TimeisbutthestreamIgoa-fishingin。Idrinkatit;butwhileIdrinkIseethesandybottomanddetecthowshallowitis。
Itsthincurrentslidesaway,buteternityremains。Iwoulddrinkdeeper;fishinthesky,whosebottomispebblywithstars。I
cannotcountone。Iknownotthefirstletterofthealphabet。I
havealwaysbeenregrettingthatIwasnotaswiseasthedayIwasborn。Theintellectisacleaver;itdiscernsandriftsitswayintothesecretofthings。Idonotwishtobeanymorebusywithmyhandsthanisnecessary。Myheadishandsandfeet。Ifeelallmybestfacultiesconcentratedinit。Myinstincttellsmethatmyheadisanorganforburrowing,assomecreaturesusetheirsnoutandforepaws,andwithitIwouldmineandburrowmywaythroughthesehills。Ithinkthattherichestveinissomewherehereabouts;
sobythedivining-rodandthinrisingvaporsIjudge;andhereI
willbegintomine。
ReadingWithalittlemoredeliberationinthechoiceoftheirpursuits,allmenwouldperhapsbecomeessentiallystudentsandobservers,forcertainlytheirnatureanddestinyareinterestingtoallalike。Inaccumulatingpropertyforourselvesorourposterity,infoundingafamilyorastate,oracquiringfameeven,wearemortal;butindealingwithtruthweareimmortal,andneedfearnochangenoraccident。TheoldestEgyptianorHindoophilosopherraisedacorneroftheveilfromthestatueofthedivinity;andstillthetremblingroberemainsraised,andIgazeuponasfreshagloryashedid,sinceitwasIinhimthatwasthensobold,anditisheinmethatnowreviewsthevision。Nodusthassettledonthatrobe;notimehaselapsedsincethatdivinitywasrevealed。Thattimewhichwereallyimprove,orwhichisimprovable,isneitherpast,present,norfuture。
Myresidencewasmorefavorable,notonlytothought,buttoseriousreading,thanauniversity;andthoughIwasbeyondtherangeoftheordinarycirculatinglibrary,Ihadmorethanevercomewithintheinfluenceofthosebookswhichcirculateroundtheworld,whosesentenceswerefirstwrittenonbark,andarenowmerelycopiedfromtimetotimeontolinenpaper。SaysthepoetMrUdd,“Beingseated,torunthroughtheregionofthespiritualworld;Ihavehadthisadvantageinbooks。Tobeintoxicatedbyasingleglassofwine;IhaveexperiencedthispleasurewhenIhavedrunktheliquoroftheesotericdoctrines。“I
keptHomer’sIliadonmytablethroughthesummer,thoughIlookedathispageonlynowandthen。Incessantlaborwithmyhands,atfirst,forIhadmyhousetofinishandmybeanstohoeatthesametime,mademorestudyimpossible。YetIsustainedmyselfbytheprospectofsuchreadinginfuture。Ireadoneortwoshallowbooksoftravelintheintervalsofmywork,tillthatemploymentmademeashamedofmyself,andIaskedwhereitwasthenthatIlived。
ThestudentmayreadHomerorAEschylusintheGreekwithoutdangerofdissipationorluxuriousness,foritimpliesthatheinsomemeasureemulatetheirheroes,andconsecratemorninghourstotheirpages。Theheroicbooks,evenifprintedinthecharacterofourmothertongue,willalwaysbeinalanguagedeadtodegeneratetimes;andwemustlaboriouslyseekthemeaningofeachwordandline,conjecturingalargersensethancommonusepermitsoutofwhatwisdomandvalorandgenerositywehave。Themoderncheapandfertilepress,withallitstranslations,hasdonelittletobringusnearertotheheroicwritersofantiquity。Theyseemassolitary,andtheletterinwhichtheyareprintedasrareandcurious,asever。Itisworththeexpenseofyouthfuldaysandcostlyhours,ifyoulearnonlysomewordsofanancientlanguage,whichareraisedoutofthetrivialnessofthestreet,tobeperpetualsuggestionsandprovocations。ItisnotinvainthatthefarmerremembersandrepeatsthefewLatinwordswhichhehasheard。
Mensometimesspeakasifthestudyoftheclassicswouldatlengthmakewayformoremodernandpracticalstudies;buttheadventurousstudentwillalwaysstudyclassics,inwhateverlanguagetheymaybewrittenandhoweverancienttheymaybe。Forwhataretheclassicsbutthenoblestrecordedthoughtsofman?Theyaretheonlyoracleswhicharenotdecayed,andtherearesuchanswerstothemostmoderninquiryinthemasDelphiandDodonanevergave。WemightaswellomittostudyNaturebecausesheisold。Toreadwell,thatis,toreadtruebooksinatruespirit,isanobleexercise,andonethatwilltaskthereadermorethananyexercisewhichthecustomsofthedayesteem。Itrequiresatrainingsuchastheathletesunderwent,thesteadyintentionalmostofthewholelifetothisobject。Booksmustbereadasdeliberatelyandreservedlyastheywerewritten。
