SELF-EDUCATION BY GOOD READING
The character of a man expresses itself by the books he reads. Every
well-informed man since the invention of printing has been a close
reader of a few books that stand out from among the many. We read of
Lincoln devouring the few books he had, over and over again and studying
from cover to cover and word for word the Webster's dictionary of his
day. We know that Grant had his favorite volumes from which he drew
inspiration and solace. These men made eternal friends of certain great
thinkers and drank in their learning with all the fervor of their
natures.
"A few good books, digested well, do feed
The mind."
"Feed the mind!" That's the idea--_but how shall we feed it_? The answer
is easy--with something _worth while_--something that will inform and
inspire. We can cram our minds to the point of indigestion with useless,
frivolous information just as easily as we may cram our stomachs with
certain foods that tear down rather than build up. The habit of reading
the right sort of books should begin early in life and continue
throughout our days.
Good books are real ... and as we read we feel, hear, see and understand
in the way the author did. If what is said appeals to our way of
thinking _a new world_ is unfolded to our vision filled to the brim with
things we can think about and add to our stock of knowledge. While we
are buried in its leaves we may live over the thoughts that the writer
lived. For the time being he becomes as real and vital to us as the
dearest friend we possess. Gradually, as the time passes by, he creeps
into our affections until our lives would not be complete without the
comradeship of his cherished book.
Books that become our "pals" are not necessarily books of the so-called
classical type. Little known volumes may prove to have enough thought
stored away between their covers to keep us interested all our days. The
great books will prove their worth in a short time no matter how poor
the binding, how bad the type or how cheap the paper. These things are
after all only the outward manifestations and though we like to see our
friends dressed well yet we know that the clothes do not make character
unless there is character there in the first place. And so it is with
books. These little ungainly volumes which we purchase on the stands may
be the classics of tomorrow ... who knows?
We select our library carefully. No matter if we live in a tiny hall
bedroom on the top floor of a boarding house we have a shelf somewhere
with a few good books on it. Emerson's "Essays" can be had in one volume
and are well worth having. No other American writer has been so
inspiring, so invigorating as this thinker of Concord. One cannot read
his essays without having a desire to _get up and do_. It is like a
breath of fresh air ... a tonic ... a stiff morning walk. It stirs the
mind to action and inspires us to lift ourselves out of the rut into
which we have fallen. One returns to them time after time, each reading
opening up new vistas of thought, new lines of mental development.
[Illustration: _A Scene from "His Picture in the Papers"_]
_As a man's stomach is what he eats, a man's mind is what he reads._ It
goes without saying that no healthy, active mind could exist without the
companionship of Shakespeare. Nowadays it is possible to secure the
entire works of the immortal poet in one volume. There is a special
Oxford University edition which can be had for a small sum. The type is
large, the paper good and there are many notes to help one over the
rocky places. There is no doubt of the truth of the saying that a man
who reads Shakespeare consistently and with understanding needs no other
education. Like the philosopher Emerson he boiled down the world's
thoughts into terse sentences and one goes into a new universe when
reading any of the plays. It is a good thing to learn parts of them by
heart so that we can apply them to our own lives. They strengthen the
mind ... their beauty lifts us into a great realism of splendid thought
... and they fill the heart with a longing to do something great. Such
books should become steady companions through life. No matter where our
duties call us we should see to it that we do not leave behind the
thoughts of this master mind of Shakespeare. The very fact that we have
them near us lifts us out of the monotony of nothing to do.
Among the books about America for Americans perhaps Roosevelt's "Winning
of the West" is among the best. Not only has he thrown the whole vigor
of his interesting personality into the writing of it, but he has given
us a vivid picture of the conquest of the States by the settlers. No man
could read it without being thrilled at the dangers our forefathers
faced ... at the great courage they possessed ... at their hardihood ...
their bulldog tenacity. The reading of such a book is like going back
over the years and living with them, sharing their troubles and their
enthusiasms. The man who contemplates gathering a small library could
not afford to do without the inspiration of what his countrymen have
done for him.
In choosing our books we must bear in mind one thing--_let them be
inspiring_. Let them be of such a nature that when we read them we will
feel like going out into the world to accomplish something _big_!
That is probably the mission of great books--to inspire and uplift. The
world's greatest men have been readers--would they have cared for books
unless they were inspiring? It is said that when Napoleon was being
taken to St. Helena he advised one of the officers never to stop
reading.
Most of the things worth while are at some time or other stored away in
books by the thinkers. Every phase of history, every movement to better
mankind and lift it above the drudgery of mere toil, every beautiful
thought is to be found in them and the better the book the more will be
found in it of these very things. When we have finished the day's work
we can pull down a volume from the shelf and in a moment be lost in an
entirely different world. The man who neglects to read surely misses the
one best means of broadening his mind.
All books of the better class furnish food for thought and are excellent
tools for the man of initiative. To read means keeping in touch with the
big visions. We cherish these dreams and make them real in plans of our
own. Aspiration is behind the pages of every worth-while volume. It was
the motive power which drove the author to produce it and it should
become a part of the forces which drive us on to victory. Without such
inspiration we grope as children in the dark. We are without a light to
guide us on our way.
Books by such men as Marden and Hubbard are great generators of the
electricity of doing things. They have put into words those innermost
emotions which are the instruments of success. They point out a way we
may safely follow. They loan us inspiration which causes us to act for
ourselves. They give us thoughts that are useful and practical which we
never would have gained by virtue of our own reasoning power. They made
it a life work to coin into phrases words that inspire. Out of their
large experience came the logical sequences of cause and effect. Not to
profit by their teachings is a crime against our own prospects--without
them we lag behind. Instead of progressing we look on in wonder at what
is going on in the world. Somehow we cannot connect ourselves with the
big enterprises. And all because we failed to feed our minds properly.
There is much to be gained both in pleasure and knowledge by reading
historical novels, and the lives of great men. The books of Sir Walter
Scott and James Fenimore Cooper are rated among the best in the world.
Grant's autobiography and the personal stories of other famous Americans
provide fascinating material with which to establish and fortify our
test for good literature. The tales of modern American financiers is
another field of absorbing interest.
The man with small means can provide himself with a working library for
a very little money. Books are cheap. The public library is always
nearby and there is hardly a town of any size but what has one. When we
purchase a book we should be sure to obtain the best edition and be
careful that it is printed from good type and on clear paper. Books are
likely to become warm friends. We should never purchase an abridged
edition.
Binding is not such an important factor, although we like to have _our
favorite books_ put up in a handsome fashion. With Shakespeare, Emerson,
Roosevelt, Scott, Cooper, Marden and Hubbard one would have quite a
representative collection for a start. It would be easy to expand the
list into many more. Of course, those collecting a small library who
have a specialty, will want books dealing with the subjects in which
they are interested. However, every practical library includes books of
inspirational character, and if one makes a study of the books written
by great authors it will be found that all of them profited by the
reading of books which caused them to think. _The Bible causes us to
think!--and no library is complete without it._