Reading

Withalittlemoredeliberationinthechoiceoftheirpursuits,allmenwouldperhapsbecomeessentiallystudentsandobservers,forcertainlytheirnatureanddestinyareinterestingtoallalike.Inaccumulatingpropertyforourselvesorourposterity,infoundingafamilyorastate,oracquiringfameeven,wearemortalbutindealingwithtruthweareimmortal,andneedfearnochangenoraccident.TheoldestEgyptianorHindoophilosopherraisedacorneroftheveilfromthestatueofthedivinityandstillthetremblingroberemainsraised,andIgazeuponasfreshagloryashedid,sinceitwasIinhimthatwasthensobold,anditisheinmethatnowreviewsthevision.Nodusthassettledonthatrobenotimehaselapsedsincethatdivinitywasrevealed.Thattimewhichwereallyimprove,orwhichisimprovable,isneitherpast,present,norfuture. Myresidencewasmorefavorable,notonlytothought,buttoseriousreading,thanauniversityandthoughIwasbeyondtherangeoftheordinarycirculatinglibrary,Ihadmorethanevercomewithintheinfluenceofthosebookswhichcirculateroundtheworld,whosesentenceswerefirstwrittenonbark,andarenowmerelycopiedfromtimetotimeontolinenpaper.SaysthepoetM?rCamarUdd?nMast,“BeingseatedtorunthroughtheregionofthespiritualworldIhavehadthisadvantageinbooks.TobeintoxicatedbyasingleglassofwineIhaveexperiencedthispleasurewhenIhavedrunktheliquoroftheesotericdoctrines.”IkeptHomer’sIliadonmytablethroughthesummer,thoughIlookedathispageonlynowandthen.Incessantlaborwithmyhands,atfirst,forIhadmyhousetofinishandmybeanstohoeatthesametime,mademorestudyimpossible.YetIsustainedmyselfbytheprospectofsuchreadinginfuture.Ireadoneortwoshallowbooksoftravelintheintervalsofmywork,tillthatemploymentmademeashamedofmyself,andIaskedwhereitwasthenthatIlived. ThestudentmayreadHomeror?schylusintheGreekwithoutdangerofdissipationorluxuriousness,foritimpliesthatheinsomemeasureemulatetheirheroes,andconsecratemorninghourstotheirpages.Theheroicbooks,evenifprintedinthecharacterofourmothertongue,willalwaysbeinalanguagedeadtodegeneratetimesandwemustlaboriouslyseekthemeaningofeachwordandline,conjecturingalargersensethancommonusepermitsoutofwhatwisdomandvalorandgenerositywehave.Themoderncheapandfertilepress,withallitstranslations,hasdonelittletobringusnearertotheheroicwritersofantiquity.Theyseemassolitary,andtheletterinwhichtheyareprintedasrareandcurious,asever.Itisworththeexpenseofyouthfuldaysandcostlyhours,ifyoulearnonlysomewordsofanancientlanguage,whichareraisedoutofthetrivialnessofthestreet,tobeperpetualsuggestionsandprovocations.ItisnotinvainthatthefarmerremembersandrepeatsthefewLatinwordswhichhehasheard.Mensometimesspeakasifthestudyoftheclassicswouldatlengthmakewayformoremodernandpracticalstudiesbuttheadventurousstudentwillalwaysstudyclassics,inwhateverlanguagetheymaybewrittenandhoweverancienttheymaybe.Forwhataretheclassicsbutthenoblestrecordedthoughtsofman?Theyaretheonlyoracleswhicharenotdecayed,andtherearesuchanswerstothemostmoderninquiryinthemasDelphiandDodonanevergave.WemightaswellomittostudyNaturebecausesheisold.Toreadwell,thatis,toreadtruebooksinatruespirit,isanobleexercise,andonethatwilltaskthereadermorethananyexercisewhichthecustomsofthedayesteem.Itrequiresatrainingsuchastheathletesunderwent,thesteadyintentionalmostofthewholelifetothisobject.Booksmustbereadasdeliberatelyandreservedlyastheywerewritten.Itisnotenougheventobeabletospeakthelanguageofthatnationbywhichtheyarewritten,forthereisamemorableintervalbetweenthespokenandthewrittenlanguage,thelanguageheardandthelanguageread.Theoneiscommonlytransitory,asound,atongue,adialectmerely,almostbrutish,andwelearn