ButintheaveragecaseIshouldsay：Confineyourformalprogramme（super—programme，Imean）tosixdaysaweek。Ifyoufindyourselfwishingtoextendit，extendit，butonlyinproportiontoyourwish；andcountthetimeextraasawindfall，notasregularincome，sothatyoucanreturntoasix—dayprogrammewithoutthesensationofbeingpoorer，ofbeingabackslider。
Letusnowseewherewestand。Sofarwehavemarkedforsavingoutofthewasteofdays，halfanhouratleastonsixmorningsaweek，andonehourandahalfonthreeeveningsaweek。Total，sevenhoursandahalfaweek。
Iproposetobecontentwiththatsevenhoursandahalfforthepresent。"What？"youcry。"Youpretendtoshowushowtolive，andyouonlydealwithsevenhoursandahalfoutofahundredandsixty—eight！Areyougoingtoperformamiraclewithyoursevenhoursandahalf？"Well，nottomincethematter，Iam——ifyouwillkindlyletme！Thatistosay，Iamgoingtoaskyoutoattemptanexperiencewhich，whileperfectlynaturalandexplicable，hasalltheairofamiracle。Mycontentionisthatthefulluseofthoseseven—and—a—halfhourswillquickenthewholelifeoftheweek，addzesttoit，andincreasetheinterestwhichyoufeelineventhemostbanaloccupations。Youpractisephysicalexercisesforameretenminutesmorningandevening，andyetyouarenotastonishedwhenyourphysicalhealthandstrengtharebeneficiallyaffectedeveryhouroftheday，andyourwholephysicaloutlookchanged。Whyshouldyoubeastonishedthatanaverageofoveranhouradaygiventothemindshouldpermanentlyandcompletelyenliventhewholeactivityofthemind？
Moretimemightassuredlybegiventothecultivationofone’sself。
Andinproportionasthetimewaslongertheresultswouldbegreater。
ButIprefertobeginwithwhatlookslikeatriflingeffort。
Itisnotreallyatriflingeffort，asthosewilldiscoverwhohaveyettoessayit。To"clear"evensevenhoursandahalffromthejungleispassablydifficult。Forsomesacrificehastobemade。Onemayhavespentone’stimebadly，butonedidspendit；onediddosomethingwithit，howeverill—advisedthatsomethingmayhavebeen。Todosomethingelsemeansachangeofhabits。
Andhabitsaretheverydickenstochange！Further，anychange，evenachangeforthebetter，isalwaysaccompaniedbydrawbacksanddiscomforts。Ifyouimaginethatyouwillbeabletodevotesevenhoursandahalfaweektoserious，continuouseffort，andstillliveyouroldlife，youaremistaken。Irepeatthatsomesacrifice，andanimmensedealofvolition，willbenecessary。AnditisbecauseIknowthedifficulty，itisbecauseIknowthealmostdisastrouseffectoffailureinsuchanenterprise，thatIearnestlyadviseaveryhumblebeginning。
Youmustsafeguardyourself—respect。Self—respectisattherootofallpurposefulness，andafailureinanenterprisedeliberatelyplanneddealsadesperatewoundatone’sself—respect。HenceIiterateandreiterate：
Startquietly，unostentatiously。
Whenyouhaveconscientiouslygivensevenhoursandahalfaweektothecultivationofyourvitalityforthreemonths——thenyoumaybegintosinglouderandtellyourselfwhatwondrousthingsyouarecapableofdoing。
Beforecomingtothemethodofusingtheindicatedhours，Ihaveonefinalsuggestiontomake。Thatis，asregardstheevenings，toallowmuchmorethananhourandahalfinwhichtodotheworkofanhourandahalf。Rememberthechanceofaccidents。Rememberhumannature。
Andgiveyourself，say，from9to11。30foryourtaskofninetyminutes。
VII
CONTROLLINGTHEMIND
Peoplesay："Onecan’thelpone’sthoughts。"Butonecan。Thecontrolofthethinkingmachineisperfectlypossible。Andsincenothingwhateverhappenstousoutsideourownbrain；sincenothinghurtsusorgivesuspleasureexceptwithinthebrain，thesupremeimportanceofbeingabletocontrolwhatgoesoninthatmysteriousbrainispatent。Thisideaisoneoftheoldestplatitudes，butitisaplatitudewho’sprofoundtruthandurgencymostpeopleliveanddiewithoutrealising。Peoplecomplainofthelackofpowertoconcentrate，notwittingthattheymayacquirethepower，iftheychoose。
Andwithoutthepowertoconcentrate——thatistosay，withoutthepowertodictatetothebrainitstaskandtoensureobedience——truelifeisimpossible。
