Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1920. THE ART OF READING.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 November 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1920. THE ART OF READING.

Several years ago Sir Arthur Quil-ler-Couch, comments a Sydney paper, published some delightfully urbane lectures on the art of writing, in which he analysed style, and Iby precept and illustration showed his students what they should cultivate and what avoid A pendant to this is “THe Art of Reading”, in which he discusses the whole rationale of the teaching of English, and suggests the lines along which literary appreciation can be best developed. Like many another whose duty it is to act as guide in th© rich pleasanco of English literature, Sir Arnold Quiller-Couch realises with regret that he must trim the cloth of desire with the shears of necessity. Art is long, life is short, and the sojourn of th e undergraduate in academia is shorter still. There is so much to do and so brief a time to do it in. j Knowledge is such a vast domain that no one can hope to explore more than ! it« fringes. No one could possibly read, let alone digest, the accumulated, and still aoumulating stores. Books, good, , bad, and indifferent, multiply, but , th© human capacity of assimilation is ■ not inoreased. The burning of the I great library of Alexandria in 642 A.D ; is usually regarded a« an irremediable loss to civilisation,! NJjut to the author's mind the tragedy was not that the incendiaries burned immensely, but that they had neither the leisure nor t.h 0 taste to discriminate. He would argue, indeed, that it would not have been a bad thing, if periodically the libraries of Europe had shared the fate of the Alexandrian library, and indeed, this- would have got rid of much useless stuff which merely cumbers the . shelves. But, after all, there was also much that was well worth preserving, and who was to be the judge? Fasliions change; the ugly ducklings of one age are the swans of th e next. If Voltaire had been charged with the selection of what was to be sacrificed and what spared, he would, though an acute critic, have consigned Shakespeare’s plays to the flames without compunction, and it is doubtful whether a 17th. century tribunal would have allowed Chaucer to survive, or an 18th. century one would have thought the later Elizabethans worth keeping. Th© risk involved in thes© periodical “cleanings j up” would ho too great. Since the student cannot read all he should take ! care to read the best, and the art of reading consists in making a judicious choice. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch is something of a modernist. Age is not • a disqualification—indeed, liie defends : the classics as an invaluable factor in the formation of taste—but it is not j in itself, a recommendation. We should j not read a thing merely because it happens to he old, neither should we , refuse to read it for that reason. But he frankly regards some of the subjects and metjhods of study in vogue as unprofitable. Why should the student be rtequired to waste his time over 15th. century writers, whoso interest is slight, and whose importance is mainly historical. Of course Sir Arthur Quilelr-Couch is on sure ground • when ho deprecates mere antiquarianism. But it is quite possible to make out a case for some acquaintance with i Hoclevo, Lydgate, and their contem- * poraries. To know a. language requires j some language of its structure; to know a literature requires some know- j ledge of its historical development, even in its more barren ages. In the same j way, while everyone will agree that ' many commentators in seeking to elu- ' cidate th© text merely succeed in over- ! loading it with otiose detail, dislike for “notes” may he carried too far. ; Clearly, unless the reader understands the meaning of a passage, or the point of illusion, his appreciation will be imperfect. However, although Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch would jettison lumber which has outlived its usefulness, or has never possessed any, he is no revolutionary. Great literature is eternal ; its study should he a living thing. , 'His aim is to make it so, a.nd these lectures arc full of stimulating and sug gestilve thoughts clothor in gracious language, and illuminated hV many an effective phrase and apt illustration.

was sold for $1,500,000 and $3,000,000 will be spent in making it one of the best equipped ships afloat. It is expected to start on its oruise about January 15th., 1921. Accommodation Will ho provided on the steamer for 700 American manufacturers, who will accompany their exhibits and demonstrate them in foreign ports. Th© Von Steuben, of 15,000 tons gross was formerly the i-aider Kronprinz Wilhelm. The purpose of tho cruise is, of course, to develop foreign trade and to sell American products in foreign countries. It is felt that the floating exhibit will lie an, advertisement for the United States and that a large volume of business will be transacted on the vessel. If the first cruise proves successful the trip will - be made permanent. Active but unofficial support has been promised by the: Shipping Board, the Department of Commerce and other Government departments. This will give an idea to British exporters of tho sort of competition that they will have to contend with in the future in an attempt to capture the commerce of the world. Americans are going out bidding for foreign trade as they never did before, and it means that British trade will have to move fast and move strongly to retain some of their trade abroad, and to secure new customers Trade will naturally go to the swift and to tho strong.

There was not as wide an interest taken in the County elections as might have been expected, nor as the circumstances, warranted. The .Northern Riding showed its satisfaction with it past representation in the County Council by paying Messrs Murdoch, Duff, and Ward the 'Compliment of jre-eleoting them unopposed. In the Central Riding Mr H. H. Monk is the only fresh name in the field, and he meets the three sitting members, Messrs Chestermnn, Morel and E l . A. Wells. The Southern Riding has produced th© best “field,” there being six candidates for three seats. Mr Ferguson having dropped out, the Hon. Grinnnond, and Mr Bruce offer themselves for re-election while the new faces include Messrs Chinn (Tetaho), Jeffries (Hokitika), Ritchie (Hokitika), and Searle (Herepo) These two polls take place on Wednesday of next week. The required number of members were secured for the Westland Eliectric-Power Board without a contest. The gentlemen elected are wellknown and constitute a useful body which will require to do a good deal of spade work in formulating a power scheme for the district based on ! economic lines. Mr Chapman has dropi ned out of the Harbor Board in the | County representation, his place being \ taken by Mr M. Houston, who will . have Mr C. J. Nightingale as a colleague. There has been a material change in the County representation on , the Charitable Aid Board. This is an ; important Body to th© County ratepayers as a large amount of the district | revenue is paid to the Board. The south | district is well -represented in new memi hers, which is important also, as the j southern territory contributes a large proportion of the payments to carry on : hospital and charitable aid administration. while the south locality is making special claims for more consideration in respect to medical services. Half the new members bar© intimate knowledge ofythe south, and their experience should be useful to the Board in dealing with southern requirement The members will have a special service to perform in regard to dealing with the general expenditure, the m-i;o" portion of which will be drawn from the County funds with an upward tendency as far as valuations are concerned.