El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-04

y
to more lengthy themes At this time
there came also into my life a book
that nearly had serious if not disas-
trOuS influence. 1t was Methodist
hymn book, a gift. 1t was bound in
morocco. 1t was written in verse Like
Webster's Unabridged it changed the
subject pretty often. but that made lit
tie difference. 1 carried it to church
wrapped in my best and cleanest hand
kerchief. And it was about this time
[ began to express myself in rhyme
and very early escaped being a poet
The song that affected me most fer
yently, possibly. was on page 444. writ
ten by Watts and sung to the tune of
c. M.
How vain are all things here below.
How false and yet how fair!
Each pleasure hath it's poison too,
And every sweet a snare
The brightest things below the sky.
Give but a flattering light;
We should suspect some danger nigh
When We possess delight
There was another on page 14O:
Plunged in gulf of dark despair and
another,
What peaceful hours 1 once enjoyed.
But they have left an aching void
The world can never FILL
But after a while there was a more
hopeful ring and with the inspiring
courage that soldiers march to battle
/ sang
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound
That saved wretch like me-
for Methodist literature had ever in it
Joyousness that could not long be
suppressed.
About this time certain truths of
the bible appealed to me so strongly
that they are indelibly fixed in NV
memory Dear. faithful heart of
truth of God; 1t throbs in Methodism:
1t throbs in Buddhism; in theosophy:
In Christian science. in Hugo. in Bal
FAC, In Hawthorn. 1t throbs on every
page of the philosophy of the new
tlme and one cannot afford to miss the
lessons OF human kindness and unself-
ishness that glorify the pages of Barrie
and Maclaren; the inspiring. helpful
everyday philosophy of Ralph Waldo
Emerson, of Henry Drummond, of Hor-
ace Fletcher. Maurice Maeterlinck.
Henry Wood. Lillian Whiting and
Charles B. Newcomb. They give one
better understanding of life, hence
greater peace, strength and joy.
1T was during the second era that I
was introduced to Don Quixote. Have
you read Don Quixote? 1T will make
you laugh And there is more religion
IN Iaughter than tears. few of
Dickens's best also came my way Sure
~ there never was a radiance such as
that which flooded the pages of David
Copperfield and Little Dorrit. Bulwer,s
Harold, the last of the Saxon Kings
h1enzi. and the Scottish Chiefs came
TO stir the patriotism that ever lives
IN the heart of mountaineer. Shake
'peare also came to me at this time
with its vast storehouses of books
within books If there were time 7 |
would like to turn aside and speak of |
Hamlet, that great drama of the intel |
ect. of the soul of man, with a little
domestic tragedy thrown in: of the
strong historic plays of julius Caesar.
Iing Lear and Macbeth and that hap
nest OF all comedies. LAS you like it."
Ind there stalked in with majestic
read the great epic of John Milton
nd the tender, winning human-heart-
q songs of Robert Burns. And this
vas the morning and the evening of |
he second day. ID
The third and last epoch ushers in
o much, for life and work began in Z
arrest, that am lost in the mazes of
OokS and books and books. Among
ne books of fiction, Lorna Doone {
eads the list-that brilliant romance !
18th its simple exquisite style And :
'eading upon its heels is Hypathia. :
lie famous romance against the back I
round of Alexandrian learning and Z
brilliant book abound
'g in brilliant descriptions: but above
Il towers the woman Hypatia. Then
$50 comes Victor Hugo's Les Miser-
Dles.' mastery in conception and of !.
asterly development. full of pathos. =
Ill of truth, full of humanity. And =
dam Bede, with its grace. it's unaf- .
cted Saxon style and it's charm of r
Others too. come troop
g up so merrily. so graciously, with :,
lch Willingness that l long to give =
em place in your hearts as in mine. T
the more recent books. the Master. n
: Zangwill. and Thou. by James Lane &
lien, possibly head the list y
"Children's books l have read with
y pupils, most of them for the first
ne and with ad eight and enjoyment I,
at even books rarely give. And I can il