Mindcontrolisthefirstelementofafullexistence。
Hence，itseemstome，thefirstbusinessofthedayshouldbetoputthemindthroughitspaces。Youlookafteryourbody，insideandout；yourungravedangerinhackinghairsoffyourskin；youemployawholearmyofindividuals，fromthemilkmantothepig—killer，toenableyoutobribeyourstomachintodecentbehaviour。Whynotdevotealittleattentiontothefarmoredelicatemachineryofthemind，especiallyasyouwillrequirenoextraneousaid？ItisforthisportionoftheartandcraftoflivingthatIhavereservedthetimefromthemomentofquittingyourdoortothemomentofarrivingatyouroffice。
"What？Iamtocultivatemymindinthestreet，ontheplatform，inthetrain，andinthecrowdedstreetagain？"Precisely。Nothingsimpler！
Notoolsrequired！Notevenabook。Nevertheless，theaffairisnoteasy。
Whenyouleaveyourhouse，concentrateyourmindonasubject（nomatterwhat，tobeginwith）。Youwillnothavegonetenyardsbeforeyourmindhasskippedawayunderyourveryeyesandislarkingroundthecornerwithanothersubject。
Bringitbackbythescruffoftheneck。Ereyouhavereachedthestationyouwillhavebroughtitbackaboutfortytimes。Donotdespair。Continue。
Keepitup。Youwillsucceed。Youcannotbyanychancefailifyoupersevere。Itisidletopretendthatyourmindisincapableofconcentration。
Doyounotrememberthatmorningwhenyoureceivedadisquietingletterwhichdemandedaverycarefully—wordedanswer？Howyoukeptyourmindsteadilyonthesubjectoftheanswer，withoutasecond’sintermission，untilyoureachedyouroffice；whereuponyouinstantlysatdownandwrotetheanswer？Thatwasacaseinwhich*you*wererousedbycircumstancestosuchadegreeofvitalitythatyouwereabletodominateyourmindlikeatyrant。
Youwouldhavenotrifling。Youinsistedthatitsworkshouldbedone，anditsworkwasdone。
Bytheregularpracticeofconcentration（astowhichthereisnosecret——
savethesecretofperseverance）youcantyranniseoveryourmind（whichisnotthehighestpartof*you*）everyhouroftheday，andinnomatterwhatplace。Theexerciseisaveryconvenientone。Ifyougotintoyourmorningtrainwithapairofdumb—bellsforyourmusclesoranencyclopaediaintenvolumesforyourlearning，youwouldprobablyexciteremark。Butasyouwalkinthestreet，orsitinthecornerofthecompartmentbehindapipe，or"strap—hang"ontheSubterranean，whoistoknowthatyouareengagedinthemostimportantofdailyacts？Whatasinineboorcanlaughatyou？
Idonotcarewhatyouconcentrateon，solongasyouconcentrate。Itisthemerediscipliningofthethinkingmachinethatcounts。Butstill，youmayaswellkilltwobirdswithonestone，andconcentrateonsomethinguseful。I
suggest——itisonlyasuggestion——alittlechapterofMarcusAureliusorEpictetus。
Donot，Ibeg，shyattheirnames。Formyself，Iknownothingmore"actual，"
moreburstingwithplaincommon—sense，applicabletothedailylifeofplainpersonslikeyouandme（whohateairs，pose，andnonsense）thanMarcusAureliusorEpictetus。Readachapter——andsoshorttheyare，thechapters！
——intheeveningandconcentrateonitthenextmorning。Youwillsee。
Yes，myfriend，itisuselessforyoutotrytodisguisethefact。Icanhearyourbrainlikeatelephoneatmyear。Youaresayingtoyourself："Thisfellowwasdoingprettywelluptohisseventhchapter。Hehadbeguntointerestmefaintly。Butwhathesaysaboutthinkingintrains，andconcen—
tration，andsoon，isnotforme。Itmaybewellenoughforsomefolks，butitisn’tinmyline。"
Itisforyou，Ipassionatelyrepeat；itisforyou。Indeed，youaretheverymanIamaimingat。
Throwawaythesuggestion，andyouthrowawaythemostprecioussuggestionthatwaseverofferedtoyou。Itisnotmysuggestion。Itisthesuggestionofthemostsensible，practical，hard—headedmenwhohavewalkedtheearth。Ionlygiveityouatsecond—hand。Tryit。Getyourmindinhand。Andseehowtheprocesscureshalftheevilsoflife——especiallyworry，thatmiserable，avoidable，shamefuldisease——worry！
VIII
THEREFLECTIVEMOOD
