000 harvard classics

7/21/2019 000 Harvard Classics

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T H E H A R V A R D C L A S S I C S

The Five Foot Shelf

of

Books


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Statue of John Harvard before University Hall,

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts


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T H E H A R V A R D C L A S S I C S

E D I T E D

B Y

C H A R L E S

W .

E L I O T ,

L L . D .

Fifteen Minutes

a

Day

The Reading Guide

P. F. Collier & Son Corporation

N E W Y O R K


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Copyright

1 9 3 0

BY P. F . COLUKK & SON COMPANY

MANUFACTUREIN U. & A.


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The

Purpose of

This

Book

T

H I S bo ok wa s prep are d an d is sent to yo u w i t h one pur pos e

in v i e w , to ena ble you to profi t in full me as ur e fr om th e

wr i t in gs of the im mo rt al s w h o m yo u ha ve at you r be ck an d

c a l l

in the Harvard Class ics .

T h i s

gre at co mp an y of the wises t , the wit t ies t , the mos t in t ere s t i ng

minds of all ages and every land w i l l afford yo u en ter ta inm ent in

endless var ie ty, inspi rat ion and s t i mula t io n of mi nd . T h e y w i l l carry

y o u fo r war d u pon tha t road to the h i g h go al to wa rd w h i c h al l of

us are m a k i n g ou r w a y. I t is th en to the cou nt le ss ho ur s in w h i c h

y o u

w i l l wa l k in step w i t h these gr ea t th in ke rs o f all t i me tha t this

b o o k

is dedicated.

T h e Ha rv a rd Class ics are "al l th i ng s to a l l me n. " T h e y are

universal in their appeal and universal in their power to bestow

pleasure, s e l f satisfaction a nd the jo y of me nt al g r o w t h to ea ch m a n ,

w o m a n an d chi ld wi th impar t ia l i ty an d in inf in i te var i e ty.


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What Shall I Read Tonight?

H

O W often does tha t quest i on co me to a l l of us? Ma ga zi ne s ,

ne ws pa pe rs , the bo ok s of the da ya ll pall up on us wi t h their

dea dly mo no to ny of the co mmo np la ce . W e wa nt so met hi ng to carry

us ou t of ours elv es, to ta ke us a mi ll io n mil es fr om our h u m d r u m

exis ten ce, to st i mula te ou r mi nd s to fresh en de av or, to

g i v e

us a new

vi ew p oi nt up o n ou r pr ob le ms , to ena ble us to ge t a fresh ho ld up on

ourselves .

T h e n i t i s ,

t h a t

the Ha r va r d Class ics f in d their place. T h e y mee t

e v e ry

need , the y ent ert ain w h e n no othe r bo ok can , the y e xhil arat e

a n d they satisfy. T h e y br in g to yo u the rare p leasure of com mi ng l in g

wi t h gre at mi nd s , they feed your mi n d wi t h s t i mula t in g tho ugh ts ,

t h e y

t u r n

you r m i n d in to fresh channe ls . F o r the Ha rv a rd Class ics

to uc h ev er y facet of h u m a n interest . H e r e be ck on i ng to yo u are

ro man ce , adv ent ure , dr am a an d myste ry. Re a d to your

hear t ' s

con te nt in these full bl oo de d bo ok s fu ll of thri l l , s t i mulu s an d

del igh t .

The

Never-Ceasing Fascination of

These

Boo\s

Y o u

can t u r n to the A ra b ia n N i gh t s , to the explorat ions of Dr a k e

an d Ra le ig h, to the adv ent ure s of

U l y s s e s ,

to the ho me ly phi los oph y

o f Fra nk l i n , to Froissar t ' s ent ra nci ng Ch ron ic l es , to the breathless

po e ms of B r o w n i n g , to the wri t i ng s of the prophe ts o f the mysti c

east , to the gl or io us m o v i n g prose of B u r k e an d Ma ca ul ay, an d so on

th ro ug h the gre at classics of the ag es .

W e

w a n t to ur ge yo u to ke ep at all t i mes sever al vo lu me s of the

H a r v a r d Cla ssi cs easily at ha nd o n you r desk or table to rea d an d

to br ow s e th ro ug h. Do n ' t pu t you r set a w a y in a distant boo kca se

wh e r e yo u mu st g o to ge t th em . T he s e are fr iendl y book s to ha ve

nea r yo u , th ey ar e the best of co mp a n io ns at all ti mes . T o be able to

re ach for you r fav ori te v o l u m e an d tak e a f e w mo me nt s ou t of a busy

day, in which you are t r anspor t ed to ot he r wor l ds a nd ot he r times is

a pr iv i lege

tha t

canno t be he ld l igh t l y . T h e Ha rv ar d Class ics w i l l

re pa y yo u ma ny f o l d in di vi de nd s of de li gh t an d satisfaction for the

ho ur s yo u ha ve spent in the co mp a ny of the im mo rt al wr i te rs .

6


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How

Dr. Eliot Solved

Y o u r

Reading Problem

D

R . C H A R L E S W . E L I O T fo r fo r ty yea rs P r e s id en t o f Ha r v a r d

Un ive r s i ty ,

ac c la im ed wi t h o u t q u es t ion A m e r i c a ' s g rea t e s t

scholar an d educa tor , w a s em in en tl y fi t ted to select ou t of the wo rl d ' s

l i terature , a wel l- r oun de d l ibrary of l iberal ed uc at io n de pi c t in g the

progress of ma n obse rv in g , r eco rd in g , inv en t in g , an d ima g in in g f r om

the earliest his tor ica l ti me s to the pres ent da y.

N e v e r before ha d a task of th is ma gn i t ud e bee n un de r t ak en b y a n

educator of the s t an di ng of Dr . El i ot . N e v e r befo re ha d a que st io n

o f such un usu al publ i c imp or ta nce rece ive d the t i me an d at t ent i on

tha t has be en appl ied to the selecti on of the conte nt s of the H a r v a r d

C l a s s i c s .

Dr.

Eliot's Own Story of the

Five Foot

Shelf

" B e f o r e

the rea d in g p lan represen ted by T h e Ha r va rd Class ics ha d

ta ke n definite fo rm , I ha d mo re t h a n once s ta ted in publ ic tha t i n m y

op in io n a five-footat first a thr ee- foo ts hel f w o u l d h o l d b o o k s

en ou gh to afford a g o o d substi tute for a l ibe ral ed uc at io n to a n yo n e

w h o

wo u l d read the m wi t h dev ot i on, ev en i f he co ul d spare bu t

fifteen

mi nu te s a day for r ea di ng .

" P . F . Col l ie r & Son C o m p a n y propo sed t h a t I un der ta ke to m a k e

a se lec t ion of f if ty vo l ume s , wh i ch wo u l d appro x im ate ly

fill

a five-foot

shelf, and be w e l l adapte d to ac co mpl is h the edu cat ion al objec t I h ad

in mind.

"I accepted the proposa l . T h e w o r k of selec t ion ex te nd ed

in ter

mitten t ly ove r near ly twe lv e mo nt hs ; for the que st i on of ex clu s i on

or inc lus ion of ea ch i t em ha d to be caref ull y con si de re d fr o m ev er y

possible angle.

Harvard University Sanctions the Title

"I t w a s fur ther prop ose d tha t the set be cal led the H a r v a r d

C l a s s i c s . In v i e w of this pr opo se d na me , a n d of the fact tha t I had

been pres ident of Ha r va rd U ni ve rs i t y for nea r ly for ty years , I as ke d

the Pres iden t an d Fe l l ow s of Ha rv ar d C o l l e g e if the y sa w an y obje c

tion, fr om the poi nt of v i e w of the Un iv er si ty, to m y ac ce pt in g t he

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8

F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y

proposal of P . F.

C o l l i e r

& So n C o mp a n y. T h e Boar d rep l ied unan i

m o u s l y tha t the y sa w no obje cti on, an d tha t , in their jud gm e nt , the

u n d e r t a k i n g , i f

w e l l

car r ie d out , w o u l d pr ov e a usefu l one fr om the

educa t iona l po in t o f v i e w .

Dr.

Eliot's Aim

" M y a i m wa s no t to select th e best f i f t y , or bes t hu nd re d, b oo ks in

the wo rl d , bu t to

g i v e ,

in twe nty- t hre e thou san d pag es or t hereabouts ,

a picture of the progress of the human race within historical t imes, so

far as

tha t

prog ress can be depi c ted in bo ok s. T h e purpo se of T h e

Ha r v a r d Clas s ics is , therefore , one d ifferent f ro m tha t of collections

in w h i c h the editor 's ai m has be en to select a nu mb e r o f best bo ok s ;

i t is nothing less t h a n the pu rp os e to prese nt so am pl e an d characte r

ist ic a re co rd of the stre am of the wo rl d ' s t ho ug ht tha t the o bse rva nt

reade r ' s mi n d shal l be enr i ched , ref ined and fer t i l ized .

"Wi th in t h e l im i t s o f f i f t y vo lu mes , con t a in ing abou t twen ty- th re e

th ou sa nd pa ges , m y task w a s to pr ov id e the mea ns of obt ai n i ng such

k n o w l e d g e

of anc ie nt an d mo d e r n l i terat ure as se eme d essential to

the twe nt i e t h-c ent ury ide a of a cul t iva ted m a n . T h e bes t acquis i t i on

o f a cul t iv ate d m a n is a l iberal f r am e of mi n d or w a y of th in ki ng ;

bu t the re mu s t be ad de d to

tha t

possess ion acq uai nta nce wi th the

pr od ig io us s tore of rec ord ed discove r ies , exper i ences , an d ref lec tions

w h i c h h um a ni ty in i ts in te rmit ten t an d i r re gula r progres s f ro m

bar bar is m to c iv i l iz at ion has acq ui red a nd la id up .

Liberal

Education

Defined

" L i b e r a l

edu cat ion a ccomp lis hes t w o objec ts . I t prod uces a l iberal

frame of mind, and i t makes the studious and reflective recipient

ac qu ai nt ed wi t h the s t re am of the wo rl d ' s th ou gh t and fee l ing , a n d

w i t h

the inf in i t e ly var ie d pro duc ts of the h u m a n ima gi na t i on . I t w a s

my hope and

b e l i e f

tha t fifty vo lu me s mi g ht acco mpli sh th is resul t

for

a ny in t el l ige nt , amb it i ous , an d pers is tent reader , whe th er h is ear ly

oppo r tu ni t ies for ed uca t i on has bee n lar ge or small . Su ch wa s the

educ a t i ona l purp ose wi t h w h i c h I und er t ook to ed i t T h e Ha rv ar d

C l a s s i c s .

