The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-21
ELIOT'S BOOK LIST FOR
A LIBERAL EDUCATION
Five Feet of Literary Controversy

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These are the books selected by
Autobiography of benjamin. Franklin.
Journal of John wooIman.
..Fruits OF Solitude. by William
Penn.
Bacon's essays and New Atlantis"
Milton's @Areopagitica" and ''Traet-
ate OF Education.
sir Thomas Browne. NReligio Med
ici..
Pinto's apology. "Phsedoo and
"Crito."
"Golden Sayings of EpIctetus.
calculations of Marcus Aurelius.''
Emerson's essays
Emerson's English Traits,
The complete poems of Milton.
Ben Jonson's "voIp0ne.-
beaumont and FIetcher's maids
Tragedy"
John webster's duchess of MaIh."
When former President Charles w.
Eliot of Harvard university, the ven
cradle scholar who recently retired TO
private life after notable career as an
educator and publicist. prepared the
foregoing list of books his aim was
to select such volumes as. in his opin-
ion. would give any man the essen
tials of a liberal education. even if he
can devote to them but 10 minutes
day"
incidentally the books were to Mt on
a FIVE foot shelf
No cabinet maker has yet advanced
the theory that the books will not Mt
in the prescribed bounds, although Jo-
seph D. Redding. Bohemian club man
and book lover. has asked the question.
How high is the shelf?" But many
people. from Boston to North beach,
have questioned the selection made by
the eminent scholar.
The Call yesterday canvassed the
merits of DR.. Eliot's list among promi-
nent writer's. educators, professional
men and clerics in San Francisco and
Oakland. Among those who discussed
the selections Of DR.. Eliot were Ed
ward Robson Taylor, mayor Of San
Francisco and poet, whose library is
more than 2O5 feet long; President
Benjamin Ide Wheeler Of the Univer-
sity of California; Miss Ina Coolbrith.
the most distinguished of the women
poets of the west; Rev ]. C. Sasia, S. J..
president of St. Ignatius college: Rev.
DIR. J. K. Mclean. president of the Pa
cifc Theological seminary at Berke-
ley; Rev. Charles r. Brown, pastor of
the First Congregational church in
oakland; William Richard Watson.
librarian of the public library : former
Judge Ralph c. Harrison, member of
the board of library trustees: Rev VIII
liam RAIDER of Calvary Presbyterian
church; Joseph D. Redding of the Boz
hemian club; Justice Henry A Melvin
of the supreme court and president OF
the Bohemian club. and prominent pro-
fessors of the University of California
faculty.
When the public discovers that the
essentials of its education are con-
ward executive there is going to be
trouble at the San Francisco public
library and the Mercantile
library. Captain Gleason had better
get his riot discoura gers on the scene
at once. for several of the essentials
are lacking from the shelves Of the
libraries. At the public library there
is no Journal of John Woolsman." nor
William PENIS Fruits of Solitude"
At the Mechanics library these two
books. Thomas a Kempis and walton's
Life of Dome" are not cataIogued
the PUBLIC library. sal yesterday that
the two essentials which the library
lacks will be Immediately secured. So,
you mob, hold your horses for a little
while and then you can complete your
liberal education. What surprises folks
is that the two libraries have been per-
mitted to stand. stone on stone. without
the essentials of the liberal education.
OF the many men seen yesterday, OF
course, no one agreed that DR.. Eliots
list is the right one. even for five foot
shelf. Unanimity of thought has never
been an academic virtue. Two objections
seemed spontaneously generated at the
mention of the books:
Why not the bible nor shakespeare.s
works."
why the journal of John woolman?
Who. is he?"
Two men ventured an opinion regard
ing the exclusion of the bible. Rev.
Father ]. c. SASHA. S. j.. president of ST.
Ignatius college, gave the theological
answer. He said: "As the bible is not
the work of man, but of God. it would
not be quite proper to put it in compar-
ison with human works. hence the
is quite judicious'