Theexerciseofconcentratingthemind（towhichatleasthalfanhouradayshouldbegiven）isamerepreliminary，likescalesonthepiano。
Havingacquiredpoweroverthatmostunrulymemberofone’scomplexorganism，onehasnaturallytoputittotheyoke。Uselesstopossessanobedientmindunlessoneprofitstothefurthestpossibledegreebyitsobedience。Aprolongedprimarycourseofstudyisindicated。
Nowastowhatthiscourseofstudyshouldbetherecannotbeanyquestion；
thereneverhasbeenanyquestion。Allthesensiblepeopleofallagesareagreeduponit。Anditisnotliterature，norisitanyotherart，norisithistory，norisitanyscience。Itisthestudyofone’sself。Man，knowthyself。ThesewordsaresohackneyedthatverilyIblushtowritethem。
Yettheymustbewritten，fortheyneedtobewritten。（Itakebackmyblush，beingashamedofit。）Man，knowthyself。Isayitoutloud。Thephraseisoneofthosephraseswithwhicheveryoneisfamiliar，ofwhicheveryoneacknowledgesthevalue，andwhichonlythemostsagaciousputintopractice。Idon’tknowwhy。Iamentirelyconvincedthatwhatismorethananythingelselackinginthelifeoftheaveragewell—intentionedmanofto—dayisthereflectivemood。
Wedonotreflect。Imeanthatwedonotreflectupongenuinelyimportantthings；upontheproblemofourhappiness，uponthemaindirectioninwhichwearegoing，uponwhatlifeisgivingtous，uponthesharewhichreasonhas（orhasnot）indeterminingouractions，andupontherelationbetweenourprinciplesandourconduct。
Andyetyouareinsearchofhappiness，areyounot？Haveyoudiscoveredit？
Thechancesarethatyouhavenot。Thechancesarethatyouhavealreadycometobelievethathappinessisunattainable。Butmenhaveattainedit。
Andtheyhaveattaineditbyrealisingthathappinessdoesnotspringfromtheprocuringofphysicalormentalpleasure，butfromthedevelopmentofreasonandtheadjustmentofconducttoprinciples。
Isupposethatyouwillnothavetheaudacitytodenythis。Andifyouadmitit，andstilldevotenopartofyourdaytothedeliberateconsiderationofyourreason，principles，andconduct，youadmitalsothatwhilestrivingforacertainthingyouareregularlyleavingundonetheoneactwhichisnecessarytotheattainmentofthatthing。
Now，shallIblush，orwillyou？
DonotfearthatImeantothrustcertainprinciplesuponyourattention。Icarenot（inthisplace）whatyourprinciplesare。Yourprinciplesmayinduceyoutobelieveintherighteousnessofburglary。Idon’tmind。AllIurgeisthatalifeinwhichconductdoesnotfairlywellaccordwithprinciplesisasillylife；andthatconductcanonlybemadetoaccordwithprinciplesbymeansofdailyexamination，reflection，andresolution。Whatleadstothepermanentsorrow—
fulnessofburglarsisthattheirprinciplesarecontrarytoburglary。Iftheygenuinelybelievedinthemoralexcellenceofburglary，penalservitudewouldsimplymeansomanyhappyyearsforthem；allmartyrsarehappyyearsforthem；allmartyrsarehappy，becausetheirconductandtheirprinciplesagree。
Asforreason（whichmakesconduct，andisnotunconnectedwiththemakingofprinciples），itplaysafarsmallerpartinourlivesthanwefancy。Wearesupposedtobereasonablebutwearemuchmoreinstinctivethanreasonable。
Andthelesswereflect，thelessreasonableweshallbe。Thenexttimeyougetcrosswiththewaiterbecauseyoursteakisover—cooked，askreasontostepintothecabinet—roomofyourmind，andconsulther。Shewillprobablytellyouthatthewaiterdidnotcookthesteak，andhadnocontroloverthecookingofthesteak；andthatevenifhealonewastoblame，youaccomplishednothinggoodbygettingcross；youmerelylostyourdignity，lookedafoolintheeyesofsensiblemen，andsouredthewaiter，whileproducingnoeffectwhateveronthesteak。
Theresultofthisconsultationwithreason（forwhichshemakesnocharge）
willbethatwhenoncemoreyoursteakisover—cookedyouwilltreatthewaiterasafellow—creature，remainquitecalminakindlyspirit，andpolitelyinsistonhavingafreshsteak。Thegainwillbeobviousandsolid。
Intheformationormodificationofprinciples，andthepracticeofconduct，muchhelpcanbederivedfromprintedbooks（issuedatsixpenceeachandupwards）。ImentionedinmylastchapterMarcusAureliusandEpictetus。