" A l l

the ma i n d ivi s ion s of l i terat ure are represented . Ch ro no lo gi -


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9

c a l l y consid ere d, the series be gi ns w i t h por tio ns of. the s acred bo o ks

o f

the oldest rel igi ons, proc eed s w i t h sp ec im en s of the l i te ratu re of

G r e e c e

a n d R o m e ,

t h e n

ma k e s selec tions f ro m the l i te ratur e of t he

M i d d l e

A g e s

in the Or ie n t , I t aly, Fr an ce , Sca nd i nav ia , I r e land , En g

land , G e rm a ny and the La t i n Ch u rc h , inc lud es a cons iderab l e repre

sentati on of the l i te rature of the Re na is sa nc e in I tal y, Fr a nc e, G e r

ma ny, En g l an d , Scot l and an d Spa in , an d a r r i v in g a t mo de rn t im es

com pr eh en ds selec t ions der ive d fr om I ta ly, t h r ee centu r ies of Fr an ce ,

two cen tu r ies of Germany,

t h r e e

c en tur i e s o f En g l a n d an d som e t h in g

m o r e t h a n a cen tur y of the Un i t e d State s.

"In order to m a k e the bes t use of T h e Ha r v a r d Class ics i t

w i l l

b e

desirable for the reader to reread those volumes or passages which he

finds mo st inte rest ing, and co m mi t to m e m o r y m a n y of the pieces of

poetr y w h i c h st ir an d up lift h i m . I t is a sourc e of ex qu is i t e a n d

en du r i ng de l igh t to have one ' s mi n d s tored wi t h ma ny me lo d i ou s

express ions of h i gh tho ugh ts an d beau t i fu l i ma ge ry.

" T h e elabora te a lphabet ical in de x is in t end ed to

g i v e

an y per so n

im me di at e access to an y au tho r or an y subject men t io ne d i n the ent ire

col lect ion, an d in de ed to an y pa ss ag e in the fifty vo lu m es to wh ic h

the inqu i re r has a go od c lue . Th i s fu l l ind ex ma ke s T h e Ha rv a rd

C l a s s i c s

conv eni ent book s of ref erence.

Cooperation of Harvard University

"It w o u l d ha ve bee n imp oss ibl e to pe rf or m th e task satisfa ctori ly

i f

the treasures of the ge ne ra l l ib rary an d of the de pa rt me nt l ibra ries

o f

Ha rv ar d Uni ver s i ty ha d not bee n at d isposal . T h e ra nge of t he

topics in the series w a s so wi d e , an d the n u mb e r of la ng ua ge s i n

w h i c h the des ired books were or ig inal ly wri t ten so great , tha t the

advice of speciali sts, ea ch in so me po rt io n o f the field, h a d fr eq ue nt ly

to be so ugh t. I obt ai ned mu c h val ua bl e ad vi ce of this sort f ro m

scholarly fr ie nds a nd ne ig hb or s.

# # # #

T h e H a r v a r d Clas sics ha ve de mon st ra te d t heir fitness for th e

special

w o r k they we re in t end ed to do . T h e publ ish ers ha ve adv is ed

m e tha t nea rly a hal f mi ll io n sets ha ve be en pl ace d in the ho me s of

enthusiastic purchasers, and tha t a stream of unsolici ted let ters of


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ap pr ov al co me s f ro m these ow ne rs . I ha ve myse lf be en surprised to

see h o w oft en I t u r n to the col le ct ion to en jo y piece s of pe rm an en t

li tera ture, in contras t wi t h the mas s of ep he mer al re ad in g

mat ter

w h i c h I a m ob li ge d to g o th ro ug h.

" On e m a y h ope tha t the col lec t ion

w i l l

endu re for decades to co me ,

not on ly as a m o n u m e n t an d mile sto ne, but also as an active force

to wa rd the sound ment a l eq u i pme nt of Am er i ca n read ing people . "


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The

Harvard Classics Embrace the Sum-

Total of Literature and Life

D

R . E L I O T ' S F i v e - F o o t S h e l f of B oo k s free yo u fr om th e

limi tat ion s of you r ag e, of yo u r co unt ry, of yo u r pe rs ona l

exper iences ;

they g i v e yo u acce ss to all ag es , to all c ou nt ri es ,

to all exp eri enc e. T h e y ta ke yo u ou t of the rut of l ife in the t o w n

y o u l ive in an d m a k e you a c i t ize n of the wo rl d . T h e y offer yo u t he

com pa ni on sh ip of the mos t in te res t ing an d inf luent i a l m e n a n d

w o m e n w h o ha ve ever l i ve d; they m a k e it poss ible for yo u to t ra vel

wi t hou t le av in g ho me, and to ha ve vaca t i ons wi th ou t t a k i ng t i me

from your wo rk . T h e y of fe r y o u i f yo u

w i l l

only accept their g i f ts

fr iends , t r ave l , the k no wl e dg e of l i f e ; they offer yo u ed uc at io n, th e

mea ns of m a k i n g you r l i fe w h a t yo u w a n t i t to be.

Eme rs on sa id : "T he re a re

850,000

vo lu me s in the Impe r ia l L i br ar y

at Pari s . If a m a n we r e to rea d in du st r i ous ly f ro m d a w n to da rk for

sixty years , he w o u l d d ie in the f i rs t a lc ove . W o u l d tha t so me char i

table soul, after los in g a gr ea t dea l of t i me a m o n g the false b o o k s a n d

a l i gh t ing upo n a f e w t rue ones , w h i c h ma de h i m ha pp y an d wi se ,

w o u l d n a me those w h i c h ha ve be en br id ge s or ship s to car ry h i m

s a f e l y over da rk mora sse s an d ba rre n oce ans , in to the h e a r t of s ac re d

cities, int o palaces an d te mpl es ."

Eme rs on 's wi sh , wh i ch is the gre at nee d an d wi sh of th ou sa nds

o f

earnest , ambi t io us peopl e , has bee n fu lf i l led . T h e fu lf i l lme nt is

Dr . E l io t ' s F i ve -Fo ot S h e l f o f B o o k s .


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What The Five-Foot

Shelf

Brings T o You

\ T O W yo u ha ve the Ha r v a r d Cla ssic s, s top for a mo me n t an d

^

th i nk jus t w h a t they me an to yo u Dr . El iot ' s Fi ve -F oo t

S h e l f

o f B o o k s br in g to yo u r side, in the com fo rt of your o w n hom e, a

libera l ed uca ti on , en te rt ai nme nt an d coun sel of the greatest me n the

world has ever seen.

T h e s e me n are the mak e rs of ci vi l i za ti on , the shapers of hist ory.

Y o u l i ve wi t h th em th ro ug h past ag es ; you k n o w their ach ie vem ent s ;

y o u

t rave l wi t h th em, d iscove r wi t h th em, hear their im mo rt al

say ings , l is ten to their pr of ou nd l o g i c , thri l l to their beau tif ul po em s

and stories.

T h e wo rl d ' s im mor ta ls s t and rea dy to tak e you in to their con

fidence.

Y o u

can liv e wi t h th em day by da y. Y o u can wa tc h Ce ll in i

won d er f u l c om bin a t ion o f ar t is t an d kna ve i n his dea l in gs wi th

pri nce s a nd pontif fs, his lo ve affairs and his du el s. Y o u can rea d the

let ters of Pl in y the Yo u n g e r , in wh i c h he asks wh et he r he shal l

destro y the "sect call ed Chr is t i an s, " an d those des cri bin g the destruc

t ion of Po mp ei i . Y o u can s tand w i t h Cic er o in the R o m a n Sena te

w h i l e he den oun ces Ca t i l i ne. Y o u revel in the del ight fu l hu mo r of

the eccentr ic Do n Q ui xo te , w h o gai ly set for th to bat t le w in dmi l l s ,

b e l i e v i n g t h a t

the y we re g ian ts .

Here

Are Romance, Humor and Adventure

Y o u

w i l l thri l l ag ai n to th e ad ve nt ur es o f the Bo y Da n a , st and ing

on the w i n d s w e p t de ck of his sai l in g ship as she enc ount ere d the

h az a r d ou s pas sag e a r ou n d C a pe Ho r n . Y o u w i l l respond to the lilt

o f He rr ic k ' s po em , as he wri tes , "G at he r ye rosebuds wh i l e ye may,

O l d

T i m e is s t il l a- f lying." Y o u w i l l rea d the fas cina ting orie ntal

adve n tur es to be fou nd in T h e T ho us a nd and On e Ni gh ts . Y o u can

see F r a n k l i n ha n g i n g ou t the la nt ern in front of his hou se , th e first

street l i gh t in A m e r i c a . Y o u can liv e w i t h the greate st me n in t he

in ti ma te per son al conc er ns of their dai ly existe nce. T h e r e is in all

l i terature no great er pleasure t h a n this.

B y o pe ni ng the pa ge s of a bo ok , to

t r anspor t

one sel f in a se con d

int o the ag e of Per icl es or th e Ga rd e n s of the Me di ci at Fl ore nce , is

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the mo de rn vers ion of Al ad d i n ' s la mp an d ma ke s on e mas te r o f

treasures more

r a re

an d lus t rous

t h a n

those w h i c h ad orn ed the

palaces of B ag da d.

Dr . El i ot ' s selec t ions co ve r ev er y field of h u m a n k n o w l e d g e . O n

the aut hor it y of this gr ea t ed uc at or an d scho lar , yo u ha ve at you r

e l b o w the mos t in te res t i ng an d imp ort an t b oo ks .

S o vas t i s the ran ge of T h e Ha r va r d C l a s s i c s , t h a t the y to uc h eve ry

phase of h u ma n in teres t . T h e y te l l of the gre at d iscover ie s an d

inv ent ion s of the ages , the epo ch -m a ki ng progr ess of our w o r l d i n

science

an d me di c i ne , an d they rela te the h is tory a nd de ve lo pm e nt

o f our

l a w s ,

our educa t iona l sys tems , an d ou r hum an i t a r ia n re f orms .

T h e y pre sent the su pr em e wo r k s of 302 of the wo rl d ' s im mo rt al ,

creat ive mi n d s ; essays, bi og ra ph y, fiction, his tor y, ph il os op hy, th e

supreme wr i t in gs wh i c h express ma n ' s ambi t io ns , ho pe an d deve lop

me nt th ro ug ho ut the centur ies .

