The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1897-12-17
IF WE COULD CALL SOLOMON BACH


olden time. Coming on down to date,
IF WE COULD CALL SOLOMON BACK
long enough to read few Of the book
catalogues of the present year, he might
say with good conscience, "Of making
many books there are no end" Figures
ordinarily make dry reading but l find a
few that are rather interesting in the lit.
erary record for 1890. During that year
Great Britain and the United States TO-
gether produced 9252 new boz ks; for
each country an equal share, being in
round numbers 30 new books for every
day in the year. In this statement have
sought only those books that were writ
ten in the English language, for it is with
those alone that the most of us have to
do. In view of this enormous mass of
reading matter pouring forth from the
printing presses of the world every year,
1t becomes a very practical question,
What Shall the Young Man Read? and
this question it is the purpose of this dis
course to answer in practical way. |
cannot hope to make the answer in any
sense exhaustive, as the field of selec-
ton is SO very wide; nor do presume to
speak as by authority, for my opinion is
but!the opinion of one man, and is worth
no more than the opinion of any other
man having equal literary advantages
with myself; but happen to be the man
in this particular congregation who can
get the ear of young men generally, and
feeling that [ have message to the com :
ing generation, venture to give you in
brief my notions as to the practical
course of reading for those who are get
ting ready to do the worlds work by and
by when we older ones have been mus
tered out OF the service. However, be-
fore we attack the question in hand,
it will be as we'll for US to ask and answer
very important preliminary question,
viz. What is the purpose of Reading
This question might perhaps be more
properly put in the plural form for there
are three well defined purposes of Read
ing, and the course should be shaped so
as to meet the necessities of each.
l. We should read for intellectual
growth.
2. For spiritual growth.
3. For recreation.
So we will take these purposes in the
order named, and suggest few things
that it would be valuable to read fol
each urpose. Some one has said thai
IF he COULD POSSESS But FOUR BOOKS
he would choose the Holy Bible, the
Book of Common Prayer, the complete
works of Shakespeare, and the una
bridged dictionary. He would certainly
have library, and one that would an
swer all the purposes of reading. Blu
we are not confined to so restricted I
choice, but we shall find use for all thu
books mentioned as we proceed. Thel
going back to the beginning let us searcl
for some of the books necessary to intel
lectual culture.
/ take it that about the first intellectual
desire one has, Is to know something
about the world we live in and the graft
fication of this desire involves the read
ing and study OF history. And just her
l am profoundly impressed with the ide'
that every course of historical reading
should have the Holy Bible as the frs
book on the list, for the reason that tn
major part of the history of the world
first four thousand years is to be found
within the lids of that wonderful bool
and nowhere .else. Beginning with thu
story of the creation, and some genera
history of the world, it soon takes up tn,
history of the Hebrew people and fol.
lows them from the family to the tribe
from the tribe to the nation and so OF
through all the various changes in thei
condition; bringing in az intervals incl
dental referance to other nations as they
were brought into relations more or les
intimate with the chosen people. II
tell this story requires all the books O
the Old Testament and the narrative
Is thus brought down to the Christian
era which seems to US almost within
hailing distance of our own time
| Turning 60 secular histories I shoult
deem it necessary to read up somawha
upon the ancient nations Of Greece ant
Rome,as we are indebtedto those nation
for much of our art, our philosophy, ant
our laws. In this course which I an
trying to outlineIthere is no place for big
books like Grote, Gibbon and hal
dozen others that might be named, so
will mention two amall books, one upol
Greece end the other upon Rome BY Mr.
Sewell. Jacob Abbott also, has writer