The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-11

| interesting thoughts. Have well fur
nished mind, like the inside of a house
its walls adorned with good pictures,
and it's shelves filled with good books.
Have Intellectual resources. If syou
are not musical become So 1t all de-
ponds ON the will. There is nothing
to hinder one from becoming musical
except being stone deaf. You can get
anything you want if you only want
it enough. Once someone asked Dis
rail- what he would do If he found
himself in the minority. He replied
Convert it into a majority as soon
as possible We do not learn by
preaching; only by confession. We
must lend our minds to each other
MUSIC
Once when [ was in college, Theo-
dore Thomas came to New Haven to
give a concert the whole program COM
posed of the works of Wagner and
Beethoven. Everyone said that will
be great; we must go. Music breeds
liars as much as the man who tells
fish story. or the big run he made at
billiards. People who are not musical;
who know nothing about it, profess to
be delighted. Now nothing pleases
me so much as music. and yet [ know
absolutely nothing about it. [ went
to the Thomas concert and was bored
to death. I saw other people. who
appeared to be bored. And | saw
some upon whose faces celestial
glory had descended. yet they paid no
more for their seat than l did for
mine. Lets take the kigndom of
Heaven by force I said. I went to
the concerts again and again, and in
t me was delighted. And now no man
is more fond of music than 1 am. But
I still like to hear the old brass
band.
CHARM OF LIFE
The charm of life consists in what
the memory lays up. From travel We
get enjoyment as long as we live
Children do not care for nature. They
like to have the sun shine so they
can go out of doors and play. They
do not like the rain because it keeps
them in. Now Stratford is the most
beautiful village I ever saw. But
many do not appreciate natural beau
ties. A taste for art can be cultivat-
ed. 1t is better to have good photo
graphs on your walls than poor paint
ings. The common picture one sees
in a dining room. a basket of apples
tipped over, with bananas and peaches,
and called "still life" doesn't mean
anything. 1t isn't art. / hope none
of you have such a picture. If you have
such pictures. If you have then I
have put my foot into it badly. I
nave du u I<ltCn-
field cathedral, with it's three slender
spires, one of the handsOmest in Eng
land, which as poster / bought for
one cent. The framing cost me so
cents more. 1t is Intimately preferable
to a poor painting.
THE LOVE OF BOOKS.
And now I come to the point of my
lecture. The love of books fills ones
mind. You converse with the persons,
or characters. there drawn. David
Copperfield brings a smile to the face.
There is scientific reading and the lit
erature of art-poems, novels, etc. The
charm of literature is its absolute in
dependence. 1t Is like garden full
of flowers-you may pick any flow
er you like. I only know rose and
a lily. Flowers are for women. But
1 know the names Of great many.
Whether the rose is handsomer than
the lily no one can tell as there is no
judge. Reading books is a matter Of
individual taste. What one might
consider an immoral book, another
regards as superb and elevating. Sci
entific books have to be revised. What
was true 80 years, or year ago, is
obsolete now-new facts have been
discovered. But no one thinks Of re-
vising Hamlet, or any of Shakespeares
works. julius Caesar David Copper
field. Vanity Fair, are always true be-
CAUSE lIey are IOuHUGO Oh uuIndu ud>
ture, and that never changes, it. is
the same today as it was a thousand
years ago when our ancestors chased
each other with axes. Darwin's books
may go out of fashion and not be read,
but Hamlet and the Bible will last as
long as the, world stands. The Bible
is the best written book and the most
interesting of any ever written. All
we have which is good comes from the
Bible. By the side of it Shakespeare
seems crude read the Bible
through before I was six years old
And at one time I attempted to draw
a picture to illustrate every chapter
of the Bible. Poets, politicians, pub
lie speakers and novel writer's quote
from the Bible for the presumption
is that everybody knows it. Prof.
Phelps went on to speak of childrens
books and said those written for them
were the ones they should not read.
They are written down to the children,
when they should be written up Give
the child the book that was not writ
ten for it. By the time Prof. Phelps
Shakespeares works. He spoke high
ly of Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress,
but had no words of commentator
for the Rollo books and similar jul
venile literature. Prof. Phelps urged
people to secure good books. They are
fellows one can always converse with;
can take them off the shelves at
house 1000 books. Some of them are
very valuable. He spoke highly of Ii
braries and said they endured when
everything else passed away. Before
long all of his audience would be dead,
but the library would remain. and
other folks would be reading books.