" M y first re ad in g of the H a r v a r d C l a s s i c s , " w r i t e s a w o m a n

p u r

chaser, " g a v e m e a ple as ure li ke ne d un to finding sm al l pa rt icl es of

g o l d ,

an d the mo re I read, the mo re n ug ge t s of go l de n li t erat ure are

obtai ned th ro ug h a f ew min ut es of pleas ant re ad in g ea ch da y."

Ne a r l y a ha lf mi ll i on bu sy m e n a n d w o m e n are finding th e jo y of

ment al re laxa t ion an d s t i mul us in a f e w mo me n t s a da y spent w i t h

these books.


18/99

The

Magnificent Special Features in

The Harvard Classics

W

H A T ma ke s the H a r v a r d Clas s ics the greates t l ibrary of

l i t e ra tu re ever con ce i ve d? W h a t has bro ugh t these mar

v e l o us w o r k s in to the ho me s of nea rly a hal f mil l i on

peop le? T h e Ha r va rd Class ics mos t assured ly have supr eme qua l i t i es

t h a t

enti t le th e m to gre at nes s. Dr . El io t has g i v e n in this peerless

l ib rary t w o in com pa ra bl e boons to the wo r l d .

T h e first ha s be en to pre se nt a bri ll ia nt selec tio n of the p riceless

wr i t i ng s of al l t i me so tha t , as he said, " T h e i r fai t hful a nd consi dera te

r e a d i n g

w i l l

g i v e any man the essentials of a l iberal education, even

i f

he de vo te bu t fifteen mi nu te s a da y." T h e sec ond is fo un d in the

mag ni f ice n t g r ou p of ed i tor ia l fea tu res . T he se a r e :

T h e Introduct ory Lect ure s

The Footnotes

The General Index

T h e

In de x to the First L in es

The Chronological Index

The Readers ' Guide

T h e

Selecti ons for

B o y s

and Gir ls

The Lecture Volume

T h e Dai ly Rea ding Gu id e

T h e s e

m a k e the H a r v a r d Cla ss i cs l i ve to the reader , they indis

pe ns ab ly ai d h i m to ob ta in the ut mo st in en jo yme nt fr om his set .

T h e y t ran sf orm these imp er i sha ble b oo ks in to a l i vi ng, const ruct i ve

force

to enter t a in , s t im ula te and inspire h i m. T h e y ena ble th e

H a r v a r d Class i cs to ren der an edu cat ion al service unsurpa ssed by

any other set of books.

In br ief , these grea t exclu s iv e featur es com bi ne d w i t h the pr iceless

se lec t ions g i v e to ever y m a n a nd w o m a n the pr iv i le ge of a univ ers i t y

tr ai n i ng at h om e . T h e s e in va lu ab le features are descr ib ed in detai l

in the f o l lo wi ng pag es .

14


19/99

Introductory Lectures

I

N l ea f in g th rou gh the vo lu me s of Dr . E l io t ' s F i ve -F oo t S h e l f you

w i l l

pe rce ive tha t al l select ions are pr ec ed ed by an in tr od uc to ry

crit ical

essay. T he se you

w i l l

find o f th e gr ea te st in te res t for t h ey

c a l l to your a t ten t ion in a most fasc ina t in g and i l l umi na t i ng ma nn er

the c h i e f facts in the l i f e of the aut hor an d h o w he ca me to wr i t e tha t

parti cular bo ok . Y o u are told of th e wri te r 's per son al traits, hi s

s t r u g g le s and h is t r iu mph s w h i c h he lp ed to mo ld h is l i f e an d th e

contr ibut ion he has ma de to wo rl d l i tera tur e .

T h i s s kil ful ly-wr it ten essay is a "c ri t i qu e" of th e par ti cul ar s elect ion

t ha t f o l l o w s , est abl is hi ng its pla ce in l i te ratu re an d est im at in g it in

comp ari son wi t h other wo r k s by the sa me a u t h o r . La st ly i t su gg est s

w h y

youas a cul t iva te d ma n or wo ma n s ho u ld read i t . Y o u a re

to ld h o w m u ch to be l i eve o f Ce l l in i ' s f am ou s , b ra gg i ng Au to b i og

raphy, w h y Sir W al t e r Scott wa s forced to wri te f r om m o r n i n g to

midnight , and , to g i v e s t il l anoth er instan ce, the circ ums tan ces

sur

r o u n d i n g S a m u e l Johnson ' s bitte rly ir on ic letter to o n e of th e g re at es t

nobles o f En gl an d, Lo r d Ches t e r f ie ld .

A Series of Skilfully-written Essays

In se lect ion s, su ch as the bo ok s of th e B i b l e , you are told what is

mos t im po rt an t to lo ok for in these classics. F u l l ex pl an at io n is m a d e

o f the cont ent s of a piec e an d an appr ec ia ti on of th e be au ty an d p o w e r

o f

the selecti on is ge ne ra l ly g i v e n so

tha t

you m a y mo r e rea di ly per

c e i v e

i ts mer i t s . Com par is ons a re f requ ent ly ma d e be tw ee n on e w o r k

an d anot her . T h e s e are of un tol d assis tance in g i v i n g you a broad

v i e w of a certain period or of al l ied forms of l i terature and science.

I f you are making a s tudy of any given subject , you w i l l o f t en find

t ha t the In t rod uctor y Lec tu res furn ish yo u wi t h in for mat ion w h i c h

y o u ca n obt ai n n ow h e r e else. B y their vari et y, their si mpli ci ty of

state ment, an d th eir ful lnes s of deta il , these crit ica l essays are a mp l y

fitted to su pp le me nt th e selecti ons, a d d i n g gr ea tl y to you r interes t,

an d

w i l l

he lp yo u extr act the grea tes t benefi t fr om th e m. T h i s is

really ha v i ng univers i ty ins t ruc t i on a t ho me , an d mo re than tha t , b y

the greatest teacher of one of the greatest universities.


20/99

The

Footnotes

A N ext rao rdi nar i ly hel pfu l fea ture to the reader are th e vo lu mi no u s

footn otes w h i c h appear th ro ug ho ut the ent ire se t. E ve ry on e

o f

th e 22,462 pa ge s ha s be en car ef ul ly ed it ed so

tha t

reader and s tudent

m a y obta in the mos t f r om their rea di ng an d extract the ful l me a n i ng

f r o m the text.

T h e s e

foot note s in cl ud e exp lan at ion s of in vo lv ed passages, cross

references , int ere st i ng s ide l ight s an d cr i t i c isms. T h e y cont a in t i t les

o f

bo ok s for su ppl eme nt ar y rea di ng , phrases an d passag es t ransla ted

f r o m

the i r o r ig ina l fo re i gn l an gu age s , de f in i t ions o f wo rd s an d te rms,

br ie f accounts of the l i v e s of fa mo us peopl e me nt io ne d in the text ,

p ron unc ia t ion s o f s t rang e wo rd s , an d ma n y o ther inva lua b le he lps to

the reader.

Comprehensive and Highly Explanatory

T h e y

i ndi cat e dif feren ces of opi ni on, the y re vi ew t r ends of t ho ug ht

related to those in the subject

m a t t e r ,

they point out er rors o f j udg

me n t in the l i gh t of present day th in ki ng , they me nt io n imp ort ant

events w h i c h inf luenced cont emp ora ry wr i t i ng , they sh ow the bea r in g

on e scientif ic or g eo gr ap h ic di sc ove ry ha d on anoth er, th ey reve al the

re la t i ons exi st in g a m o n g dif ferent coun tr ie s , schools , an d re l i gions.

T h e y

c lear up obscu re me an i n g s in the w o r k s of the olde r wri t ers not

r ead i ly int e l l i gib le in the present da y.

T h e s e

exhau s t i ve foo tno tes th ro ug ho ut the en t i re fifty vo l um es ,

ena ble the reader to ga i n a ful l an d com pr eh en si ve kn o w l e d g e of t he

selec t ion wh i c h he is re ad in g. T h u s , the gre at p ieces of l i tera ture

w h i c h g o to m a k e up the Ha r v a r d Clas sic s are ren dere d com ple te l y

en joyable

an d und er st an dab le t o ev er yone . In every respect the foot

notes cor res pon d to the deta i led expl ana t io ns an d co mm en ts gi ve n

by

un ive rs it y lect urer s in their col le ge cour ses .

In no other work

w i l l

yo u find su ch dive rsi f ied an d usefu l i nf or ma

ti on on so m a n y subject s. T h e s e foot note s, co mp le te in ev er y detai l ,

w e r e

prepar ed by scholars w h o ha ve ma d e their l i f e w o r k the st udy

o f

this im mo rt a l l i tera ture . T h e y are bu t anot her sple ndi d featu re

o f t h e H a r v a r d C l a s s i c s .

16


21/99

The

General Index

T

H I S ma in In dex to the F i ve -F oo t S h e l f i s as co mp le t e as th e

h u m a n m i n d can m a k e i t. I t i s the on ly v o l u me of i t s ki n d

in exis te nce; ove r $50,000 an d a year of expe r t w o r k wer e spent up on

it. It contains 76,000 references and g i v e s inst ant access to the w o r t h

w h i l e books of every age tha t ha ve bee n wri t t en on every subjec t .

He re , i n fact , is the ex ha us ti ve ke y to thi s vast s tor eho use o

k n o w l e d g e .

T h e

In de x is ex tr em el y easy to use. P a g e 11 6 of the fift ieth v o l u m e

f u l l y

an d c lear ly expl ains the w a y in w h i c h conte nts ha ve bee n c o m

pile d. B u t ev en the perus al of this ex pl an at or y no te is al mo st un

necessary, for the In de x is ar ra ng ed so si mp ly tha t the reader

w i l l

find

no diff icult y in finding w h a t h e w a n t s .

T o the bus y m a n w h o wa nt s in fo rma t i on for a speec h, an ar t ic le ,

an advertisement, or an editorial , this Index renders a service

tha t

cann ot be co mp ut ed in ter ms of dol la rs a nd cent s . L o n g da ys of

search w o u l d not br i ng to ha nd the wea l t h of mat er i a l t h a t can be

obtai ned in a f ew min ut es th ro ug h th is source .

Cros s-i nde xed as th or ou gh ly as i t is , the re are f e w it em s t h a t can

possibly

escape you . Cer ta in ly the sub-divis ions of ea ch topi c w i l l

enable you to find instantly what you are looking for .

R e a l i z i n g the wo rt h of th is gre at wo r k of reference , De a n Ev a ns ,

o f t h e C h a t t an oog a L a w S c h oo l , s a id , " T h e I n d ex V o l u m e i s a m a r ve l

o f

ex cel le nce . By i t on e m a y easily trace the best th ou gh ts o f th e

wises t me n on al l topics of vi ta l h u m a n in teres t r un n i ng t hr ou gh

the ages."

