CARLYLE A CENTURY AGO

Evening Star, Issue 23699, 5 October 1940, Page 4

CARLYLE A CENTURY AGO

“ Monday, July 10, was the hundredth anniversary of a public meeting held at the Freemasons’ Tavern in support of the founding of the London Library, at which Thomas Carlyle made his one public speech (apart from his rectorial address at Edinburgh). The following are extracts from the speech : “ ‘ A good book is the purest essence of a human soul. . The found-

ing of a library is one of the greatest things we can do with regard to results. It is one of the quietest of things; but there is nothing that |I know of at bottom more important. Everyone able to read n good book becomes a wiser man. He becomes a similar centre of light and order and lust insight into the things around him.

“ ‘ A collection of good books contains all the nobleness and wisdom of the world before us. Every heroic and victorious soul has left his stamp upon it. A collection of books is the best of all universities; for the university only teaches us how to read the book; you must go to the book itself for what it is. I call it a church also which every devout soul may enter—a church but with no quarrelling, no church rates . . . “ ' The remainder of the sentence,’ says the reporter. ‘ was drowned in cheers and lamrhter, in the midst of which Mr Carlyle sat down.’ ” — 1 The Times.’