers, artists
men in the navy, in business, cngi.
neers, architects and actors
Massachusetts leads in clergymen,
| physicians, literature. science, edu-
Gators, philanthropy, inventors and
| musicians.
Virginia leads in statesmen and
pioneers.
The writer contrasts the varied in
tellectual activity-of the Northern
and Middle States with it's limited
range in the Southern, and assigns
the enervating influence of slavery as
the reason for this difference.
In the table of races we find that
in proportion to their number the
Huguenots have produced more and
the Germans fewer men of ability
than any other people represented in
the United States. The reason for
the poverty of German ability is
found in the hardness with which
they assimilated with other races, re-
tanning their language for at least
century, and keeping themselves sep
arate in the country.
There are many more facts than
these to be deduced from the tables
furnished in this article, and of course
we have the privilege of finding bet
ter reasons for them if those assign
ed fail to meet our approbation. Still