The

Index to the First Lines

Par t i cular l y val uab le is the Ind ex to the Firs t L i ne s of po em s, song s ,

hy mn s an d psal ms ap pe ar in g in a l l the v ol um e s of the H a r v a r d

C l a s s i c s .

V e r y ofte n yo u hea r or r e me mb e r th e first l in e of a p o e m

qu ot ed an d are un ab le to establ ish the t i t le or th e au th or. T h i s I nd ex

g i v e s yo u the mea ns by wh i c h yo u can "p la ce " the verse in yo ur

o w n

m in d .

I f

you yours el f are hu nt i ng for a n apt quot at io n, a l i ne of poe try,

17


22/99

i8 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y

or even the

a u t h o r ,

his dates of birth and death, or the title of his

p o e m , yo u h a v e on ly to l oo k u p the first lin e of po et ry an d be re

fer red to the pla ce wh e r e the au th or an d his w o r k are me nt io ne d.

B y us in g this co nv en ie nt l is t of first l ines, yo u often save yoursel f

ho ur s of fruit less sear ch an d, in so me cases, me nt al em ba rra ss men t

at not being able to locate a w e l l k n o w n po em . In th is fash ion does

the Ind e x to Fi rs t L i n e s ta ke the plac e of a pri vat e secretary.

The

Chronological Index

V o l u m e

f i f t y

con ta ins a comp le t e chron olog ica l ind ex s ta r t ing wi th

the ear l ies t k n o w n dates , centur ies before Chr is t , an d c o mi n g do w n

to ou r prese nt da y. T h i s in de x lis ts the years of bir th an d de ath o f

the wo rl d ' s fa mo us me n, w i t h exp lan ato ry co mm en ts on each. I t

g i v e s da tes of indust r ia l , social , an d rel ig i ous revo lut ions , of decis ive

ba t t les , and w h e n ep oc h- ma ki ng speeches we re de l iver ed , on wh at

dates c lassic dr am as we re wri t t en , ac ted , and publ ishe d, an d w h e n

nota ble sc ienti f ic d isco ver i es we re ma de .

T h i s

I nd ex ma y be use d w i t h Dr . El iot 's presc ribed cour ses of

r ead in g , an d w i l l be in va lu ab le for ref ere nce . It is difficult to est ima te

the imp or ta nc e of th is spec ial ized in de x to the s tuden t of history, c i v i

l i z a t i on ,

l i terature an d al l ied subjec ts . T h e ent i re s tory of ma n k i n d

m a y be re ad fr o m this tabl e of date s.


23/99

The

Readers' Guide

T

H E Re ade rs ' G u i d e offers yo u course s of re ad in g an d s t ud y of

a broad educat ional n a t u r e . By fo l l ow in g the sugg es t ed ou t l ine

o f any course wh i ch you w i l l f i nd i n vo lu m e f i f t y , yo u w i l l ob ta in a

s p le n d id w o r k i n g k n o w l e d g e o f tha t subjec t comparable in every

w a y to tha t wh i ch yo u w o u l d rece ive in a un ive rs i ty . T he se courses

as laid ou t b y Dr . El io t are de si gn ed to aff ord a l ibera l, ge ne ra l

t r a in ing .

M o r e t h a n

an y o ther A me r i c a n educa t or , Dr . E l i o t i s r espons ib le

for ou r mo de rn me th od s of univ ers i ty te ac hi ng . H e ins pir ed an d

fo rmu la te d the edu cat iona l system not on ly at Ha r v a rd , of w h i c h he

w a s presiden t for fort y years , bu t he inf lue nce d th e cu rr ic ul um s in

schools an d col l ege s th ro ug ho ut the cou nt ry. T h e s e cour ses there fore

in w h i c h he to ok so gre at an interest an d care in ou t li ni ng for re a di ng

in the Ha rv a rd Class ic s bear the s t am p of the h i ghe st aut hor i ty.

The

Value of

Selected

Reading

Dr .

El io t wa s a s taun ch bel iev er in syst ema t i ze d re ad in g. H e he ld

tha t read in g so done , wo u l d lead to a l ibera l edu ca t ion . R e a d i n g not

so or ga n i ze d wa s of neg a t i ve va l ue . H e fe l t t h a t d i rec te d r ea d i ng

le ad in g progre ss ive ly th ro ug h a subjec t f ro m its s imp ler to i t s mo re

comp li cat ed aspects w a s the bes t poss ible t ra in in g. T h e re ad in g

courses in the Ha rv a r d Cl ass i cs represe nt h is ide a of orde r ly, w o r t h

w h i l e rea d in g for every m a n and w o m a n .

T h e i r value to the amb it iou s , ser ious

s t u d e n t

cannot be easily

es t i mated . A fai thful ca rr yin g out of the as s i gn men ts in the out l in es

w i l l

g i v e a very rem ark abl e k n ow l e d g e of the subjec t s s tud ied .

O u t of h is w i d e exper ience , Dr . El io t prescr ibes here e le ve n r ea di ng

courses . Th e s e are a l l on cul t ural subjec ts w h i c h f or m the ba ck bo ne

o f

a l iberal col leg e edu cat ion an d they em br ac e such in t ere s t i ng an d

ins t ruc t ive top ics as T h e Hi s t ory of C i v i l i za t i on , Re l i g i on an d Ph i

losophy, Edu ca t ion , Sc ien ce , Pol i t i c s , V o y a g e s an d Tr av e l s , C r i t i c i sm

o f

Li te ra tu re and the F i ne Ar t s , Dr a ma , B i og ra ph y an d Let te r s ,

E s s a y s ,

Na rr at iv e Poe try an d Prose Fi c t io n . In eac h of these wi de l y

diversified

subjects , Dr . El io t has ar ra ng ed a broa d, co mp re he ns iv e

' 9


24/99

20


rea d in g li st f r om the wr i t in gs app ear ing in the F i ve -Fo ot S h e l f and

ar ra ng ed th e m acc or di ng to subject an d the ord er in w h i c h they

should be read.

L o g i c a l l y ,

Dr . El io t choo ses the si mpl er selecti ons

f i rs t , which g i v e the el em en ta l or ge ne ra l surv ey of th e subje ct an d

gr a d ua l l y pr oc ee ds to th e mo r e difficult aspect s as th e read er

progresses .

A Comprehensive Study

Course

B u t

so

w i s e l y

has the gre at ed uca to r selecte d his lists,

tha t

the

topi cs for re ad in g are also ge ne ra ll y in chro no lo gi ca l orde r. In this

w a y yo u star t at the be g i nn i n g of ma n' s th ou gh t on a subject an d

f o l l o w

i t d o w n t hr ou gh the cent urie s. Dr . El io t has also wri t t en a

shor t descr i pt ion o f ea ch re ad in g course, ex pl ai n i ng i ts plan and

pu rp os e an d tel l i ng yo u w h a t is mos t im po rt an t to get fr om your

re ad in g. H e co mm e nt s briefly o n the classic selections and often

ment ions the

c h i e f

facts in the

l i v e s

of the fa mou s authors . T h e

shor t pre fa ce s in fact , ser ve th e sa me h i gh l y usef ul purp os e as a

professor ' s in t rodu ctor y re ma rk s in a c lass room.

In ar r an gi ng these courses Dr . El i ot has mi ng le d wi t h the ser ious ,

in ple asa nt prop ort io n, l i gh te r pieces in orde r to g i v e var iet y an d

en ter ta inment , as

w e l l

as ins truc tio n. T he s e in cl ud e nov el s reflecting

the

l i f e

of th e t i mes , wi tt y po em s, st i rr in g balla ds, an d essays dea li ng

appro pr iat e ly wi t h the subjec ts . D r . El iot ' s s impl e but th or ou gh plan

o f s tu dy ena ble s yo u to mas te r hi s courses w i t h the greatest benefit

to yourself . T h i s Re ad er s ' G u i d e is a val ua ble ke y w h i c h unl ocks the

k n o w l e d g e , the wi t an d wi s d om in the Ha rv a rd C l a s s i c s . It is bu t

anot her of the ma n y preci ous cont r ibu t io ns D r . El i ot ma ke s to the

caus e of real ed uca ti on .

It is no t at all ou t of th e w a y to su gg es t t h a t he h a d a ve ry def ini te

referen ce to the re ad in g courses w h e n he ma de

tha t

fa mou s s ta tement

abou t t h e Har va r d

C l a s s i c s ,

tha t , "th e fai thfu l an d consid erat e read

ing of these books w i l l g i v e an y m a n the essentials of a libe ral ed uc a

ti on e v e n if he de vo te to t h e m b ut fifteen mi nu te s a da y."


25/99

Selections for Boys and Girls

From T w e lv eto Eighteen Years of Age

P

R E S I D E N T

E L I O T in c on su l t a t i on w i th P r e s id en t Ne i l s on o f

S m i t h C o l l e g e prepa red a l ist of selec t ions fr om the H a r v a r d

C l a s s i c s sui table for the use of chi ldr en ra ng i ng in age fr om t we l ve

to e ig hte en years . T h e r e is no plac e wh e r e the Ha r v a r d Clas s ics f inds

greater usefulness t h a n to chi ldr en . I f yo u ha ve chi ld re n in yo ur

f a m i l y g r o w i n g b oys an d gir ls let t h e m ha ve free access to the

Harvard Class ics .

In order tha t the chi ld m a y ha ve a pleas ant in t rod uct ion to th is

m o n u m e n t a l w o r k , t he r e are here gi ve n those pieces w h i c h the bo y

or gi r l ca n re ad and en joy. Dr . El io t has chos en mo r e t h a n sixty

stor ies, po em s an d ar t ic les wi t h the num be rs of vo lu me s an d pa ge s

wh er e they appear in the F i ve -F oo t She l f . H e r e

w i l l

be f ou nd th e

wo rl d ' s best tales, pl ays a nd verse s ar ra ng ed i n the or de r in w h i c h

they are l ike ly to appea l to g r o w i n g chi ldr en . T h e eas ier , s impl er

tales c o m e first and g i v e the you ng er me mb e r s of the fa mi ly a sol id

fou nda t io n of in teres t ing , eas i ly und ers too d l i teratu re . A s the chi ldr en

deve lop , they can fo l l ow d o w n the list an d read the mo re ad va nc ed

selections.

T h u s , they ha ve secure d a gra sp on wo r t h wh i l e bo ok s

an d have dev el ope d a

taste

fo r r ea d in g wh i c h w i l l ev er be a co nst an t

sou rce of plea sure a nd satisf action.