Itisnotenougheventobeabletospeakthelanguageofthatnationbywhichtheyarewritten,forthereisamemorableintervalbetweenthespokenandthewrittenlanguage,thelanguageheardandthelanguageread。Theoneiscommonlytransitory,asound,atongue,adialectmerely,almostbrutish,andwelearnitunconsciously,likethebrutes,ofourmothers。Theotheristhematurityandexperienceofthat;ifthatisourmothertongue,thisisourfathertongue,areservedandselectexpression,toosignificanttobeheardbytheear,whichwemustbebornagaininordertospeak。ThecrowdsofmenwhomerelyspoketheGreekandLatintonguesintheMiddleAgeswerenotentitledbytheaccidentofbirthtoreadtheworksofgeniuswritteninthoselanguages;forthesewerenotwritteninthatGreekorLatinwhichtheyknew,butintheselectlanguageofliterature。TheyhadnotlearnedthenoblerdialectsofGreeceandRome,buttheverymaterialsonwhichtheywerewrittenwerewastepapertothem,andtheyprizedinsteadacheapcontemporaryliterature。ButwhentheseveralnationsofEuropehadacquireddistinctthoughrudewrittenlanguagesoftheirown,sufficientforthepurposesoftheirrisingliteratures,thenfirstlearningrevived,andscholarswereenabledtodiscernfromthatremotenessthetreasuresofantiquity。WhattheRomanandGrecianmultitudecouldnothear,afterthelapseofagesafewscholarsread,andafewscholarsonlyarestillreadingit。
Howevermuchwemayadmiretheorator’soccasionalburstsofeloquence,thenoblestwrittenwordsarecommonlyasfarbehindorabovethefleetingspokenlanguageasthefirmamentwithitsstarsisbehindtheclouds。Therearethestars,andtheywhocanmayreadthem。Theastronomersforevercommentonandobservethem。
Theyarenotexhalationslikeourdailycolloquiesandvaporousbreath。Whatiscalledeloquenceintheforumiscommonlyfoundtoberhetoricinthestudy。Theoratoryieldstotheinspirationofatransientoccasion,andspeakstothemobbeforehim,tothosewhocanhearhim;butthewriter,whosemoreequablelifeishisoccasion,andwhowouldbedistractedbytheeventandthecrowdwhichinspiretheorator,speakstotheintellectandhealthofmankind,toallinanyagewhocanunderstandhim。
NowonderthatAlexandercarriedtheIliadwithhimonhisexpeditionsinapreciouscasket。Awrittenwordisthechoicestofrelics。Itissomethingatoncemoreintimatewithusandmoreuniversalthananyotherworkofart。Itistheworkofartnearesttolifeitself。Itmaybetranslatedintoeverylanguage,andnotonlybereadbutactuallybreathedfromallhumanlips;——notberepresentedoncanvasorinmarbleonly,butbecarvedoutofthebreathoflifeitself。Thesymbolofanancientman’sthoughtbecomesamodernman’sspeech。TwothousandsummershaveimpartedtothemonumentsofGrecianliterature,astohermarbles,onlyamaturergoldenandautumnaltint,fortheyhavecarriedtheirownsereneandcelestialatmosphereintoalllandstoprotectthemagainstthecorrosionoftime。Booksarethetreasuredwealthoftheworldandthefitinheritanceofgenerationsandnations。
Books,theoldestandthebest,standnaturallyandrightfullyontheshelvesofeverycottage。Theyhavenocauseoftheirowntoplead,butwhiletheyenlightenandsustainthereaderhiscommonsensewillnotrefusethem。Theirauthorsareanaturalandirresistiblearistocracyineverysociety,and,morethankingsoremperors,exertaninfluenceonmankind。Whentheilliterateandperhapsscornfultraderhasearnedbyenterpriseandindustryhiscovetedleisureandindependence,andisadmittedtothecirclesofwealthandfashion,heturnsinevitablyatlasttothosestillhigherbutyetinaccessiblecirclesofintellectandgenius,andissensibleonlyoftheimperfectionofhiscultureandthevanityandinsufficiencyofallhisriches,andfurtherproveshisgoodsensebythepainswhichbetakestosecureforhischildrenthatintellectualculturewhosewanthesokeenlyfeels;andthusitisthathebecomesthefounderofafamily。
Thosewhohavenotlearnedtoreadtheancientclassicsinthelanguageinwhichtheywerewrittenmusthaveaveryimperfectknowledgeofthehistoryofthehumanrace;foritisremarkablethatnotranscriptofthemhaseverbeenmadeintoanymoderntongue,unlessourcivilizationitselfmayberegardedassuchatranscript。HomerhasneveryetbeenprintedinEnglish,norAEschylus,norVirgileven——worksasrefined,assolidlydone,andasbeautifulalmostasthemorningitself;forlaterwriters,saywhatwewilloftheirgenius,haverarely,ifever,equalledtheelaboratebeautyandfinishandthelifelongandheroicliterarylaborsoftheancients。Theyonlytalkofforgettingthemwhoneverknewthem。Itwillbesoonenoughtoforgetthemwhenwehavethelearningandthegeniuswhichwillenableustoattendtoandappreciatethem。ThatagewillberichindeedwhenthoserelicswhichwecallClassics,andthestillolderandmorethanclassicbutevenlessknownScripturesofthenations,shallhavestillfurtheraccumulated,whentheVaticansshallbefilledwithVedasandZendavestasandBibles,withHomersandDantesandShakespeares,andallthecenturiestocomeshallhavesuccessivelydepositedtheirtrophiesintheforumoftheworld。Bysuchapilewemayhopetoscaleheavenatlast。
