Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-11-14

travel, Is through strong, wholesome
books. They are death to provincial
ism the best antidote to petty gossip.
Through books of history and travel we
grow familiar with the deeds of other
days and with the wonderful achieve
ments of our own Through them we
may delve into the marvellous mysteries
of the earth, and rise to the knowledge
of other worlds than ours. At our fire
side we may sit with Homer and gaze
upon the battle.swept plain of Ilum I;
with Eschylus wander by the blue
resplendent Aegean sea with its multi
tudinous laughter;" with Plato we dis
course of reason and the ideal amid the
groves of the Academy; with Caesar
penetrate the forests of Greece and Bri-
tain, and watch the hordes of savages
fly before the iron legions of Rome I;
with Newton and Proctor we sweep the
expanse of the starry heavens; with
Dana we read the story OF the rocks ;
with Faraday we penetrate the secrets
of natures laboratory; with Luke and
John we journey from Bethlehem to
Calvary In company with Jesus, and
with Paul traverse Syria and Asia
Minor, listening to the gospel on the
busy streets of Ephesus, and on the
tempted Acropolis of Athens.
Hence the wisdom of reading choice
books, those which leave us richer for
the reading. Therefore let us read only
the best. Read biography, that we may
enjoy the companionship of the worlds
worthless, and gain inspiration for nobler
living. Read history, that we may
grow familiar with the worlds trials
and triumphs, and see Gods hand in all
Read poetry, that the heart lose none of
Its tenderness and hope; science, that
through the wonderful book Of nature
we may gain newer and larger meanings
of its great Author. Nor let us, what
ever else we may do, nes lect the great
masterpieces of the world. Homer,
whose stirring words must ever marshal
forces to warfare and victory; Plato,
the great philosopher of all ages Dante,
with his thrilling pictures of vivid
imagination; Bacon, the embodiment of
so much wisdom, and Shakespeare, the
greatest human portrait painter of the
ages.
Would that you had not already an
ticipated my adding one more book, or
rather, a compilation of books. Would
that it were not so customary to close
every such address as this to appeal to
the reading of the book whose name is
already in your mind, that with some
grain of freshness | might mention that
book to you now. While it is almost
impossible to escape this custom, it is
ones privilege to state, in mentioning
the Bible, that, so far as the apprecia-
ton of it, as great masterpiece of liter.
ature, never in its history has it stood on
so high an eminence as today. Here is
where we find literary merit unequaled
Where can we find poetry that surpasses
Job or Isaiah or many of the Psalms
What pastoral is so simply perfect as
Ruth, what short sayings can compare
with Solomon's Proverbs? Where car
we find such tenderness and pathos as
in the 23d Psalm, IN the 18th of st. John
in the parable of the prodigal or in Paul;
chapter on love?
AS Gods works in nature transcend
the best works of man, so does the bool
of books far transcend all the othe
books men have written.
Here we may learn of Gods love, o.
mans relationship to God and to hi
fellows, the privileges and mission o
each man in and to the world, and TIT
power of an endless life. Therefore W,
will not neglect to read and obey thi
book of books, which alike reveals Coz
to us, and lifts us Godward. Through
this book have the cathedrals been built
civilization advanced and human life il
every way elevated.