Certainevenmorewidelyknownworkswilloccuratoncetothememory。
ImayalsomentionPascal，LaBruyere，andEmerson。Formyself，youdonotcatchmetravellingwithoutmyMarcusAurelius。Yes，booksarevaluable。Butnotreadingofbookswilltaketheplaceofadaily，candid，honestexaminationofwhatonehasrecentlydone，andwhatoneisabouttodo——ofasteadylookingatone’sselfintheface（disconcertingthoughthesightmaybe）。
Whenshallthisimportantbusinessbeaccomplished？Thesolitudeoftheeveningjourneyhomeappearstometobesuitableforit。Areflectivemoodnaturallyfollowstheexertionofhavingearnedtheday’sliving。
Ofcourseif，insteadofattendingtoanelementaryandprofoundlyimportantduty，youprefertoreadthepaper（whichyoumightjustaswellreadwhilewaitingforyourdinner）Ihavenothingtosay。Butattendtoitatsometimeofthedayyoumust。Inowcometotheeveninghours。
IX
INTERESTINTHEARTS
Manypeoplepursuearegularanduninterruptedcourseofidlenessintheeveningsbecausetheythinkthatthereisnoalternativetoidlenessbutthestudyofliterature；andtheydonothappentohaveatasteforliterature。Thisisagreatmistake。
Ofcourseitisimpossible，oratanyrateverydifficult，properlytostudyanythingwhateverwithouttheaidofprintedbooks。Butifyoudesiretounderstandthedeeperdepthsofbridgeorofboat—sailingyouwouldnotbedeterredbyyourlackofinterestinliteraturefromreadingthebestbooksonbridgeorboat—sailing。Wemust，therefore，distinguishbetweenliterature，andbookstreatingofsubjectsnotliterary。Ishallcometoliteratureinduecourse。
LetmenowremarktothosewhohaveneverreadMeredith，andwhoarecapableofbeingunmovedbyadiscussionastowhetherMr。StephenPhillipsisorisnotatruepoet，thattheyareperfectlywithintheirrights。
Itisnotacrimenottoloveliterature。Itisnotasignofimbecility。Themandarinsofliteraturewillorderouttoinstantexecutiontheunfortunateindividualwhodoesnotcomprehend，say，theinfluenceofWordsworthonTennyson。Butthatisonlytheirimpudence。Wherewouldtheybe，Iwonder，ifrequestedtoexplaintheinfluencesthatwenttomakeTschaikowsky’s"PatheticSymphony"？
Thereareenormousfieldsofknowledgequiteoutsideliteraturewhichwillyieldmagnificentresultstocultivators。Forexample（sinceIhavejustmentionedthemostpopularpieceofhigh—classmusicinEnglandto—day），IamremindedthatthePromenadeConcertsbegininAugust。
Yougotothem。Yousmokeyourcigarorcigarette（andIregrettosaythatyoustrikeyourmatchesduringthesoftbarsofthe"Lohengrin"
overture），andyouenjoythemusic。Butyousayyoucannotplaythepianoorthefiddle，oreventhebanjo；thatyouknownothingofmusic。
Whatdoesthatmatter？Thatyouhaveagenuinetasteformusicisprovedbythefactthat，inordertofillhishallwithyouandyourpeers，theconductorisobligedtoprovideprogrammesfromwhichbadmusicisalmostentirelyexcluded（achangefromtheoldCoventGardendays！）。
Nowsurelyyourinabilitytoperform"TheMaiden’sPrayer"onapianoneednotpreventyoufrommakingyourselffamiliarwiththeconstructionoftheorchestratowhichyoulistenacoupleofnightsaweekduringacoupleofmonths！Asthingsare，youprobablythinkoftheorchestraasaheterogeneousmassofinstrumentsproducingaconfusedagreeablemassofsound。Youdonotlistenfordetailsbecauseyouhavenevertrainedyourearstolistentodetails。
IfyouwereaskedtonametheinstrumentswhichplaythegreatthemeatthebeginningoftheCminorsymphonyyoucouldnotnamethemforyourlife’ssake。YetyouadmiretheCminorsymphony。Ithasthrilledyou。Itwillthrillyouagain。Youhaveeventalkedaboutit，inanexpansivemood，tothatlady——youknowwhomImean。AndallyoucanpositivelystateabouttheCminorsymphonyisthatBeethovencomposeditandthatitisa"jollyfinething。"
