The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-26
A RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE
By DIR. L. II. kI\G>Bt RN

however muerfectly. l Wish now
70 indulge III a somewhat prolonged
reference 10 ny life a. 4 reade
hoping 70 encourage and thereby help
others if possible. This is my last ref
erence To my own experience as
reader and udcnt
There are a great many books re-
Plete with interest is there are 4 very
many books OF exalted merit that be
long TO the realm OF great literature.
Inc boy Who learns L. relish thu
best books viii not cease 10 love
them when in his mental Prime. or
when the shadows are lengthening
IN old age. There is srea pleasure.
there IS great profit III good books.
Remember that it takes as long to
read q poor. dun hook az it takes to
read 4 truly wise or great book. In
my carly youth | read with relish
books OF much merit. Some OF these
We're Scott. Shakespeare Byron,
Hune's History OF England. Rollins
Ancient History in seven volumes.
Plutarch,s Lives. Rohertson's Life of
Charles y, the part of JoSeDhuS. parts
Of S~parke's American Biography. in
some twenty volumes, and other books
OF Importance. | read these before
/ was sixteen years Of age, and sew
eral of them while thirteen or four
teen. | kept q blank book in which I
recorded ny readings. / lost it long
alter | had grown to manhood. | re
that IN one month in my mis-
~cellaneons readings I covered $500
pages. Too much by far | may not
doubt now: but / was very busy. for
| was at school at the Academy at
Oxford. \. {. | would like to encour-
age the boys of this day to read the
best books only. | know from what
| have read within Il few years that
Eneiish boys Of the better sort read
when young books OF solid worth. |
may mention that john Stuart Mills
could read Latin at seven years Of
age with ease and that Thomas De-
quincy. the great cSsa yiSt. could
speak Greek ~flucntly off-hand when
but eleven years old. In old age, as
during all my very long life. | have
been q voracious reade covering a
wide field-ancient and modern
Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Italian, Ger
man, Spanish and Portuguese writer's.
in translations all, as We'll as in Eng
lish literature. from Dan Chancer to
Iiyinburne. and a few Of the best OF
living British writer's.
Within a few years-say fifteen
have read Fronde's Historical rs
says, Poe's Tales, Life Of r. l.. Steven
son, in two volumes, all Of Shakes
peare. several times, including his
marvellous sonnets. 'the incompara-
hlep. Saintsbury's E~,fizabethan Age.
Tennyson. several times. entirely, sey-
eral Of Dickens greatest novels. many
of DeQuincey's essays, nearly half OF
Macaulay's essays. Morris's Life Of
Napoleon, selections from Words
worth by Matthew Arnold in one
volume, a volume Of Robert Brown
ing's poems, Hutton's Life Of Scott,
Blacks Life Of Goldsmith. Minto's
Life of Defoe. and Minto's volume OF
Lectures on the "Literature of the
Georges Leslie Stephens's Life of
7 ;fa-~f Nc 1'rnl-
lope,s Life of ~Thackeray. Morley's
Life Of Burke, Dowden's Life Of Rob-
ert Southey, Wards Life Of CHANGER.
Paltison's Life of Milton, Goodwin
Smiths Life of COWper. STAFFORD
Brooks's Life Of Milton. re-read two
thirds of. ~Stednlan's Victorian Poets.
re-read I~angs Essays in Letter.
re-read IIenley'S Views and Reviews,
re-read Birrell's Res Judicatae, q por-
ton OF the sermons OF the very h1Sh-
II gifted Frederick W. Robertson,
who said more quOtable things in the
pulpit thar any preacher in the last
century, perhaps, one volume OF Haz-
let's criticisms, re-read a portion or
Carlyle's History OF Literature, re-
read DIR. Van Dykes volume on the
Poetry Of Tennerson, a superb dls-
cussion, parts of Montaigne's Essays.
Woodbery's Makers of Literature,
Saintsbury's History OF the Ninth
Century Literature. 1180-1893. Saints
bury's corrected Impressions OF Nlc-
torian Writer'S" Thackeray's Georgian
Lectures, also his Henry Edmond.
several Of SCOTS novels and all Of
his poetry. Gosse's Critical kit-kats.
Goethe's Faust and all Of his other
poems. Lyrnonds's Greek Poets, hun
dreds Of pages Of the English Poets
from Cchancer up to Pope Civil His
tory of Government of the COnfeder-
ate States, by ]. L. NJ. Curry. Iang's
Letters to Dead Authors Dante.
Burns. Scott and Spenser in part;
read twice Lummir's two massive
volumes in Theology, Story Of Franc
RuSkin's Choice Works. Landor's Sc
lected Writings. Hugo's Himeliback
Of Notrc Dame. By Hugo. Leigh
Hunts Niscellanies, Taine's great
two volume work on English Litera-
ture.' Arnold's Selected Poems. some
of CarIyle's Essays, Millions complete
works. n volume of essays by Fred
erick Harrison and Don Quixote. I