Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-07-26

Hamilton w. Mabfe gives the foIlov-
ing advice on what to read.
In reading, as In everything elsp
honesty is the best policy. 1t Is bette,
to be sincere than to get the reputa-
ton of knowing all the books. A e0od
many people seem to feel that It Is not
quite respectable to be ignorant Of the !
book everybody is talking about; ana
a good many people. 1t is to be feared
assume knowledge they do not pos.
sess simply because they have not Mo
courage to be frank. 80 A rond
many people read books for which thew
do not care simply because other peo-
pie are reading those books, which 4 n
waste Of time: and good many rr,ore
read reviews of books, instead of read
ing the books themselves, to be able Ia
talk about them, which is not quite
honest.
Reading is re-eminently an N.
dividual matter, to be determined Sole
ly by what we need and by what "
like. If man finds, after faithful en-.
tieavor to understand, and enjoy GER
tain great writers or certain classesof
books. that he feels no inward drawing
to those writer's, let him honestly face
the fact and confess it if necessary.
All the classics are not for all readers.
and the tyranny which would impose
them all on all readers without refer
ence to differences of tastes, culture
and mental aptiture, ought to be re-
sisted.
The mature reader who cannot be-
come interested in 1.-THE Divine Com
edy'' loses a great deal, but it is better
to lose honestly than to pretend to gain
that which you do not value. As rule
the "Faerie Queene" must be read In
youth to be enjoyed and understood
but there are many who feel compelled
to admire it when they come to It In
later life simply because it is classic.
1t is better to be honest and be ig-'
norant of the classics, than to profess
liking for them because it is good IN
tellectua1 form to know them. What
men have agreed to accept as great art
will not cease to be great art because
we do not happen to like it; but We
shall at least keep ourselves clear Of
affectation and pretence. Duty to our
highest growth does not compel US to
like all great books or any one class
OF great books; it demands of us that
we select the best of the kind toward
which we are attracted.
In his remarkably interesting biog-
raphy of "Wiiliam Black, Novelist Sir
Wemyss Reid includes the following
extract from a letter written by An
drew Carnegie to Black early in 1882,
and which is interesting in connection
with GarfieId's tragic end not long be-
fore:
II had message for you from Presi-
dent Garfield. dined with him week
or so before sailing. and. the con-
versation turning upon my PROPOSED
coaching-trip, he said: Why, that's
the adventures of Phaeton" over
again, upon a grand scale. Has Black
ever written anything so fine? don't
think he has. That was charming,
He continued: 'By-the-way, I'm pro-
voked with him just now. A man has
no right to end a novel SO miserablyas
Macleod O. Dare ends. Human life
has tragedies enough-fction should
give us the bright side l told him
expected to see you and would tell you
this, and he laughed. and said, Do
So When we heard of his fate, ct
Chatsworth, the words came back to
me. and l have often thought OF hia
look as he spoke them"
Caroline Ticknor. who contributes
the story, "Antoine's Loves to me
July number of Lippincott's Magazine.
is daughter of Benjamin H. Tcknur,
the welI-known Boston publisher ana
granddaughter of William D. "ickn0
founder Of the historic publishing
house Of ,ricknor s. Fields. Miss Tick
nor has for the past six or seven years
been writing short stories for periods
icals. besides contributing humorous
sketches to the newspapers. Her nrst
book. "a Hypocritical Romance" ap-
peared in 1896 and was followed Dy
Miss Belladonna," social satire
which was published by Little
Brown, in 1897 During the past three
years Miss Ticlxnor has been engageo
in editorial work, and has c0mpne4
twenty volumes Of famous selections
in conjunction with Forest NOT
and Nathan Haskell Dole; also
brary of oratory, in fifteen vollne9,!
conjunction with Chauncey ~. III
Like all good Bostonians, Miss
nor belongs to literary, dramatlc la
patriotic clubs, but She willingly 81
serts them all for out-of-door
when opportunity Offers ", N.
The Boston Transcript has the following
review OF the "Oldheid, y
Nancy Huston Ranks, one OF the yeas
popular books: w.. ,.sta
ssOldfield," Kentucky tale OF the Ia, ~
century, by Nancy Huston Banks, oe.1
with people one likes TO read ABOUT 80 ~
would be glad to know. The pook isstS3
plete with episodes. grotesque, iaus1 ~ *
and tragic such as are common
rural nefghbQrhood like Pennyroya ~
Gi0n, where the scene of the story EI 49,, N
and where the fact that thing
had been done Is always good ana sus
cient reason for the doing Of many SiHT~
lar things. The simple people anu ,s ns
peculiar ways have a sympathetic cI. r.rt
teller who treats their occasional 1880
tricities with the nildest of ridicuie,s ~
their many noble, self-sacriiicing any As5Yt S
roic acts with unstinted~ enthusiasm
this is done with delicacy and pIp. 81,
ness that is very charming. The LOVE S5&S
two young people in different stauoenst ~
life is made the excuse for introducH
many types OF. character distinctly $3.50
strongly drawn. The sweetest ana -, ~
attractive of them all Is Miss Juoys -
very pretty, so small, SO slight 20 N
Iuisfte altogether. She was old, yer 1}s<x
had still the movements OF 9 bird;
sweet old face was fair as any glr1 49,
H. 6ltTQ6e4.