Now，ifyouhaveread，say，Mr。Krehbiel’s"HowtoListentoMusic"（whichcanbegotatanybookseller’sforlessthanthepriceofastallattheAlhambra，andwhichcontainsphotographsofalltheorchestralinstrumentsandplansofthearrangementoforchestras）youwouldnextgotoapromenadeconcertwithanastonishingintensificationofinterestinit。Insteadofaconfusedmass，theorchestrawouldappeartoyouaswhatitis——amarvellouslybalancedorganismwhosevariousgroupsofmemberseachhaveadifferentandanindispensablefunction。Youwouldspyouttheinstruments，andlistenfortheirrespectivesounds。YouwouldknowthegulfthatseparatesaFrenchhornfromanEnglishhorn，andyouwouldperceivewhyaplayerofthehautboygetshigherwagesthanafiddler，thoughthefiddleisthemoredifficultinstrument。Youwould*live*atapromenadeconcert，whereaspreviouslyyouhadmerelyexistedthereinastateofbeatificcoma，likeababygazingatabrightobject。
Thefoundationsofagenuine，systematicknowledgeofmusicmightbelaid。
Youmightspecialiseyourinquirieseitheronaparticularformofmusic（suchasthesymphony），orontheworksofaparticularcomposer。Attheendofayearofforty—eightweeksofthreebriefeveningseach，combinedwithastudyofprogrammesandattendancesatconcertschosenoutofyourincreasingknowledge，youwouldreallyknowsomethingaboutmusic，eventhoughyouwereasfaroffaseverfromjangling"TheMaiden’sPrayer"onthepiano。
"ButIhatemusic！"yousay。Mydearsir，Irespectyou。
Whatappliestomusicappliestotheotherarts。ImightmentionMr。ClermontWitt’s"HowtoLookatPictures，"orMr。RussellSturgis’s"HowtoJudgeArchitecture，"asbeginnings（merelybeginnings）ofsystematicvitalisingknowledgeinotherarts，thematerialsforwhosestudyaboundinLondon。
"Ihateallthearts！"yousay。Mydearsir，Irespectyoumoreandmore。
Iwilldealwithyourcasenext，beforecomingtoliterature。
X
NOTHINGINLIFEISHUMDRUM
Artisagreatthing。Butitisnotthegreatest。Themostimportantofallperceptionsisthecontinualperceptionofcauseandeffect—inotherwords，theperceptionofthecontinuousdevelopmentoftheuniverse—instillotherwords，theperceptionofthecourseofevolution。Whenonehasthoroughlygotimbuedintoone’sheadtheleadingtruththatnothinghappenswithoutacause，onegrowsnotonlylarge—minded，butlarge—hearted。
Itishardtohaveone’swatchstolen，butonereflectsthatthethiefofthewatchbecameathieffromcausesofheredityandenvironmentwhichareasinterestingastheyarescientificallycomprehensible；andonebuysanotherwatch，ifnotwithjoy，atanyratewithaphilosophythatmakesbitternessimpossible。Oneloses，inthestudyofcauseandeffect，thatabsurdairwhichsomanypeoplehaveofbeingalwaysshockedandpainedbythecuriousnessoflife。Suchpeopleliveamidhumannatureasifhumannaturewereaforeigncountryfullofawfulforeigncustoms。But，havingreachedmaturity，oneoughtsurelytobeashamedofbeingastrangerinastrangeland！
Thestudyofcauseandeffect，whileitlessensthepainfulnessoflife，addstolife’spicturesqueness。Themantowhomevolutionisbutanamelooksattheseaasagrandiose，monotonousspectacle，whichhecanwitnessinAugustforthreeshillingsthird—classreturn。Themanwhoisimbuedwiththeideaofdevelopment，ofcontinuouscauseandeffect，perceivesintheseaanelementwhichintheday—before—yesterdayofgeologywasvapour，whichyesterdaywasboiling，andwhichto—morrowwillinevitablybeice。
Heperceivesthataliquidismerelysomethingonitswaytobesolid，andheispenetratedbyasenseofthetremendous，changefulpicturesquenessoflife。Nothingwillaffordamoredurablesatisfactionthantheconstantlycultivatedappreciationofthis。Itistheendofallscience。
Causeandeffectaretobefoundeverywhere。RentswentupinShepherd’sBush。ItwaspainfulandshockingthatrentsshouldgoupinShepherd’sBush。Buttoacertainpointweareallscientificstudentsofcauseandeffect，andtherewasnotaclerklunchingataLyonsRestaurantwhodidnotscienti—
ficallyputtwoandtwotogetherandseeinthe（once）Two—pennyTubethecauseofanexcessivedemandforwigwamsinShepherd’sBush，andintheexcessivedemandforwigwamsthecauseoftheincreaseinthepriceofwigwams。
