Lord Rosbery on Reading.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 21 December 1912, Page 15

Lord Rosbery on Reading.

"I have spent my life in opening libraries. My stock of remarks on that subject has long been exhausted," said Lord Koiebery, in opening another Carnegio library at Peebles. "I am wearied to death of libraries. I live in them, and when I como out them to talk about them, I feel the subject is so hackneyed there _ is reaily no more to be said. But 1 will say a few words to young peoplo on libraries. "It is no use speaking to old pcop.o, because tlioy have already formed their idejLS and habits, and would not bo changed in them even if a man spoko with the tongue of men or of angels. But there are a few things a veteran ill life may say not uselessly to the young about books and their uso and misuse, in tho iirst place, let me say this. I think you have tho best library tlm world Kin offer for the formation of character —and after all the object of all libraries and ali such appliances must bo . ill the long run tho formation of character—in. the natural beauties of your country. NATURE'S BEAUTIES. "For tho formation of character tho glories of Nature are better than any books. I know these beauties, because I have had the privilege of walking through tlieiu with tho late Protejsor i Veitch, still, I am glad to see, a _ house-, hold name in Peebles, who was so imbued with the 'poetry and glory of these localities. 1 am one of those—though 1 suppose philosophers or statisticians could bring hundreds' of arguments to prove me wrong—who do believe iu tho influence of natural beauty and scenery upon character. I have always thought—it may be a fancy—that there is more actual and potential poetry in a Scottish shepherd in those localities than there is, perhaps, in any other class. He walks these solitudes untroubled by any consideration except his flock. He is perpetually encompassed by tho glories of Nature from sunrise to sunset, and even in the nicht ho sees features of Nature at times that other men do not see them. Ho lives embosomed in the ■ atmosphere of Nature, and when I see these men walking along your solitudes I believe theru is in them an actuality or potentiality of poetry which exists in no other, doss of men. , "If that be so may not we who livt< in these districts have some particle ot the elevation of mind which a shfepherd receives from the contemplation _ot the "lorie3 of Nature? I am not saying tiial this is a sufficient education in itself—to be born and to live in beautiful scenery -but 1 do say this: Tho elevation oi mind produced by such contemplation must raise humanity nearer to God, and though, after all, that is not all—Nature cannot give all, Nature cannot give every thing—yet at any rate she must, m mj conscience, I believe, be able to contribute; a noble part and a high mspira- j tiou in the formation, of character. i ABOUT BOOKS. "I view books from a threefold point of view. In tho first place they furnish tho tools [that you require for your various professions—law, theology, engineer.iug, whatever it may be. As to those tool' I can say nothing, because they each relate to a separate faculty, if I may use the expression, and to deal withj them would be much too technical a I'oct for my discourse to-day. Then they furnish to you literature, and. they iurnish to yon recreation. What about literature? I suppose literature means th« standard books-that is, the highest form of literature. What, are the standard books? That is a-question-that-1 am quite ready to ask, but .which I do not propose -to answer. I suppose some' people would say that the standard books aro those lists of tho.hundred best books that competent gentlemen are so ready to furnish on the slightest possible occasion. BEADING MASTERPIECES. "Loi'd Acton, who was perhaips the most learned man of our time, and one of the most genial and intellectual, furnished a list of a hundred books that he wished his son to read, and we, knowing his great reputation, all rushed to this list,

and wo found that it consisted of a huit , drod books, mostly German, almost entirely theological, none of which I had • ever heard of .before, aJid-as to which, as the list was posthumous, we always feel; > a lurking doubt whether it was not a' joke which Lord Acton bequeathed to us.' • But at any rate X may say this in regard: to all these lists of the hundred best; ) books which wo are supposed to read—tho ? standard' works in" literature. I firmly ' believe this: that if a man in his lion- • esty and conscience proceeded to read the hundred liest books in any list right', through, he would never wish to read anything again. 1 believe that the best literature for everybody is the literature;; that they can assimilate, that they can'' digest.. No intellectual stomach will ■gest everything. "I believe it to bo an enormous mistako for people to toil through masterpieces of literature without caring for them or un-- • demanding them, and feel they have dono a virtuous act when they have completed - ! them. I believe that is as great a mistake as anybody can make. On tho other hand, remember this: To understand and' • appreciate masterpieces we have to educate ourselves, we have to be educated' " into tho appreciation of what is supreme-'' • ly good. That holds good, especially, I • think, in regard to pictures, j How many ■ • - of us could go through a great gallery v; of pictures from which tho nanies_ of the; •> > painters were all removed, and (pick out a.Raphael among them?. In the same '. way we cannot hope to proceed direct 1 • from the teaching of the thrc-o. R's to'.»r» appreciate all tho beauties of a -great C author. ■ UNREAD MEN. "Some of the best men and moat sue-' - r cessful men I know have had no" pleasure in reading at all, but they have had to"" * replace it—thoy liavo chosen to replace' it—with the society of the best men and women they could find, and I am not all sure, fond of books as I am, if that' - be not a better and more successful edu-/ cation than books themselves. But- at any rato a combination of tho two' is" the ideal. • "Remember this, that books nre - good friends and good servants, but bad' ters. The 'book-worm -who ombeds"him-"" self in his books in the solitude of- his';-;, library feeds on his lonely mulberry leaf ' for all eternity without producing any-., silk at all. I would earnestly warn those mo3t enthusiastic readers, lest they allow- ' • theij besetting delight to become ' something like a besotting sin. Man was not • t meant to live by books alone,' but;tho opportunity of reading such as is given ... by this admirable institution, opportunity — of readng, of plucking and culling, of ■ • selecting a literature for yourself is one of the greatest boons which poor human- -y ity can receive. '

SCOTTISH CHARACTER. "My chatter is nearly come to an'ond," " concluded Lord Rosebery. "I would .ask - you,-'however, to remember tins* that ixwks and libraries, and /Nature; and -the conversation of good and w&e men are - onlv really valuable and good as far as they conduce to the formation of character. What we have to prize most in.' Scotland is the character of our raco. "■ It has fought its way through all the difficulties of climate and soil, and of oppressive enemies in the south. -It-has - fought its way through all the dark Do-. minions outside these islands which Scottish character, Scottish industry, ■ Scottish thrift, Scottish euerirv have developed '. into being the most brilliant provinces of ■ the Crown. It will, I do not doubt, m. Ion? davs to come, days which for some ■ of 'us 'may look dark and doubtful, but... of which no one should despair us long ns the character of the nation remains un- ■ • disturbed and unpolluted, it will continue , to maintain in the long days to come this ' ancient' Kingdom of Scotland in the primacy of 'the civilised world."

"Oliver Cromwell had an iron wijl, ait unsightly wart, and a large red nose, hut underneath were deep feelings!" is a school boys' rapid character-sketch of the great Protector. In the English-speaking communities of tae world it .is estimated that there are 10,000,000 peoplo'of the Baptist religion. At the accession of Queen Victoria, the amount of the National Debt stood at nearly £788,000,000, while at tho end of' iast year.the net amount of the debt waa about .£78,000,000.