They Create a Sound Cultural Background

T h e

H ar va rd Class ics br in g the g r o w i n g mi n d of the bo y an d g i r l

in contac t wi t h the greates t rea di ng of a l l t i me. T h e s e bo ok s

w i l l

serv e to w h e t the ir hea lt hy a n d eag er cur io si ty, for the y are the fines t

wr i t i ngs of the g rea tes t c rea t ive mi nd s of the wo r l d . T h e Ha rv a rd

C l a s s i c s

w i l l

br i ng to the g r o w i n g bo y an d gir l a fami l ia r i ty wi t h the

sup rem e l i terature , at the impr ess ion abl e a ge w h e n cul tur al habi t s

are fo rm ed for a l if et i me.

These se lec t ions w i l l

t r a in

your ch i ld ren to

t u r n

to the Ha r va r d

C l a s s i c s

for their ent er t a in ment , s t i mul at i on and recreat ion, a nd they

w i l l

use this gre at l ib rar y th ro ug ho ut thei r schoo l years .

21


26/99

The

Lecture Volume

T

H E addi t iona l vo l um e to the f i f t y v o l u me set is enti t led , " L e c

t u r es on the Ha r va rd C l a s s i c s . " T h i s ext raor din ary ser ies fa l l s

in t o twe lv e ma i n d iv is i ons o f k n o wl e d g e such as, His t o ry , Poe t ry ,

Na t ur a l Sc ien ce , Phi los ophy, Bi og ra ph y, Prose F ic t io n , Cr i t ic i sm a nd

the Essa y, Ed uc a t io n , Po l i t ica l Sc ien ce , Dr a ma , V o y a g e s and Trave l

and Re l ig io n , w i th each d iv i s ion con t a in ing

f i v e

lec tur es o n thos e

subjects . T h u s

t h e r e

are si xt y lec tur es i n all . If you

w i l l

t u r n

to Dr .

El io t ' s

shor t in t roduct ion , you

w i l l

sense the imp ort an ce he pu t s o n

thi s series of lec tu res in pr o mo t i n g th e edu cat io na l objec t he ha d in

mind when he made the co l l ec t ion .

A l s o

t u r n to Pres ide nt Neil so n' s

preface in wh i c h he says, th e lect ures op en the door to the H a r v a r d

C l a s s i c s " the great s torehouse of s t a n d a r d w o r k s in a l l the ma i n

de pa rt me nt s of inte l lectu al act i v i ty."

By an Array of Famous Professors

T h r o u g h these lectures, as Dr . Ne i ls on fur ther wri t es , the s tudent

i s

in tr od uc ed to a vast ra ng e of topics un der the gu id an ce of dis

t in gui sh ed professors . A m o n g these a re G e o r g e Pie rce Baker , p rob

ably

the bes t k n o w n teacher today of the dr ama in A me r i ca ; T h o m a s

N i x o n Ca rv er , th e mo st note d aut hori ty on pol i t ica l science and

e c o n o m i c s

in this country; B l i s s Per ry, fa mo us professor a t Ha rv ar d,

edi to r an d l ec ture r ; Ra l ph Bar t on Per ry, on e o f Am er ic a ' s outs tand

i n g

phi lo sophe rs and ma n y o thers equ a l ly pro min ent .

T o h av e the pri vi le ge to hea r this g r o u p of m e n spe ak or read thei r

gre at lecture s is an opp ort un it y wh i c h ca nn ot be mea su re d in ter ms

o f

dol la rs an d cents . T h e s e lectures

w i l l

do much to broaden your

o u t l o o k

an d ex te nd you r interest s to dive rsif ied, vita l br an ch es of

th ou gh t . T h e foo tno tes , too , in th is vo lu me furn ish sp le ndid s upple

men ta ry mate r ia l fo r rea din g . T h e y m a k e the au thor ' s me an i n g

per fec t ly

clear to yo u an d offer int eres t in g info rma ti on on the mat ter

in the text . T h e va lu e of this v o l u m e wi t h the other feat ures su ch as

the In t rodu ct io n , No te s , Gu i de s to Re a di ng and Indexes as Professor

N e i l s o n

s ta tes , "may t h u s cla im to const i tute a reading course

unpar a l l e le d in compr ehen s iv enes s an d author i ty . "

22


27/99

The Daily Reading Guide

P

R E S I D E N T E L I O T w ro te in h is in t rodu ct i on to the Ha r v a r d

C l a s s i c s ,

"In m y opi ni on, a

f i v e - f o o t

she l f w o u l d hol d b oo ks

en ou g h to g i v e a l iberal ed uca ti on to an y on e w h o w o u l d re ad t h e m

wi t h de vot ion , ev en if he cou ld spare bu t fifteen m in ut es a da y f or

rea din g." W i t h th is ver y defin i te ly in mi nd , w e ha ve pre par ed a

dai ly re adi ng gu id e in w h i c h the ass ignm ent s chosen appr opr i ate ly

e n o u g h ,

w i l l

t ak e the usu al pe rs on ab ou t fifteen mi nu t e s to re ad w i t h

leisurely en jo yme nt . T h e s e selections ass ign ed for ea ch da y in th e

year as you w i l l see, are in t rod uce d by co mm e nt s o n the

a u t h o r ,

the

subjects or the c h i e f c h ar ac te r s . T h e y

w i l l

serve to in tr od uce yo u i n

the most pleasant ma nn er poss ible to the H a r v a r d

C l a s s i c s .

T h e y w i l l

enable you to bro wse en joyably a m o n g the wor ld ' s im mor ta l wr i t i ng s

wi th ent er t a in ment an d s t imu lat i on in endless var i e ty.

Form this Pleasant and Exhilarating Habit

T o ta ke a f e w mi nu te s out of you r bus y da y to c o m m u n e w i t h these

gr ea t wri te rs of all ti me is on e o f th e finest ha bi ts possi ble . T h a t

fifteen minutes w i l l carry you on w i n g s of ro ma nc e an d ad ve nt ur e

to othe r l an ds , to the scenes of ot he r d ay s a n d

w i l l

brea k the mo no to ny

o f your days, w i l l cha ng e the course of yo ur th i nk in g, w i l l

g i v e

you

the pr ivi lege of contac t wi t h the gre at mi nd s wh os e wr i t in gs ha ve

st imula ted and inspired ma n k i n d ove r the centur i es .

A s

co mpre hen si ve as i t i s , the Da i l y R e a d i n g G u i d e does not

pre su me to exh aus t the we al th of interest a nd profit tha t l ies be t we en

the pag es of this gre at l ibra ry. W e beli eve t h a t on ce yo u ha ve be en

afforded a

tas te

of the del i ghts of the imp er i sha ble w ri t i ng s yo u w i l l

s t r a ig h tway t u r n bac k to read the larger w o r k s to wh i c h yo u ha ve

bee n so pleasant ly in t roduc ed. In add i t i on to the R e a d i n g G u i d e ,

y o u

h ave Dr . E l io t ' s Re ad in g Cou rse s as ou t l ined i n v o l um e

f i f t y

the re mar ka bl e cou rse of sixty lecture s and the ind ex wi t h i ts seven ty-

s i x tho usa nd references , a l l of w h i c h

w i l l

prov ide you wi t h fasc i na t ing

topics in an unf ai l i ng d ivers i ty. T h u s the Ha r v a r d Cla ss ics afford

y o u

in generou s measure en te r ta in ment and en cha n tm ent an d

intellectual s t imulus.


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J A N U A R Y

S T . A G N E S 'Eve Ah,

bitter chill

it was

The

owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;

The

hare limp'd trembling through the frozen grass,

And

silent wds the

floc\

in woolly fold. . .

K E A T S

(Vol.

41,

p.

883)

Franklin's Advice f o r the N e w Year

" R e s o l u t i o n : Resolve to perform wha t yo uough t; perform with

out fail what

yo u

resolve"was

one of the

rules

for

success

framed by Amer ica 's first "self-made"m a n .

Read

from

FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Vol.

i ,

pp.

79-85

Sc hool- Day Poems of John Mi lton

A t

the ag e of sixteen, Mi lt on first appe ared before the public

e y e

as a promi sin g yo un g poet. Th es e early verses, writte n wh il e

he w a s a b oy in school, indicate h isbrilli ant future.

(First

edition

of

Milton's collected poems published Jan.

2,

164;.)

Read:

MILTON'S POEMS

Vol.

4,

pp.

7-18

Cicero on Friendship

"Fire a n dwater are no t ofmor e universal use

than

friendship"

such

is the

hig h value

pu t

upo n this grea t hu ma n relationship

b y the most fam ous orator of Rome.

(Cicero born

fan. 3,

106

B. C.)

Read from

Cicero

ON F R I E N D S H I P Vol.9,pp. 16-26

A Flounder Fish Story

A

fisherman,

so the

story

g o e s ,

once caught

a

flounder

that

spoke,

b e g g i n g to be released. Th i s w a sgranted, where upon the fisher

man's w i f e demanded that it grant her onemira cle after

another,

until even the flounder wa s di sg us te d.

(Jacob Grimm, elder

of the

famous Grimm brothers, born Jan.

4,

178;.)

Read from GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES Vol. 17,pp.83-90

The Soaring Eagle a ndC onte nted Stork

M a z z i n i labored for the freedom ofItaly,b u t wa sexil ed. Byro n

and Goethe also battled

for

liberty. Ma zz in i wrote

a n

essay

in which he compare d Byron to a soaring eagle a n d Goethe to

a contented stork.

(Byron arrived

inGreece to

fight

forGreek,

freedom, Jan.5,1824.)

R e ad: Maz z i n i ' s BYRON ANDGOETHE

Vol.

32,

pp.

377-396


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8

FIFTEEN MINUTES

A

DAY

25

JANUARYReading Guide

10

11

^ Warned

by

H ect or's Ghost

In thedead ofnig ht He ctor 's gho st appeare d towa rn jEne as

o f

the impending doom tocome upo n thewall ed cityofTr oy.

.


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26

FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY

JANUARY

Reading Guide

1

2 What

Is

G ood Tas te?

A Tu rk is h sultan, relates Bur ke , wh en show n

a

picture

of the

beheaded John the Bapti st, praised ma ny things, but pointed

out one gr ue so me defect . Di d this obser vation sho w thesultan

to be

an

infer ior ju dg e of art?

(Edmund

Burke born Jan. 12,

1729.)

Read:

Burke ON

TASTE

Vol.

24,

pp.