Theworksofthegreatpoetshaveneveryetbeenreadbymankind,foronlygreatpoetscanreadthem。Theyhaveonlybeenreadasthemultitudereadthestars,atmostastrologically,notastronomically。Mostmenhavelearnedtoreadtoserveapaltryconvenience,astheyhavelearnedtocipherinordertokeepaccountsandnotbecheatedintrade;butofreadingasanobleintellectualexercisetheyknowlittleornothing;yetthisonlyisreading,inahighsense,notthatwhichlullsusasaluxuryandsuffersthenoblerfacultiestosleepthewhile,butwhatwehavetostandontip-toetoreadanddevoteourmostalertandwakefulhoursto。
Ithinkthathavinglearnedourlettersweshouldreadthebestthatisinliterature,andnotbeforeverrepeatingoura-b-abs,andwordsofonesyllable,inthefourthorfifthclasses,sittingonthelowestandforemostformallourlives。Mostmenaresatisfiediftheyreadorhearread,andperchancehavebeenconvictedbythewisdomofonegoodbook,theBible,andfortherestoftheirlivesvegetateanddissipatetheirfacultiesinwhatiscalledeasyreading。ThereisaworkinseveralvolumesinourCirculatingLibraryentitled“LittleReading,“whichIthoughtreferredtoatownofthatnamewhichIhadnotbeento。Therearethosewho,likecormorantsandostriches,candigestallsortsofthis,evenafterthefullestdinnerofmeatsandvegetables,fortheysuffernothingtobewasted。Ifothersarethemachinestoprovidethisprovender,theyarethemachinestoreadit。TheyreadtheninethousandthtaleaboutZebulonandSophronia,andhowtheylovedasnonehadeverlovedbefore,andneitherdidthecourseoftheirtrueloverunsmooth——atanyrate,howitdidrunandstumble,andgetupagainandgoon!howsomepoorunfortunategotupontoasteeple,whohadbetterneverhavegoneupasfarasthebelfry;andthen,havingneedlesslygothimupthere,thehappynovelistringsthebellforalltheworldtocometogetherandhear,Odear!howhedidgetdownagain!Formypart,Ithinkthattheyhadbettermetamorphoseallsuchaspiringheroesofuniversalnoveldomintomanweather-cocks,astheyusedtoputheroesamongtheconstellations,andletthemswingroundtheretilltheyarerusty,andnotcomedownatalltobotherhonestmenwiththeirpranks。ThenexttimethenovelistringsthebellIwillnotstirthoughthemeeting-houseburndown。“TheSkipoftheTip-Toe-Hop,aRomanceoftheMiddleAges,bythecelebratedauthorof`Tittle-Tol-Tan,’toappearinmonthlyparts;agreatrush;don’tallcometogether。“Allthistheyreadwithsaucereyes,anderectandprimitivecuriosity,andwithunweariedgizzard,whosecorrugationsevenyetneednosharpening,justassomelittlefour-year-oldbencherhistwo-centgilt-coverededitionofCinderella——withoutanyimprovement,thatIcansee,inthepronunciation,oraccent,oremphasis,oranymoreskillinextractingorinsertingthemoral。Theresultisdulnessofsight,astagnationofthevitalcirculations,andageneraldeliquiumandsloughingoffofalltheintellectualfaculties。Thissortofgingerbreadisbakeddailyandmoresedulouslythanpurewheatorrye-and-Indianinalmosteveryoven,andfindsasurermarket。
Thebestbooksarenotreadevenbythosewhoarecalledgoodreaders。WhatdoesourConcordcultureamountto?Thereisinthistown,withaveryfewexceptions,notasteforthebestorforverygoodbookseveninEnglishliterature,whosewordsallcanreadandspell。Eventhecollege-bredandso-calledliberallyeducatedmenhereandelsewherehavereallylittleornoacquaintancewiththeEnglishclassics;andasfortherecordedwisdomofmankind,theancientclassicsandBibles,whichareaccessibletoallwhowillknowofthem,therearethefeeblesteffortsanywheremadetobecomeacquaintedwiththem。Iknowawoodchopper,ofmiddleage,whotakesaFrenchpaper,notfornewsashesays,forheisabovethat,butto“keephimselfinpractice,“hebeingaCanadianbybirth;andwhenIaskhimwhatheconsidersthebestthinghecandointhisworld,hesays,besidethis,tokeepupandaddtohisEnglish。
第13章