Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-22

Aushat and Nelson were working men;
george Stephenson began life as a cowboy
at twopence day. and could not read till
ne was eighteen; Dalton was the son OF a
poor weaver, Faraday of a blacksmith,
Newcomer Of a blacksmith; Arkwright be-
gan NE as barber, Sir Humphrey Davy
was an apothecary's apprentice. and Bolton.
the rather OF Birmingham" was a button
Slaker. To these men and others like them
Sne world owes deep debt OF gratitude.
W e ought to be as proud of them as of any
or our generals or statesmen
The Varied Advantages eff Books.
The most important thing we have to
learn is how to live, and the study OF any
well-chosen book will certainly give us more
feeling of self-respect, more sense of re-
sponsibility, of dignity of character. Az
Lord Beaconsfield well said. The man
who does not look up will look Gown, and
the spirit that does not dare to soar is des-
tined perhaps to grovel." 1t would take me
too long IL i were to enter into all the adj
vantages Of books. / will only, for In
stance, just allude to the comfort they give
IN times of suffering ami illness. We may
De confined to bed, we may be unable to
walk, but, as Hood said. I'VE always have
the run Of the library Those who love
reading are. to great extent, independent
OF the caprices or tyranny OF their fellow
men Indeed, there is hardly any trouble
Mhlch an hours reading Will not diminish.
education, by thought, we can 10 much 20
'alse our character and develop cur facul-
tles. picked up somewhere years ago-r
cannot remember where-a delightful verse
OF an old English song on the debt we owe
TO books. Ii ran as follows:
''Oh for booke and a shade nook.
Either in doore or QUITE
with the green leaves whispering overhead,
or the streete cryes all about;
Where male reade all at my ease
BOth OF the npWP and plla
For jollie goode booke yhereon to locke
Is better to me than golde."
The Debt Owed to Books.
Many Of those who have had. as we say.
all that this world can giFe have vet told
us that they owed much Of their rurest hap
piness to books. Macaulay had wealth and
fame. rank and power. and yet ne tells Us
In his biography that he owed the happiest
hours of his life TO books. In a charming
letter TO little girl. he says, Thank YOU
for your very pretty letter. / am always
glad 10 make my little girl aap1y AMI MOTH
ing pleases me so much as 10 see that she
likes books, for when she is as old as I am
she will find that they are better than all
the tarts and cakes, ana toys and plays
and sights in the world. VI anyone would
make me the greatest king that ever lived
with palaces and gardens, and fine din
ners, and wines and coaches and bea utif,,l
ton that / should not read hooks would
not be a king-I would rather be n poor
man an garnet with plenty OF books than
king who did not love reading"
one of our greatest men OF science Sir
John Herschell, has told us that. Were I
10 pray for a taste that should stand me in
stead under every variety Of circumstances,
and be source Of happiness 5ni cheerful
ness TO me during life, ami shield against
It's Ills. however things might 20 amiss and
the world frown upon me, II would he
taste for reading. Give a man this taste
ana the means of gratifying il. and You can
hardly fall OF making MIN A happy man;
unless, indeed, you put into his hands a
most perverse selection Of books You place
him in contact with the best society in
every period of history-yith the wlsest
the wittiest, the tenderest. the bravest and
the purest characters -ho have adorned
humanity. You make him 4 deniZen of all
nations. a contemporary Of all ages. The
world has been created for him" (Cheers)
library, indeed, is not only the best
university; ii is a true cairy land. a para
disc upon earth. Garden If Eden without
its one drawback, for all is free 20 US es-
pecially the fruit of the tree OF knowledge
for which We are told that our arst moth
er abandoned all the pleasures of PARADISE
CApplause)