"Simple！"yousay，disdainfully。Everything—thewholecomplexmovementoftheuniverse—isassimpleasthat—whenyoucansufficientlyputtwoandtwotogether。And，mydearsir，perhapsyouhappentobeanestateagent’sclerk，andyouhatethearts，andyouwanttofosteryourimmortalsoul，andyoucan’tbeinterestedinyourbusinessbecauseit’ssohumdrum。
Nothingishumdrum。
Thetremendous，changefulpicturesquenessoflifeismarvellouslyshowninanestateagent’soffice。What！TherewasablockoftrafficinOxfordStreet；toavoidtheblockpeopleactuallybegantotravelunderthecellarsanddrains，andtheresultwasariseofrentsinShepherd’sBush！Andyousaythatisn’tpicturesque！Supposeyouweretostudy，inthisspirit，thepropertyquestioninLondonforanhourandahalfeveryotherevening。
Woulditnotgivezesttoyourbusiness，andtransformyourwholelife？
Youwouldarriveatmoredifficultproblems。Andyouwouldbeabletotelluswhy，asthenaturalresultofcauseandeffect，thelongeststraightstreetinLondonisaboutayardandahalfinlength，whilethelongestabsolutelystraightstreetinParisextendsformiles。Ithinkyouwilladmitthatinanestateagent’sclerkIhavenotchosenanexamplethatspeciallyfavoursmytheories。
Youareabankclerk，andyouhavenotreadthatbreathlessromance（disguisedasascientificstudy），WalterBagehot’s"LombardStreet"？
Ah，mydearsir，ifyouhadbegunwiththat，andfolloweditupforninetyminuteseveryotherevening，howenthrallingyourbusinesswouldbetoyou，andhowmuchmoreclearlyyouwouldunderstandhumannature。
Youare"pennedintown，"butyouloveexcursionstothecountryandtheobservationofwildlife—certainlyaheart—enlargingdiversion。Whydon’tyouwalkoutofyourhousedoor，inyourslippers，tothenearestgaslampofanightwithabutterflynet，andobservethewildlifeofcommonandraremothsthatisbeatingaboutit，andco—ordinatetheknowledgethusobtainedandbuildasuperstructureonit，andatlastgettoknowsomethingaboutsomething？
Youneednotbedevotedtothearts，nottoliterature，inordertolivefully。
Thewholefieldofdailyhabitandsceneiswaitingtosatisfythatcuriositywhichmeanslife，andthesatisfactionofwhichmeansanunderstandingheart。
Ipromisedtodealwithyourcase，Omanwhohatesartandliterature，andIhavedealtwithit。Inowcometothecaseoftheperson，happilyverycommon，whodoes"likereading。"
XI
SERIOUSREADING
Novelsareexcludedfrom"seriousreading，"sothatthemanwho，bentonself—improvement，hasbeendecidingtodevoteninetyminutesthreetimesaweektoacompletestudyoftheworksofCharlesDickenswillbewelladvisedtoalterhisplans。Thereasonisnotthatnovelsarenotserious——
someofthegreatliteratureoftheworldisintheformofprosefiction——
thereasonisthatbadnovelsoughtnottoberead，andthatgoodnovelsneverdemandanyappreciablementalapplicationonthepartofthereader。
ItisonlythebadpartsofMeredith’snovelsthataredifficult。Agoodnovelrushesyouforwardlikeaskiffdownastream，andyouarriveattheend，perhapsbreathless，butunexhausted。Thebestnovelsinvolvetheleaststrain。Nowinthecultivationofthemindoneofthemostimportantfactorsispreciselythefeelingofstrain，ofdifficulty，ofataskwhichonepartofyouisanxioustoachieveandanotherpartofyouisanxioustoshirk；andthatfeelingcannotbegotinfacinganovel。Youdonotsetyourteethinordertoread"AnnaKarenina。"Therefore，thoughyoushouldreadnovels，youshouldnotreadtheminthoseninetyminutes。
Imaginativepoetryproducesafargreatermentalstrainthannovels。Itproducesprobablythesevereststrainofanyformofliterature。Itisthehighestformofliterature。Ityieldsthehighestformofpleasure，andteachesthehighestformofwisdom。Inaword，thereisnothingtocomparewithit。Isaythiswithsadconsciousnessofthefactthatthemajorityofpeopledonotreadpoetry。
Iampersuadedthatmanyexcellentpersons，iftheywereconfrontedwiththealternativesofreading"ParadiseLost"andgoingroundTrafalgarSquareatnoondayontheirkneesinsack—cloth，wouldchoosetheordealofpublicridicule。Still，Iwillneverceaseadvisingmyfriendsandenemiestoreadpoetrybeforeanything。