11-26

J

Rou s se au Seeks San ct ua ry in E ngland

Rousseau

taught

that

menwere notcreated free and equal.

T o substantiate hisdar ing beliefshetraced man' s his tory ba ck

to

his

primitive beginning s.

For his

teachin gs, Roussea u wa s

f o r c e d toseek refu ge inEng land.

(JeanJacques Rousseau arrived in England, Jan. 13, 1766.)

Read from Rousseau's INQUIRY ON INEQUAL ITY Vol.34, pp. 215-228

JzJ. T he First Step T owa rd Ind epende nce

(Fundamental

OrdersofConnecticut adopted Jan. 14, 1639.)

T h e

Fund amen tal Orders

of

Connecticut

is the

first wri tt en

constitution

as a

perman ent limitation

on

government al power ,

k n o w n inhistory." It isthe wo rkofthe Connec ticut Y a n k e e .

R e ad:

TH E FUNDAMENTAL

ORDERS

OF CONNECTICUT

Vol.

43,

pp.

60-65

" T he M ov in g Finger Wri te s "

("Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" first published Jan. 1$,

/S59.)

Om ar K ha yyam laughed andenjoyed thegoo d things of l i fe .

Hi s "R ub ai yat ," the most popul ar philosophic poe m, is thebest

o f all books

to

di p into for an al lur ing tho ugh t.

Read from

T H E RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHA YYAM

Vol.

41,

pp.

943-953

I T he Old Wom an and the Win e Jar

A n

old wo m a n once foun d

a

wine jar,

but it

was empty.

She

s n i f f e d atthe m ou th ofthe jar and said: " W h a t memori es cli ng

'ro und the inst ruments of our plea sure ."

Read

from

JESOP'S

FABLES Vol. 17 , pp.43-44; also pp.31-43

JJ

Franklin' s Fam il y T ree

(Benjamin

Franklin born Jan. 17, 1706.)

G o o d

middle-class people, Franklin boasts, were hisances tors.

S o m e

have attributed

his

genius

to his

being

the

youngest

son

o f theyoungest son for

five

generations. In hisfam ous auto

biography, hereveals qua in t famil y history.

Read from

FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Vol. 1 , pp.

5-15


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FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY T]

JANUARY Reading Guide

Origin of Yale " Brek ek ek ex - K o- ax "

" S h a l l I crack any of those old jokes, maste r, at wh i c h the au di

ence

never fails to l a u g h ? " Li k e an up-to-date vaud evi lle

team, Xanthias and Dionysus start off a dialogue that mingles

w i t

and poetry with humor and keen satire.

Read from Aristophanes' T H E FROGS

Vol.

8,

pp.

439-449

1 Q Poe on Poet ry

Regarded

in Europe as one of America

' s

greatest write rs, Po e

originated the detective story, perfected the mystery short story,

and produced Amer ic a' s first great po ems . He re he un rave ls

the fabric of whi ch all poetry is wo v e n .

(Edgar

Allan Poe born fan. ig, i8og.)

Read from Poe's TH E POETIC PRINCIPLE Vol.28, pp. 371-380

20 "

A h 1 4 I s

St. Agnes' E v e "

(St. Agnes' Eve, Jan. 20.)

A t m id ni gh t on the eve of St. A g n e s there we re certain sol emn

ceremoni es wh i ch all virg ins mus t p erf orm to hav e "vision s of

delight

and soft adorings from their l o v e s . " Por phyro took ad

vantage of this custom to win his bride.

Read: Keats'

EVE OF ST . AGNE S Vol.41,pp.

883-893

2 J T he Ni ghtingale' s H eal in g Mel ody

T h e

E mp er or of Ch in a lies on his deat hbed gr ie vi ng for the

s o n g

of his favorite bird. Ha rk , the son g It cha rms , coax es,

an d bribes Dea th to depa rt. It bri ngs new

l i f e

to the mas ter .

Read from

ANDERSEN'S

TALES

Vol.

17 ,

pp.

301-310

22 A King's Pleas ure N o w You rs

T h e

classic plays of Fr en ch lite rature are pro duce d to-da y pre

c i s e l y

as wh en they wer e gi ve n for the re splenden t k ings they

w e r e

wri tt en to please. W e are fortunate to ha ve in En gl is h,

e x c e l l e n t translations of these noble plays.

(Corneille

elected to

French

Academy, Jan. 22, 1647.)

Read

from Corneille's POLYEUCTE

V o l .26, p p .77-87

Pasc al K ne w Men and T ria ngles

(Pascal

publishes "Provincial Letters," Jan. 23, 1656.)

P a s c a l , the keen -mind ed philoso pher and mathe mat ici an, fath

omed the human traits of man's nature with the same accurate

measurements which made him famous in the realm of geom

etry. Rea d his sea rchin g analysis of ma n' s conce it.

R e ad:

Pascal's T H E AR T OF PERSUASION Vol.

48,

pp.

400-411


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28


2 5

2 6


Odysseus Silenced the Sirens

W h e n his ship approached the siren's rock, Odysseus stuffed

the ears of his crew with wax and had himself bound to the mast

that

he mi gh t hear the al lu rin g voice of the siren an d yet not

w r e c k his ship on the enc han ted rock.

Read

from Homer's

ODYSSEY

Vol.

22,

pp.

165-173

A Field Mou se Mad e Fam ou s

A hu mb le Sco tc hman , pl ow ing his fields, turns over the nest of

a frigh tene d mou se . H e apo log iz es wi th the deepest sincerity

an d exp la ins h o w "the best-laid schemes o' mic e an ' me n g ang

aft agley."

(Robert Burns born Jan.

25, 1759.)

R e ad:

To

A MOUSE

and

Burns'

other

p o e m s . . . .Vol . 6, pp.

119-120 ,

388-394

I n the Cr adl e of Ci vi li zat ion

A ki ng w h o ento mbed his daug hter in a golde n cow the wor

ship of the bull and the catscandal of the court and the gossip

of the temple s is gi ve n by Hero do tu s in his del igh tfu l story of

old Egypt.

Read

from Herodotus' A N

ACCOUNT OF ECYPT

Vol.

33,

pp.

65-75

D ant e and Beatrice in Parad is e

Dante

f e l l

m adl y in lov e wi th Beat rice at first s ight ; but it is

do ub te d if he ever spoke to her in thi s wo rl d . H e tells of his

happy meeting with Beatrice in Paradise.

(Dante

victim of political persecution in

Florence,

Jan.

27, /

302.)

Read from

Dante's

DIVINE COMEDY

Vol.

20,

pp.

267-279

Man's Wings

A pur e heart, says T h o m a s a Ke mp is , compr ehe nds the very

dep ths of He ave n an d He ll . A n d it is by the wi ngs of simplicity

and purity that ma n is lifted ab ove all earthly t hings.

Read

f r o m T h o m a s a Kem pis Vol.

7,

pp.

242-249

Visits the Land of Fire

Sout h of Pata gonia is Tie rra del Fu e go " Th e La nd of Fire. "

T h e nativ es of that primitive country are to-day almost extinct.

D a r w i n m ade a careful and vita lly inter esting study of that land

an d its ill-fated inhab itant s.

(Darwin married Emma Wedgewood, Jan.29, 1839.)

Read

from Darwin ' s

VOYAGE

OF THE

BEAGLE

Vol.

29, 209-221

2 7

2 8

2 9


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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y 29


Don

Quixote, the ambitious amateur \night, was well ridiculed for

his pains. (See Reading Assignment for January 31st.)

A

F E W

B O O K S

A R E

B E T T E R T H A N M A N Y , A N D A L I T T L E

T I M E G I V E N T O A F A I T H F U L S T U D Y O F T H E F E W W I L L

B E

E N O U G H

T O

Q U I C K E N T H O U G H T

A N D

E N R I C H

T H E

M I N D . C H A N N I N G .

First Prob lem Play Po pu la r

A n t i g o n e , an orph an princess, defies a king's mandate a n d risks

her l i f e

to do her

duty

to her

brother. W h a t

is

this duty wh i ch

her brother calls

her to

perform

an d the

ki ng forbids?

(Sophocles

died

at

Athens, Jan.

30, 405 B. C.)

Read

from Sophocles'

ANTIGONE

Vol.

8,

pp.

255-266

^

J What " D o nQ ui x ote" R eally Slew

S l a y e r

of

windmills, rescuer

of

fair dams els

i n

distress , eccent ric

D o n Qui xo te , scores of years behind h is time, set out on a mad

quest

of

knight-errantry. Wo rl ds

of fun and

killing satire

are

in this absorbing story ofCervantes.

Read

from

D ON

QUIXOTE Vol.

14,

pp.

60-67
http://night/http://night/


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30

F I F T E E N M I N U T E S

A

D A Y

F E B R U A R Y

. . . howling Winter

fled

ajar

To hills that prop the polarstar;

And

loves on deer-borne car to ride

With barren darkness at his side . . .

. . . sullen Winterl hear my

prayer,

And gently rule the ruin'd year . . .

C A M P B E L L

(Vol.

41,

p.

772)

J

K ing A rt hur' s K nights Find H ol y Grail

T h e

intrepid Kn ig hts of the Ro un d Ta bl e wer e startled by

" c r a c k l i n g a n d

crying

of

thun der" wh ic h rang through

the

great

hall

of the castle. T h e n there entered " T h eHo l y Gra il covered

w i t h

white samite."

Read

from

Malory's T H E

HOLY GRAIL Vol.35, pp.

1 1 2 - 1 2 3 .

2

"Apparel

O f t

Proclaims

the M an "

B e f o r e his son ,Laer tes, departs fo r a foreign country, Polonius

a d v i s e s

h i m as to hisconduct a n ddress, while Ham le t, th eking's

son, has to learn by experience.

(Shakespeare's twinsHamnet and Judithbaptized Feb.2,

1585.)

Read from

Shakespeare's

H AMLET Vol.46, pp. 107-120

2 A

H o u s e

of

Mirth

and

R ev elry

W h i l e th e cat's away the mice w i l l play. Boisterous a n d ludi

crous happenings occur in a house left in charge of a servant.

B u t

in

midst

of

merriment

the

mast er returns.

(Ben

Jonson receives life pension from James

I,

Feb.

j , 1619.)

Read

from Jonson's

T H E ALCHEMIST

Vol.

47,

pp.

543-558

J "Genius ,

a

Secret

t o Itself"

T h u s

wrote C a r l y l e , w h o affirms that great minds are uncon

s c i o u s

of their stup endous strength. A n d each of us ha s hi s

o w n

pecu lia r men ta l attributes.

