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 .
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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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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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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
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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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
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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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
13
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.
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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 .
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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.
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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 .
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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,
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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.
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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
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20
F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
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."
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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 .
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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
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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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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
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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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
F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
2 5
2 6
JANUARY Reading Guide
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
JANUARY Reading Guide
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
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
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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
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13
14
38
F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y
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
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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