Ifpoetryiswhatiscalled"asealedbook"toyou，beginbyreadingHazlitt’sfamousessayonthenatureof"poetryingeneral。"ItisthebestthingofitskindinEnglish，andnoonewhohasreaditcanpossiblybeunderthemisapprehensionthatpoetryisamediaevaltorture，oramadelephant，oragunthatwillgooffbyitselfandkillatfortypaces。
Indeed，itisdifficulttoimaginethementalstateofthemanwho，afterreadingHazlitt’sessay，isnoturgentlydesirousofreadingsomepoetrybeforehisnextmeal。IftheessaysoinspiresyouIwouldsuggestthatyoumakeacommencementwithpurelynarrativepoetry。
ThereisaninfinitelyfinerEnglishnovel，writtenbyawoman，thananythingbyGeorgeEliotortheBrontes，orevenJaneAusten，whichperhapsyouhavenotread。Itstitleis"AuroraLeigh，"anditsauthorE。B。Browning。Ithappenstobewritteninverse，andtocontainaconsiderableamountofgenuinelyfinepoetry。Decidetoreadthatbookthrough，evenifyoudieforit。Forgetthatitisfinepoetry。
Readitsimplyforthestoryandthesocialideas。Andwhenyouhavedone，askyourselfhonestlywhetheryoustilldislikepoetry。
Ihaveknownmorethanonepersontowhom"AuroraLeigh"hasbeenthemeansofprovingthatinassumingtheyhatedpoetrytheywereentirelymistaken。
Ofcourse，if，afterHazlitt，andsuchanexperimentmadeinthelightofHazlitt，youarefinallyassuredthatthereissomethinginyouwhichisantagonistictopoetry，youmustbecontentwithhistoryorphilosophy。
Ishallregretit，yetnotinconsolably。"TheDeclineandFall"isnottobenamedinthesamedaywith"ParadiseLost，"butitisavastlyprettything；
andHerbertSpencer’s"FirstPrinciples"simplylaughsattheclaimsofpoetryandrefusestobeacceptedasaughtbutthemostmajesticproductofanyhumanmind。Idonotsuggestthateitheroftheseworksissuitableforatyroinmentalstrains。ButIseenoreasonwhyanymanofaverageintelligenceshouldnot，afterayearofcontinuousreading，befittoassaultthesuprememasterpiecesofhistoryorphilosophy。Thegreatconvenienceofmasterpiecesisthattheyaresoastonishinglylucid。
Isuggestnoparticularworkasastart。Theattemptwouldbefutileinthespaceofmycommand。ButIhavetwogeneralsuggestionsofacertainimportance。Thefirstistodefinethedirectionandscopeofyourefforts。
Choosealimitedperiod，oralimitedsubject，orasingleauthor。Saytoyourself："IwillknowsomethingabouttheFrenchRevolution，ortheriseofrailways，ortheworksofJohnKeats。"Andduringagivenperiod，tobesettledbeforehand，confineyourselftoyourchoice。Thereismuchpleasuretobederivedfrombeingaspecialist。
Thesecondsuggestionistothinkaswellastoread。Iknowpeoplewhoreadandread，andforallthegooditdoesthemtheymightjustaswellcutbread—and—butter。Theytaketoreadingasbettermentaketodrink。
Theyflythroughtheshiresofliteratureonamotor—car，theirsoleobjectbeingmotion。Theywilltellyouhowmanybookstheyhavereadinayear。
Unlessyougiveatleastforty—fiveminutestocareful，fatiguingreflection（itisanawfulboreatfirst）uponwhatyouarereading，yourninetyminutesofanightarechieflywasted。Thismeansthatyourpacewillbeslow。
Nevermind。
Forgetthegoal；thinkonlyofthesurroundingcountry；andafteraperiod，perhapswhenyouleastexpectit，youwillsuddenlyfindyourselfinalovelytownonahill。
XII
DANGERSTOAVOID
Icannotterminatethesehints，often，Ifear，toodidacticandabrupt，uponthefulluseofone’stimetothegreatendofliving（asdistinguishedfromvegetating）withoutbrieflyreferringtocertaindangerswhichlieinwaitforthesincereaspiranttowardslife。Thefirstistheterribledangerofbecomingthatmostodiousandleastsupportableofpersons——aprig。
Nowaprigisapertfellowwhogiveshimselfairsofsuperiorwisdom。
Aprigisapompousfoolwhohasgoneoutforaceremonialwalk，andwithoutknowingithaslostanimportantpartofhisattire，namely，hissenseofhumour。Aprigisatediousindividualwho，havingmadeadiscovery，issoimpressedbyhisdiscoverythatheiscapableofbeinggravelydispleasedbecausetheentireworldisnotalsoimpressedbyit。