(Thomas

Carlyle died Feb.

4, 1881.)

Read

from

Carlyle's

CHARACTERISTICS

Vol.

25,

pp.

319-327

^

Diam onds, Diam onds Ev erywhere

Tr apped

in a

valley filled wi th hu ge di amo nds g uar ded

by

venomous

serpents, Sindibad devised a clever means o f escaping

w i t h

many of the gli t ter ing j e w e l s .

R e ad

from T H E THOUSAND AND ON E NI CHTS Vol.

16 ,

pp .

243-250


35/99

FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY 31

FEBRUARY Reading Guide

^ Charles L amb Su gges ts T o- day' s R ead ing

T h e reluctant pan gs of abd ica tin g royalty in 'E d wa rd ' fur

nished hints whi ch Shakespe are scarcely imp rov ed in his 'Rich ard

the Second, ' and the deat h scene of Ma rl ow e' s K i n g moves to pity

and te r ror ."

C H A R L E S L A M B .

(Christopher Marlowe born Feb. 6, 1564.)

Read from Marlowe's EDWARD THE SECOND Vol.46, pp.73-89

J A Letter fr om a Lion

Johnson wa s not alwa ys a conve ntio nal guest. Gra cio usl y treated,

he responded in li ke manner , but offende d, Johnson cou ld wi el d

a pen dripping with vitriol.

(Samuel Johnson

writes to Lord Chesterfield, Feb. 7,

1755.)

R e ad:

LET TE R TO LORD CHEST ERFIELD

Vol.

39,

pp.

206-207

g

T ragic D ea th of a World - Fam ou s Bea u ty

B u t I, the Qu een of a' Scot lan d, ma un lie in prison Strang."

Burns sings of poor Mary bound by chains, yearning for the day

w h e n flowers would "bloom on her peaceful grave."

(Mary, Queen oj Scots, beheaded Feb. 8,

1587.)

Read

from

BURNS' POEMS

Vol.

6,

pp.

396-406

P

Rest Bet ween Wars

T a c i t u s , the historian, visited the virile German tribes in their

pri mit ive homes on the banks of the Rh in e. H e wa s surprised

to learn

that

the me n so active and eager in wa r lolled in i ndo

l e n c e

during the intervals between.

Read

from

Taci tus ON GERMANY

Vol.

33,

pp.

93-102

J Q N o Fanc y for a Plai n G ent le m an

V o l t a i r e once visited Co ng re ve . T h i s fa mou s dramati st re

quest ed to be rega rded only as a pla in ge nt le man. " H a d yo u

been

that

I should ne ver hav e com e to see you , " Vol ta ir e cynica lly

r e p l i e s .

(William Congreve baptized Feb. 10, 1670.)

Read

from

Voltaire's LETTERS ON THE ENGLISH

Vol.

34,

pp.

130-140

J J T he Q u een Freezes H er Phil os ophy

Descartes

was slain through the eccentric whim of a queen who

demanded that he tutor her in the freezing dawn in the dead

o f wint er. Hi s phil osophy lives in this essay.

(Rene

Descartes died at Stockholm, Feb. 1 1 1650.)

Read

from Descartes'

D I S C O U R S E O N M E T H O D

Vol.

34,

pp.

5-20


36/99

32 FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY

15

16

FEBRUARY

Reading Guide

J 2 O x fo rd Corrects Lincoln's M istak e

L i n c o l n hi msel f th ou gh t his famo us Ge ttysb urg Add res s wa s a

f a i l u r e . To -d ay the wh ol e wo rl d accl aims its greatness. Cas t

in bronze, it hangs on the wall of B a l l i o l C o l l e g e , Oxford, re

garded as the perfection of English prose.

(Abraham

Lincoln born Feb. 12, 1809.)

R e a d : LINCOLN'S WRITINGS

Vol.

43, pp. 415-420

J ^ T he Frank Story of an A m az i ng Life

A t

the age of fifty-eight Be nv en ut o Ce ll in i shaved his head

and retired to a monastery to write his own story of murder, pas

s i o n ,

an d gre at deeds of the Rena issa nce. Hi s l i f e is a

v i v i d

pic

ture of the most colorful period in history, a period when state

craft

and religion and black magic and assassination were naively

m i n g l e d

in men's l i v e s .

(Benvenuto

Cellini died Feb. 13, 1570.)

R e ad

from

CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Vol.

31,

pp.

68-80

J J.

L ove A l ways You ng

( 5 / .

Valentine's Day.)

Pascalan

original geniuspurposed to master everything that

w a s ne w in art and science. H e was a mat hemat ici an and scientist

as

w e l l

as a rel igious enthus iast an d mor alist , and he shows a

d e c i d e d l y

human side of his nature in this superb essay on

L o v e .

R e ad: Pascal's. DISCOURSE ON THE PASSION OF LO VE . . . . V o l . 48, pp. 411-421

T he Worl d Well Lost?

T h e r omanti c and heedless love s of Ant on y and Cleop atr a figure

pr omi nent ly in history, literature, and dr ama. Dryd en ma de a

fascinating

pl ay fr om the story of Antony, w h o sacrificed th e

leadership of Rome, reputation, and l i f e i tself for love of the

E g y p t i a n queen, who followed him in death.

(Mark.

Antony offers Casar crown at Rome, Feb. 15, 44 B. C.)

Read from Dryden's AL L FOR LOVE Vol.18, pp. 53-69

Social Circles A m on g A nts

A n t s have slaves w h o wo r k for th em. Th es e slaves ma ke the

nests, feed the master ants, tend the e g g s , and do the moving

w h e n a colony of ants migr at e. Da r wi n min utely describes the

habit s and li ves of the indus trio us ants and their mar ve lous social

organizat iona won der to ma nki nd.

Read

from Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES Vol. 1 1 , pp. 264-268


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FIFTEEN MINUTES

A

DAY 33

BRUARYReading Guide

Death H i sC u rta in Call

W h i l e acting

in one of h i s o w n

plays, Mo lie re

w a s

suddenly

stricken a n ddied shortly after th e final curtain. H e took an im

portant

role

in

"Tar tuff e" wh ic h introduces

to

literature

a

char

acter

as

famous

as

Shak espear e's Falstaff.

(Moliere

died Feb.17, 1673.)

Read from Moliere's TARTUFFE Vol.26, pp. 199-217

Las ting Peac e wi t h Great Brit ain

A l l Americans should know this treaty which finally inaugu

rated a n era of peace a n d good understanding wit h E ngl an d.

For

over

a

hundre d years this peace

h a s

been unbro ken.

(Treaty

with

Great Britain proclaimed Feb.

18, 1815.)

Read:

TR EA TY WITH GR EAT BRITAIN

( 1 8 1 4 ) Vol.

43,

pp.

255-264

Eart hly Ex perience of a Chinese God des s

T h e thousandth celestial w i f e

of the

Gar land

G o d

slipped

and

f e l l t o

earth, w he re

she

took me rtal form

a n d

served

as a n at

tendant

i n a

templ e. Dea th finally released

he r an d she

went

b a c k to

heaven

to

tell

h e r

lord

of th e

ways

o f

men.

Read

from the

BUDDHIST

WRITINGS

Vol.

45,

pp.

693-701

Voltaire Observes t he Quakers

B e c a u s e

the

early Qu ak er s shook, trembl ed,

a n d

qua ked wh en

they became inspiredthey received

th e

title

o f

"Qua kers ." Th is

se c t

attracted the keen-minded Voltaire, w h oma de interesti ng

notes

o n

them duri ng

h is

visit

to

England.

Read from Voltaire's

LETTERS ON THE ENGLISH

Vol.

34,

pp.

65-78

Does Football Make a College?

Just what makes

a

university?

A

group

o f

fine b uildi ngs?

A

library? A

staff

o f

well-trained teachers?

A

body

o f

eager stu

dents?

A

wi nn in g football team? Car din al N e w m a n defines

the prime functions o f a university.

(Cardinal

Newman born Feb.21, 1801.)

Read from Newman's T H E I D E A

O F

A

U N I V E R SI T Y

Vol.28, pp. 31-39

A n

O d e for

Washington' s Birt hday

(George

Washington born Feb.22,

1732.)

Burns asks

fo r

Columbia's harp,

a n d

then sings

of

liberty.

H e

b e w a i l s

th e sad

state

of the

land

o f

A l f r e d

a n d

Wallace wh ich

once

championed liberty,

a n d n o w

fights

fo r

tyranny.

Read

from

BURNS'

POEMS Vol.6,pp.

492-494


38/99

34 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y

2 4

2 5

2 6

2 7

2 8

Lights and S had ows of M il ton

In a superb p oe m, Mi lt on bids Loa the d Mela ncho ly begon e to

some dark

c e l l .

H e calls for the joys of you th and v o w s eternal

faith with them.

(John

Milton marries his third wife, Elisabeth Marshall, Feb. 24, 1662.)

R e ad:

MILTON'S

POEMS

Vol.

4,

pp.

30-38

Punished for Too Sharp a Wit

T h e brilli ant wit and cutt ing satire of Defoe made for him

friends and e nemiesbut most ly ene mies. So pie rcing and two-

e d g e d

was "The Shortest-Way with Dissenters" that he was

fined, impr isoned and pil lor ied.

( The

Shortest-Way

with

Dissenters" censored, Feb.

25,

1703.)

R e a d : T HE SHORTEST-WAY

WITH

DISSENTERS

Vol.

27,

pp.

133-147

A D av i d Who Sid e-s tepped Gol iath

H u g o wa s insult ed by the most powerful critics in Fra nce . H e

put into the preface of a play "his sling and his stone" by which

others mi gh t slay "the classical Go li at h. "

(Victor

Hugo born Feb. 26, 1802.)

R e ad: HUGO'S

PREFACE TO

CROMWELL Vol. 39, pp . 337-349

Poet Apostle of Good Cheer

(Longfellow

born Feb. 27, 1807.)

" Tel l

me not in mournful numbers , life is but an

empty

dream . . ."

"Stars of the summer n ight Far in yon azuredeeps"

S o

begi n poems

that

have charmed and cheered thousands.

Read

from

LONGFELLOW'S POEMS

Vol.

42,

pp.

1264-1280

Spoke Latin First

(Michel

de Montaigne born Feb. 28,

1533.)

P r o f i c i e n t in Latin even before he knew his own tongue, Mon

taig ne received an unusu al educat ion. Hi s who le l i f e was spent

in sto ring up his cho ice th ou gh ts for our profit and pleasure .

Read

from Montaigne's

ESSAYS

Vol.

32,

pp.

