Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-06-30
Matthew Arnold
as a Reader

most systematic use of it.
An exceptionally interesting illus
tration is that AFFORDED by Matthew
Arnold, the English poet and essay
list.
Arnold was born in Laleham, Eng
land, in 1929. At the age Of 20 he be-
came private secretary to Lord Lans-
downe. From 1851 to 1881 he was in
spector of schools, and for 10 years
he was professor of poetry at Oxford
Though he wrote abundantly in prose
and verse, his great value to the Eng
lish people lay in his work as a
critic. His influence was elevating,
and he succeeded in passing over to
the typical Englishman an apprecia-
ton of that refinement which marked
him as man and a scholar
Arnold made it a custom at New
Years to plan his reading for the com
ing year. He planned it, because
time to him was precious thing, and
because he had so much to do that
every activity had to be prepared for,
and its place found and guarded. Ar
nold's plan consisted in selecting 100
books-in some cases portions OF
books-and making them the basis of
his reading hours. This averaged
nearly two books week-a very gen.
erous allowance to a man whose work
ing day is filled with immediate af-
fairs.
But the interesting feature Of Ar.
nolds plan is not that he proposed to
himself to read hundred books in
if ever, succeeded in doing it. The
practical value to any one of us, plan.
ming for reading or for anything else
is his evident conclusion:
A conscientious man will always
realize something on plan. Thai
is to say, there will be a dividend com
ing to him. 1t may be large or small
but the JOY of it is that scarcely any
human circumstance that does not in.
volve a mans life or death can render
a well-conceived plan entirely inoper.
alive.
For example: We put cutters to
our houses not expecting that they
will receive all the rain that falls
but some rain, and the barrel at tbs
back door is witness of the amazing
cumulative effect of falling drops.
Here, for instance, is a cluster OF
books Arnold laid out for himself OF
a New Years Day Something Of
Homer, of Aesohylus, Sophocles
Plato, of Aristotle, Virgil, Horace
Cicero, Of THE Imitation Of Christ,
Leopard, Tasso, Petrach, of Goethe
and Schiller, Heine, Of Bossuet, Vol
taire and George Sand, and list O.
43 works in English, beginning will
the Book Of Job and ending with the
Epistle of st. Jude.
This particular list of classics, ant
the list of 43 works in English may BIZ
entirely useless to any one save Mat
thew Arnold. The point does not lie
in the books he selected. 1t lies in TIT
fact that, being busy man he still sc
lected books to fill up spare moments
Arnolds reading was, of course, ex.
tensive. He was cultured, refined
well-instructed and highly educated
But, year after year, he turned to "the
best that has been written" because
as he said OF it, ''it is living in goot
company, the best company" And, hi
added, with an intimate knowledge
what good company" means TO tht
average man or woman:
"And people are quite keen enough
or too keen, about doing that Qivins
in good company, and yet they vii
not do it in the simplest and most in
nocent manner by reading.
So being busy man, Arnold wa!
a man of system, and being man
system, little item like hours il
good company" he readily fount
place for it in his daily life.
The power of plan and of time vel
used is amazing
1t was Samuel Johnson, think
who once said that reading with care
one hour daily would make a MAJ
learned in five years. An hour per day
is per cent of mans time. Bu'
the man should spend another 4 pei
cent in checking up the statements o.
the books in life.
~0SiA oStAiiSOAli tAC III AAoA pOCl dlN
friend of Shakespeare, was masor
and bricklayer. 1t is said of him
that he laid brick with a trowel in his
hand and a book in his pocket. An.
drew Johnson President of the Unit
ed States, was a tailor.
when l was a tailor 1 had the rep
utation Of being a good one. 1 wal
always punctual with my customers
and always did good work"
1t was said of Lord Brougham tha
"he had time for everything" Sydne.
Smith once advised him to limit him
self to only so much work as three
strong.me could get through.
Commenting on his plan, Arnold
said:
"In the past year l have at leas
accomplished more than usual in tn,
way of reading the books which at the
beginning OF the year had put dow
to be read. l always do this, and | d.
not expect to read all l put down, bu
sometimes ! fall much too short O
what / proposed, and this year thing
have been great deal better.
1.-THE importance of reading, no
slight stuff to get through the time
but the best that has been written
forces itself upon me more and more
every year l live. However, if l liv,
to be so 1 shall probably be the onl,
person left in England who reads any
thing but newspapers and scientif,
publications"
He did not live to be go He died a
the age Of sc, in April, 1888.
But he lived in the good company
Of books to the end