Unconsciouslytobecomeaprigisaneasyandafatalthing。
Hence，whenonesetsforthontheenterpriseofusingallone’stime，itisjustaswelltorememberthatone’sowntime，andnototherpeople’stime，isthematerialwithwhichonehastodeal；thattheearthrolledonprettycomfortablybeforeonebegantobalanceabudgetofthehours，andthatitwillcontinuetorollonprettycomfortablywhetherornotonesucceedsinone’snewroleofchancelloroftheexchequeroftime。Itisaswellnottochattertoomuchaboutwhatoneisdoing，andnottobetrayatoo—painedsadnessatthespectacleofawholeworlddeliberatelywastingsomanyhoursoutofeveryday，andthereforeneverreallyliving。Itwillbefound，ultimately，thatintakingcareofone’sselfonehasquiteallonecando。
Anotherdangeristhedangerofbeingtiedtoaprogrammelikeaslavetoachariot。One’sprogrammemustnotbeallowedtorunawaywithone。
Itmustberespected，butitmustnotbeworshippedasafetish。Aprogrammeofdailyemployisnotareligion。
Thisseemsobvious。YetIknowmenwhoselivesareaburdentothemselvesandadistressingburdentotheirrelativesandfriendssimplybecausetheyhavefailedtoappreciatetheobvious。"Oh，no，"Ihaveheardthemartyredwifeexclaim，"Arthuralwaystakesthedogoutforexerciseateighto’clockandhealwaysbeginstoreadataquartertonine。Soit’squiteoutofthequestionthatweshould……"etc。，etc。Andthenoteofabsolutefinalityinthatplaintivevoicerevealstheunsuspectedandridiculoustragedyofacareer。
Ontheotherhand，aprogrammeisaprogramme。Andunlessitistreatedwithdeferenceitceasestobeanythingbutapoorjoke。Totreatone’sprogrammewithexactlytherightamountofdeference，tolivewithnottoomuchandnottoolittleelasticity，isscarcelythesimpleaffairitmayappeartotheinexperienced。
Andstillanotherdangeristhedangerofdevelopingapolicyofrush，ofbeinggraduallymoreandmoreobsessedbywhatonehastodonext。Inthiswayonemaycometoexistasinaprison，andoneslifemayceasetobeone’sown。Onemaytakethedogoutforawalkateighto’clock，andmeditatethewholetimeonthefactthatonemustbegintoreadataquartertonine，andthatonemustnotbelate。
Andtheoccasionaldeliberatebreakingofone’sprogrammewillnothelptomendmatters。Theevilspringsnotfrompersistingwithoutelasticityinwhatonehasattempted，butfromoriginallyattemptingtoomuch，fromfillingone’sprogrammetillitrunsover。Theonlycureistoreconstitutetheprogramme，andtoattemptless。
Buttheappetiteforknowledgegrowsbywhatitfeedson，andtherearemenwhocometolikeaconstantbreathlesshurryofendeavour。Ofthemitmaybesaidthataconstantbreathlesshurryisbetterthananeternaldoze。
Inanycase，iftheprogrammeexhibitsatendencytobeoppressive，andyetonewishesnottomodifyit，anexcellentpalliativeistopasswithexaggerateddeliberationfromoneportionofittoanother；forexample，tospendfiveminutesinperfectmentalquiescencebetweenchaininguptheSt。Bernardandopeningthebook；inotherwords，towastefiveminuteswiththeentireconsciousnessofwastingthem。
Thelast，andchiefestdangerwhichIwouldindicate，isonetowhichI
havealreadyreferred——theriskofafailureatthecommencementoftheenterprise。
Imustinsistonit。
Afailureatthecommencementmayeasilykilloutrightthenewbornimpulsetowardsacompletevitality，andthereforeeveryprecautionshouldbeobservedtoavoidit。Theimpulsemustnotbeover—taxed。
Letthepaceofthefirstlapbeevenabsurdlyslow，butletitbeasregularaspossible。
And，havingoncedecidedtoachieveacertaintask，achieveitatallcostsoftediumanddistaste。Thegaininself—confidenceofhavingaccomplishedatiresomelabourisimmense。
Finally，inchoosingthefirstoccupationsofthoseeveninghours，beguidedbynothingwhateverbutyourtasteandnaturalinclination。
Itisafinethingtobeawalkingencyclopaediaofphilosophy，butifyouhappentohavenolikingforphilosophy，andtohavealikeforthenaturalhistoryofstreet—cries，muchbetterleavephilosophyalone，andtaketostreet—cries。