The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-19

S.a.zy ably fresh and helpful little vol
ume on How to Get the Bsst Out OF
Books" just published.
People who are not as cultivated as
they think they ought TO be. as well as
those who are less cultured than they
think they are. Will darive great profit
from the reading OF this, As rule,
books tell you a lot about this author and
that and make long quotations which
you might easily have made yourself H..
instead OF taking the time to rcad his
learned treatise and many mora useless
pieces OF literature, you had gone to the
original fountain head and there impibed
the knowledge at first hand.
The central idea Of the authors l6t
psges Of advice to those whose paths
are unit by the great lamps or litera
tiirc is that they should read along the
lines Of their own inclination. IN brief.
sir.n he says. study what you most az
feet" And this is a good place to repeat
the words that open this little review;
mo reading does us any good that Is
not q pleasure to us.
We have seen people with grammar J.
school educations trying TO get through
paradise Lost so that they could say
they had read II, and we have seen what
z !.
s. who cannot understand that the greht
poets must be reached by way OF the
lesser ones could hardly appreciate tns
futiity Of such reading. The author "
sists upon this point. IN a long course
OF reading calculated to give a true mas mas
terry OF books he thinks that one sholi,' i
begin at the beginning. Anothsr lhoA1s ~
which Is not generally l,kelS g onas. -
the reader thirsting after knoWlcdse ~
general and finding thet the springs OF
it are all too inaccessible Ia this or the
essaytst. ITO realize what we GO not
want In books or cannot use masl "
,iously be a first principle IN our gel
ting the best out OF them,
1t is a fact that we do read 100 Hla man.
books and too many that 40 lipt ,ea't'
interest us or bring MS benefit or diver
sion How often some new and famous
writer la recommended to as py some
wise person who is sure the work ne mas
read Will "just suit is, we set we
book, plod patiently along, mis.fNs.iis
onr powers OF appreciation ana hevet
once seeing what the author OF ms w
tie volume has SO neatly put, that thets
are many books that are mol ioI W,
He thinks that we should do our read
Ing In the early morning lnstean y.
night This would be difficult FOR rhe =
that has so litt.s leisure, "Personails,
he says. II think that one OF the pes,
+ places to read is in bed ParadoAlc a.
as 1t may sound one is not SO llkeiS ~, -
fall. asleep over his book IN hed as IN w, -
post -prandial ARMCHAIR, While ones
body rests itself ones mind remains
alert. and when the time for sleep comes
at last 1t passes into unconscloushesss
tranqnillized and sweetened by though'
and pleasantly weary with healthful en-
ercise. One awakens. too, next morning.
With so to say, very pleasant TASTE
of meditation in the mouth
4 There lis. he says, always a certain
spiritual and mental effort necessary 70
be made before we tackle the grea'
books. One might compare tt TO me lel-
fort of getting up to see the sun rise.
II is no little Of a ting to leave one
warm bed, but onee we are out In the
crystalline rorning air, wasn't IT WORTH
ita PERHAPS our finest pleasures always
demand some such austerity o. pfepara-
tion That is the secret Of the tfues'
epicureanism. !,