The Indianapolis journal., 1904-01-24
A Little Advice
to One Who
Wishes TO Know
What She Ought
- - - TO Read

any company" I am not so sure myself,
ana L don't think you can be, Of any OF
these three things. At least. as TO making
you very happy. / know something. myself,
OF nearly all Of these matters-not much,
but still quite 5 much as most men under
the ordinary chances of life. with a fair ed
ucatiOn. likely 10 get tOgether-and I
assure you the knowledge does not make
me happy at all.
mo, L assure you. knowledge by itself
Will not make you happy; still less will II
make you rich
Ruskins experience is verified in all our
lives When L was boy L imagined that
education was practical in all its intents
and purposes. ] never dreamed that man
could amass millions without having
seen college III was delusiOn which |
let go OF reluctantly. The years have taught
me this: The mind Is no more appareled
when Il is born than the body. AS civili-
cation requires the human form 10 be COW
cred SO IT designs that every mind shall
have sufficient learning to hide its naked
ness. Education is clothing, and may be
mighty ornamental or merely protective
rayed in ng leaves OF knowledge and well
tering in the desert Of ignorance Educa-
ton in its brOadest sense has nothing 10 do
with making money, and IL a man has the
genius he may become rich, powerful and
great with a minimum capital of learning.
Culture is no more essential TO business
success than IL Is 10 Juggling. What are
schools for Them? They are TO make YOU
beautiful as well as useful. Nudity is not
necessarily ugly, but throughout all nature,
in the matter OF outer covering, the beauti-
ful and not the practical predominates.
Presumably any tree could have been made
70 yield fruit on square and leafless
branches, but as much attention has been
given 10 artistic effect in the form Of trees
as TO pears OF apples. The savage exists
without the pleasures Of art or refinement,
but the civilized man alone has life in
abundance
Reading is educa tional Colleges do little
more than prepare US for reading. When
you are wearied OF fiction select one or two
books of another character and read them
intelligently, and within limits. thoroughly.
One OF the first books / ever bought was
Irving's sketch Book" Excepting Shaks-
pears and Milton. Irving is said to have
one OF the largest vocabularies OF any Eng
lish writer. When / began TO read the
Sketch Book 1 encountered five or six
words on every page that were unfamiliar.
/ underlined them and continued 10 read
When [ had finished / got a dictionary and
looked up all the words j had marked, and
wherever possible ] wrote the definition on
the margin OF the leaves. If the definition
was long j copied II on a SID and pasted
II in the book. II ! came 70 a word that /
thought would be valuable 10 my vocabu-
larry / wrote il on long strip Of paper and
kept IL where II would attract my atten-
ton. decorated the walls OF my room with
these strips, and IN leisure moments /
would commit definitions. After becoming
acquainted with All of the strange words
In "Knickerbocker's History OF New
York Irving has aggregated a vast amount
Of information and Bill Nye has
marks Nye says S Of his " book: ..rhe
range OF subjects treated I'm this book is
wonderful, even 10 me-" and this may also
be said of "Knickerbocker's History" I
have studied the words In the history and
the Remarks just ! did the words In
the sketch Book" and / treat every book
more CT less in this way. Not a book I'm my
library that ] have read Is without def.ni-
tiOns written on its margins BY this pro-
cess have come 70 have knowledge OF
words that is source Of pleasure at all
times. AS Shakespeare would say. Il nave
an cXchcuucr Of words Such study has
always been a recreation 20 me. but might
Dee "a grind 70 YOU. / DO not ask you 10 un-
dertake what might seem 10 you an end
less toll and cudeaVor, but l urge you 10
determine 20 understand what you read IL
yoI only read ten lines a year Ruskin
has given utterance TO a sentiment which L
cannot now put my hands upon. 10 the cf-
feet that he who has rightly understood one
true sentence is Ia some sense forever after
ward an educated man. Read with this
thought in mind You need not become a
photographer. but n the average book Is
worth reading it Is worth your pains 10
know the meaning of the words you meet.
Three books are almost Indispensable 10 n
satisfactory reading of other books. A good
dictionary Of the English language. class
ical dictionary, and book or familiar
quotations. With these YOU can always
learn the meaning Of strange word or
trace an allusion or quotation 10 IT'S
source.
I have Intentionally used a number OF
words that YOU may be meeting for the flrst
time / haKe two objects In view. First 10
viii be good for you 70 become acquainted
with them; and second IL gives me
chance 10 air my vocabulary. / enjoy the
juggling OF words as some men enjoy
knocking billiard balls together. and by
juggling I DO not mean giving them, amttg-
uous uses. but simply exhibiting my stock.
This letter is not intended 10 be pompous
or recondite. but II you viii nnd out what
YOU can about the names mentioned. lock
up the words and quotations. and then
question your ordinary associates you will
probably be surprised ar the proportions
which your eruditlon will assume IN your
mind. I shall be glad 20 make further suG-
gestions a. any time. Sincerely.
JOHN ]. HApDEN. :