The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-19
SELF CULTURE.


We had occasion the other evening 10
step into the room of one of our young
men of the town, and found him deep
in tie beauties of Carlyle's French Rev
olution. The young man is not college.
bred man, and his duties as clerk keep
him employed throughout the day, but
by good use of his evenings he is making
himself one of the best informed young
men of our acquaintance. Roanoke is
preeminently n city of young men, and
as we left the room we canght ourselves
wondering how many of the hundreds OF
young men in our city were doing any
thing with the long evenings at their dis
posal towards self culture. Lord Bacon
tells us that it is "readng that makes
the full man." and the amount of infor-
nation that a few hours daily Of close,
assiduous reading will give man is sim
ply marvellous.
The greatest difficulty with the I'M
trained minds Of young people is that they
are apt to confine themselves too closely
to one class of reading-generally that
which best suits the bent of their nclina-
tions. The result is that they sometimes
become one-sided and never attain to that
roundness of inform alton SO much to he
desired. What is most needed is to
have ones views broadened and extended
by intimate contact with the master
minds of this and other ages; to conflne
oneself not to one tavorite subject, but
TO step into the broad fields of science, CT
art, OF literature and or history, and to
gather golden grain from all. Lack of
means with which to purchase books can
no longer be pleaded as an excuse. This
is an age of books such as the world has
never seen, and to none ought this to
prove greater blessing than 10 the
young man who, with his evenings to
hin self, is seeking self improvement.
The marvellous cheapness of any sort of
reading matter puts it within easy reach
of the clerk on even the most meagre
salary, and a few dollars judiciously ex-
pended puts him in possession of
library such az men of &C nj parative means
Ie'tl utHuiieu VI II lew generations ago.
Should he feel that even this il beyond
his meagre salary. for a little over half n
cent day ne can have access to an al
mirably selected list of books in the pub
lie library.
In science, literature and history the
bsst talent Of the century is being EN-
ploycd to bring out books best suited TO
busy men. The series of "Premiers of
Science" now being edited by one of our
Northern publishing houses will be found
delightfully."- done Gotten up by the
most eminent scientific men CT our times
they are just suited to the one working
without an instructor. Being comprehen-
sive get concise, deep yet clear, careful
reading of them will repay anyone and
give him fund of useful informaticn
that will stand him in COOL stead in after
life
Then, too, we have editions of authors
like Chaucer, Shakespeare and Spencer
with glossaries and copious notes that
make their reading Ineligible to all 10
those who desire &c know something of
the classics. of the manners and litera-
ture of men prior to Christianity, and
who do not read them in their original
tongues. q good substitute is offered in
"Bohn's Transitions of the Classics. u
Save for men of high scholarly attain
ments, anu with unlimited time, the day
for the ponderous tones of Macauley and
of Gibbons is fast passing away, and in
their stead we have such historians az
Greene, Mervale, Freeman and others,
who have given in brief space aud nj
tractive form Just what one needs with
out encumberipg their works with a
wilderness of minutiae.
What we have just said in regard to
the works mentioned we have not in
tended as advice, and would not dignity
by that name. 1t is intended merely as
n hint, suggestion, and should it result
In awakening in any young man in Roa-
noke desire to spend his evenings in
something more profitable than street
loafing, social amusements or idle gossip
Ing we will feel well repaid for the few
spent in throwing these thoughts