29-40

FEBRUARY Reading Guide

2^ Pepys ' N os e for N e ws

G o s s i p y , witty Pepys had a curiosity that ma de hi m famou s. H e

k n e w

all the ne ws of cour t and street. Ste venson , w h o never

put his pen to a dull subject, writes of Pepys.

(Samuel

Pepys born Feb. 23, 1632.)

Read

from Stevenson's

SAM UEL PEPYS

Vol.

28,

pp.

285-292


39/99

FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY

FEBRUARYReading

Guide

35

LEAP

YEAR

Goethe's Tale of a Maiden in Love

T o

either Saint Patric k or the Scottish Parliament of 122 8 g o

the honorsor dishonorsof originating

the

traditions att endi ng

this d a y ;says the latter, "il\a maiden ladee, of baith high and

lowe estait,shall hae libeitie to spea\ ye man she li\es."

T h e

course

of

true

l o v e

runs smooth

in

Goethe's narrative poem,

en

dur ing today

for its

characterization

a n d s w i f t - f l o w i n g

lines.

Begin

HERM ANN AND DOROTHEA

Vol.

19 ,

p.337;also p p .395-410

Dr. William Harvey established the fact that the arteries carry

blood by

feeling

his own pulse while in a hot bath. (See Reading

Assignment for

June

3rd.)

A B L E S S E D C O M P A N I O N I S

A

B O O K , A B O O K T H A T F I T L Y

C H O S E N I S A L I F E - L O N G F R I E N D . D O U G L A S JERROU LD.


40/99


M A R C H

Old Winter bac\ to the savage hills

Withdraweth his force, decrepid now.

G O E T H E (Vol. 19, p. 43)

I n v e n t e d S ir R o g e r d e C o v e r l y

W o r d p ic t u r e s are o f t e n m o r e v i v i d

than

p h o t o g r a p h s . S t e e l e

h a d a g i f t for o r i g i n a t i n g c h a r a c t e r s

that

are r e m e m b e r e d l o n g e r

than

flesh a n d b l o o d p e o p l e . Si r R o g e r de C o v e r l y a n d

W i l l

H o n e y c o m b are n o w b o ld f igures in l i t e r a t u r e .

(First issueof the Spectator, published March 1 ,

1711.)

R e a d : T H E S P E C T A T O R C L U B V o l .

27 ,

p p .

83-87

W h a t S a i lo r s D o on S u n d a y

" A s a i l o r ' s l i b e r t y is bu t for a d a y, " as D a n a e x p l a i n s . D r e s s e d

i n

his

S u n d a y b e s t ,

the

s a i l o r f e e l s l i k e

a

d a s h i n g B e a u B r u m m e l ;

a n d s e t s ou t to e n j o y his f r e e d o m . " W h i l e it l a s t s it is p e r f e c t .

H e is

under

n o o n e ' s e y ean d can do w h a t e v e r he p l e a s e s . "

Read f ro m D a n a ' s T w o Y E A R S B E F O R E T H E M A S T V o l .

23 ,

p p . 112-119

F o r P o e t s and F i s h e r m e n

I s a a k W a l t o n , f a m e d patron of f i sh e rmen , a p p rec i a t ed o t h e r

arts a n d

h o b b i e s .

H e

w r i t e s

of

G e o r g e H e r b e r t ,

a

p r e a c h e r

w h o s e h o b b y w a s p o e t r y .

(George Herbert died March3, 1633.)

R e ad from Wal ton 's L I F E OF G E O R G E H E R B E R T V o l .

1 5 ,

p p .

373-382

P e n n P i o n e e r , T h i n k e r , and B u i l d e r

(King

Ch arles grants Penn charterof Pennsylvania, March4, 1681.)

P e n n ,

true

to Q u a k e r b e l ie f s , c a m e b e f o r e the k i n g w i t h his

h a t o n . T h e k i n g o v e r l o o k e d t h is a n d la t er m a d e h i m g o v e r n o r

of P e n n s y l v a n i a . A s a g a c i o u s P e n n is r e v e a l e d in his w r i t i n g s .

Read from Penn's S O M E F R U I T S OF S O L I T U D E V o l .

1,

p p .

321-330

L a u g h e d a t L o c k s

P r i s o n w a l l s w e r e the l e a s t o f C e l l i n i ' s t ro u b l e s . " L o c k m e w e l l

u p a n d w a t c h m e , for I s h a l l c e r t a i n l y c o n t r i v e to e s c a p e . " In

s p i t e of t h i s w a r n i n g , the u t m o s t c a r e of the j a i l e r s o n l y f u r n i s h e d

a m u s e m e n t for the d a u n t l e s s C e l l i n i .

Read from C E L L I N I ' S A U T O B I O G R A P H Y V o l .

3 1 ,

p p .

214-224


41/99


37

RCHReading Guide

West Point's O u tc as t, Ameri ca' s First G reat Poet

(Poe

expelled from West Point, March 6, 1831.)

Edga r

A l l a n Poe wa s expell ed from W es t Poin t and disinh erite d.

S o

poor was he

that

when his young

w i f e

lay dying, he could

not afford a fire to wa r m her. T h e wei rdn es s and despa ir of

" T h e Ra ve n" is particularly symbo li c of his l i f e .

R e ad:

Poe's T H E

-

R A V E N Vol. 42, pp. 1227-1230

Bacon Warns Ju d ges

B a c o n pointed out that a judge's duty was to interpret laws and

not to make l a w s . T h i s sing le essay of Bac on' s is a richly con

densed summary of the ethics of law.

(Bacon

made Keeper of the Great

Seal

of England, March

7, 1616.)

R e ad:

Bacon

O F

JUDICATURE

Vol.

3, pp. 130-134

D anger ou s E x peri me nt wi t h a Wif e

A n s e l m o and Lotha rio were close friends. An s el mo , anx iou s to

learn if his w i f e were perfect, as he believed her to be, makes

an unusual proposal to his old friend.

Read

from

Cervantes' DO N

QUIXOTE Vol.

14, pp. 307-319

C om m on Sense and Good Manners

S w i f t

regretted the laws against dueling because dueling at least

w a s a go od mean s of ri dd in g the coun try of bores and f o o l s .

Hi s ke en eye penetr ated social cus toms an d sa w the co mm on

sense

that

governed good manners.

(Passage

of laws against dueling in England, March

9, ^679.)

R e ad: TREATISE

ON

GOOD MANNERS

Vol.

27, pp. 99-103

Bea u m ont T he Ad onis of El iz abethan Pla ywri ghts

In the days when contact with the theatre me an t exile fr om the

best society, Be au mo nt and Fle tche r, me n from g oo d famili es,

dared to ally themselve s wi th the stage as pl aywr ig ht s. "Ph il -

aster" won them immortal praise.

Read

from

PHILASTER

Vol.

47, pp. 667-677

Gain Gl eaned from Su ffering

W e are paid for our suffer ing and w e pay for our hap piness .

E v e r y ache, every sorrow receives its recompense here on ear th.

Emerson g i v e s the basis for this conviction.

(Emerson

ordained Unitarian minister, March

1 1 ,

1829.)

Read

from Emerson's

COMPENSATION

Vol.

5, pp. 85-92


42/99

13

14

38


15

16

17

MARCH Reading Guide

J 2

A n I r i s n

Bishop's Wit

B e r k e l e y bel ieve d in a gre at reli gious future for Am er ic a. H e

l i v e d three years in Rhode Island, and made plans for a college

in Bermuda.

(Bishop

Berkeley bom March 12, 1685.)

Read from Berkeley's THREE

DIALOGUES

Vol. 37, pp. 228-238

Before No bi l i ty Ra n Tea Rooms

Manzoni has pictured in this thrilling romance of the seventeenth

century nobility, the pompous and sporting life of those good old

d a y s

when nobles lived sumptuously in spacious castles sur

rounded by vast estates.

R e ad

from Manzoni 's I PROMESSI

SPOSI

Vol.

21,

pp.

318-332

A Mai den' s For fei t

" T h i s

g en t l ewo m an that ye lead wi th yo u is a m a i d ? " dem and ed

the kn ig ht . "S ir ," said she, "a ma id I a m. " " T h e n she mus t

y i e l d us the custom of this castle."

(Malory, recorder of King Arthur stories, died March 14, 1470.)

Read

from

T HE

HOLY

GRAIL

Vol.

35,

pp.

194-200

Be wa re th e Ides of Ma rc h

(Ides of March, March 1;.)

T w i c e

wa rn ed of the dan ge r that threatened him on the Ides

of Ma rc h, al th ou gh "the earth rocke d and the stars

f e l l

and

headles s me n w al ke d in the F or um , " Caesar goes to the do om

awaiting him in the Senate Chamber.

Read

from Plutarch's

CESAR

Vol.

12,

pp.

315-321

Cra bs Cl im b T rees?

M a n y

a ma zi ng thi ngs happ en in the Ma la y jungl es. F or ex

ample, Darwin tells about a crab that climbs trees and walks

d o w n

the trunks for an occasional bath in a pool.

Read from Darwin ' s VOYAGE

OF THE

BEAGLE Vol.

29,

pp.

466-475

A n Ol d Irish Le ge nd

(St. Patrick's Day.)

A n

old Irish leg en d tells ho w, wh il e St. Pat ri ck was pre ach ing

about Paradise and Hell, several of his audience begged to be

a l l o w e d to inv est iga te the real ity of these place s. St. Patr ick

actually satisfied their curiosity.

R e ad

from

T H E

POETRY

OF THE

CE L T IC RACES Vol.

32,

pp. 174-182


43/99

F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y 39

R

Reading Guide

N e w W a y to Pa y O ld Debts

A cu nn in g uncle cheats

h is

worthless ne phe w

o u t of his

fortune.

T h e nephe w, lau ghi ng stock

of his

fo rme r servant s, sets

o u t to

retrieve h is old position a n driches.

(Massinger

buried March 18, 1640.)

Read

from

A NEW WAY

TO

PAY OLD DEBTS

Vol.

47,

pp.

859-870

Seeing O l d Egypt

T h e mysterious Egyp ti an temple s,

th e

floating islands,

th e

huge

pyramids

an d the

man y wo nder s

of

ancient Eg ypt

a re

pictured

for

you by Herodotus.

(Last recorded event in Herodotus' history dated March 19, 478 B.C.)

Read

from Herodotus' A N ACCOUNT OF

EGYPT

Vol.

33, pp. 72-84

Apples, Feathers, and Coals

Sir Isaac N e wt o n wa s aided

in his

mome nto us discoveries

000 harvard classics

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