The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-12-10

will be perfectly free. However
there are just one or two thing
supplementary to what / SAT-
this morning, that 1 think ough
to be before yonr minds befor,
we attempt any Interpretation.
tried to make two questions abov,
all others and that is this: Tha
literature is worth while, ant
then | should like to call your at
tention to another thing. There
are those whom the world will
least willingly forget The name
of Plato was familiar because he
was a great philosopher; the
name OF Caesar, because he was
a great emperor and statesman,
and, also, a great literary man.
The Parthenon has crum bled In
to dust-that beautiful building
OF Greece. Athens, the great
center of art and culture, has de.
generated into city of squalor
and poverty. But the poems OF
Homer you still have, and they
have lasted when Greek states
manshIp and soldiery have been
forgotten, and the world will not
let them die.
Rome was the Imperial City of
the seven hills. Someone has
said, While the Coliseum stands,
Rome will stand The songs of
Virgil are uttered by the pupils
who have upon them the stamp
OF any good school throughout
civilization.
This is an age,of cheap litera-
ture, cheap printing, and, sorry
to say, cheap thinking. Now, |
want to call your attention to the
fact that a master piece of lltera.
ture does not come IN this way.
1t takes as much concentration
of attentlon-as much good solid
thinking to interpret the master
mind IN a master piece of ltera-
ture, as it does to demonstrate a
theory in Geometry. You must
think it through, step by step,
until the truth statds up before
you.
A great many people want to
study literature but they sgo at
1T IN the wrong way. Don't fiat
ter yourself you are reading an
author when you are reading
about an author. There IS a diff
ference between the history of
literature and the literature It,
self. The history of literature is
good preparatory study. Would
you not stop to explain words IN
a poem? Would you not stop to
explain a difficult term? Yes,
that is all right, but don't think
it is studying the poem. Now, | |
think | may be rather paradox
cal to some OF you this afternoon.
You may wonder what we shall |
do? The first thing is, that we
must appreciate literature IN the
sense that'lt is imaginative. 1t
is necessary for you to accept
few things In literature and to
take a few things for granted. |
You cannot keep up to. date, you
cad the latest book. II
would rather wait until they have
ripened llttle-until they have
lived a little to prove that they
are worth reading.
II you carry nothing to poem,
you will not be able to carry any
thing away; but, remember, the
comment is upon yourself and
not upon the poem. You read
Paradise Lost and get nothing
from 1t. 1t is because your mind
has not been prepared for 1T.
While the first travellers In Cali
fornia did not reap the fruits of
the gold, 1t was not because it
was not there, but because they
could not get 1t. There is the
positive side of studying htera-
5ure. You must enjoy the poem
you are reading. No piece of
literature can mean anything to
you unless you enjoy 1T. He Or
she who will sit down thought.
FULLY, earnestly, to a great mas
jer piece of literature, waiting
lntil the great master mind of
he author shall inform you, will
snjoy it. Ii
The remainder of DR.. Holsop