The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-13
THE BEST BOOKS FOR CLERGY
MEN,


THERE are certain standard books
which are needful to all professions.
AS the pillow and the harrow are indis-
pensable to every kind of agriculture,
and the hammer and the saw to the con-
struction of all varieties of buildings, so
certain common literary tools are nee
essary in all of the learned professions.
l have no occasion to speak of the stan
dard dictionaries and the great encyclo-
pedias which take the lead in these
"books for everybody" They are clas-
sified literature in the mass. And no
man who is hungry for wisdom and
knowledge will regret large investment
in all kinds of books which set in alpha
betical order the things which he wants
to know. These books amount to a
kind of topography of the republic of
letters. The huntsman no longer has
to seek at random through round about
courses. A straight path and short cut
is open to exactly what his impatient
brain desires Our generation is blessed
with deluge of tt is kind of literature
because the rapidly working public de-
mands it..
And he who invests in the best of this
variety Of books will have no regrets for
his venture. Wise clergymen will pur-
sue this policy to large extent in the
foundation of library.
A sub-branch of this kind of literature
is concordance. A lion might as we'll
run without feet as clergyman get on
without concordance. And let not the
diligent student suppose that copy of
even the largest edition of Cruden is
enough. Whether he be a linguist or
not. Migrants Englishman's Greek Con-
cordance of the New Testament, and
Migrants Englishman's Hebrew and
Cnaldee Concordance of the Old Tesla.
ment are absolutely indispensable.
So highly do value these books, that,
were l forced to choose between the
possession of them and the possession of
commentaries. | should part with the
commentaries. Even antiquity priced
this form of knowledge. for one Euthalios
published Greek concordance in the
year 1900. And the idea of a concord.
ance in foreign tongue so constructed
as to be available for those unacquainted
with that tongue. was made practical by
the German. Kircher, in 1907, and by
John Taylor, who died in 1761. George
Wigram improved upon their work. And
now we have the inestimable helps of
the E lglishman's Greek and Hebrew
Concordance-the latter first published
in London in 1913. Tho Harpers re- print
ed the Greek concordance in 1848.
Whether one knows anything about
these languages or not, these two books
are among the richest sources of exegeti-
cal knowledge of the Bible. Young's
concordance is cheaper substitute for
these two books. 1t is an effort to COM
bine the excellences of both of Mr.. Wig
rams books-and one should buy this.
il unable to purchase the others, which
are far better.
Furthermore, if one has an impoverish-
ed knowledge of Greek, an interlineary
Greek and English New Testament is a
great boon. Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott
is a golden censor of generous Christian
thought Another book that will enrich
such person is Riley's Dictionary of
Latin and Greek Quotations. Proverbs,
Maxims and Mottos." 1t has an index
veborum, which is really a concordance
to the cream OF the wit and wisdom of
the ancient classics. And it gives exact
and elegant translations. following the
text, of a plenty of quotations which
learned fools leave untranslated for Eng
lish wise men to stumble over.
But more important than Riley's Die
tionary Of the Ancient Classics, is Bart
lett's Familiar Quotations, exclusively
in English. and rich beyond measure.
In this book also. the index amounts to
a concordance of larger share of the
brightest gems in the English tongue.
The index itself fills 1S1 pages, double
columns. Hence if the scholar can re-
call word of the coveted quotation, he
has Ariadne's clew to exactly what he
wants. and the name of it's author.
AS aids to scholastic exactness, three
other books of reference are also nee
cessary. to-wit: Thomas's Pronouncing
Dictionary of Biography. Thomas's Pro-
nouncing Gazetteer of the World and
Wheeler's Dictionary of Noted Names of
Fiction. Or, he may buy at less price
the Century (pronouncing) Cyclopedia
of Names. as a semi substitute for the
three. The great value of these books is
not exclusively literary. Their orthoep-
ical information is quite as important.
Without their advantages to correct our
pronunciation we must either suppress
much knowledge already possessed, or
appear as windy ignoramus because of
laundering use of proper names.
A clergyman who lives and labors so
near the twentieth century, also needs
books of reference as to our present civ
ilization. He should possess nourishing
facts to stimulate a patriotic interest in
our country, in humanity to man. in So
cial purity, temperance. education,
purity in politics, and in all the moral
problems which so thickly blossom in