000_harvard_classics - reading guide

8/6/2019 000_Harvard_Classics - Reading Guide

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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 SE D I T E D B Y C H A R L E S W . E L I O T , L L . D .

Fifteen Minutesa Day

The Reading Guide

P. F. Collier & Son CorporationN E W Y O R K


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Copyright 1 9 3 0BY P. F . COLUKK & SON COMPANY

MANUFACTURE IN U. & A.


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The Purpose ofThis BookT H I S bo ok wa s prep are d an d is sent to yo u w i t h one pur pos ein v i e w , to ena ble yo u to profi t in full me as ur e fr om th ewr i t in gs of the imm or t a l s w h o m yo u hav e a t your be ck an dc a l l in the Ha rv ar d Class ics .

T h i s gre at co mp an y of the wises t , the wit t ies t , the most in t ere s t i ngminds of all ages and every land w i l l af ford yo u en te r ta i nment inendless 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 car ryy 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 ofus are m a k i n g ou r w a y. I t is the n to the coun t le ss hou rs in w h i c hy o u w i l l w a l k in step w i t h these gr ea t th in ke rs o f all t i me t ha t th i sb o o k is dedicated .

T h e Ha rv a rd Class ics are "al l th i ng s to al l me n. " T h e y areuniversal in their appeal and universal in their power to bes towpleasure, s e l f sat is fact ion an d the joy of me nt al g r o w t h to eac h ma 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?HO W often does t ha t quest ion co me to al 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 theirdead l y mo no to ny of the co mmo np la ce . W e wa nt someth ing to car ryus 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 mexis 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 n e wvi ew p oi nt up o n our pro bl ems , to ena ble us to ge t a fresh ho ld up onourse lves .

T h e n i t i s , t h a t the Ha r va r d Cl ass ic s f in d their place. T h e y mee te v e ry ne ed , the y ent ert ain w h e n no othe r bo ok can , the y ex hila ratea n d they satisfy. T h e y br in g to yo u the rare p leas u r e o f c om m in g l in gwi 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 chan nel s . F o r the Ha rv a rd Class icsto uc h eve ry facet of h u ma n in teres t . He re be ck on in g to you arero man ce , adv ent ure , dr am a an d myste ry. Re a d to your hear t ' scon te nt in these full bl oo de d bo ok s fu ll of thri l l , s t i mulu s an dd e l i g h t .

The Never-Ceasing Fascination of These Boo\sY 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 l osoph yo f Fr an kl in , to Froissar t ' s ent ra nci ng Chr oni c le s , to the breathlesspo em s of Br o wn i n g , to the wri t i ng s of the prophets of the myst iceas t, to the g lo r io us m o v i n g prose of Bu r k e an d Ma ca ul ay, and so onth 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 theH a r v a r d Cla ssi cs easily at ha nd o n you r des k or table to rea d an dto br ow se th ro ug h. Do n ' t pu t your set a wa y in a d is tant book cas ewh e r e yo u mu st g o to ge t th em . Th e s e are fr iendl y book s to ha venea r yo u , th ey ar e the best of co mp a n io ns at all ti mes . T o be able tore 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 busyday, in which you are t r anspor t ed to oth er wo rl ds an d oth er t imes isa pr iv i lege t ha t canno t be he ld l igh t l y . T h e Ha rv ar d Class ics w i l lre 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 theho 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 ProblemD R . C H A R L E S W . E L I O T fo r fo r ty yea rs P r es id en t o f Ha r v a r dUn ive r s i ty , ac c la im ed wi t h o u t q u es t ion Am er i c a ' s g r ea t e stscholar an d educa tor , w a s em in en tl y fi t ted to select ou t of the wo rl d ' sl 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 thep r ogr es s o f m a n obs e r v in g , r ec o r d in g , i n ve n t in g , an d im ag in in g f r omthe 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 aneducator of the s t an di ng of Dr . El i ot . Ne v e r befo re ha d a que s t io no f such un usu al publ ic imp or ta nce recei ved the t i me an d at t ent i ontha t has be en app li ed to the sele ction of the con te nt s of the H a r v a r dC 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 dta ke n definite fo rm , I ha d mo re t h a n once s ta ted in publ ic t ha t in my

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 sen 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 ew h o w o u l d read the m wi t h dev ot i on, ev en i f he co ul d spare bu tfifteen min ute 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 ma k ea 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-footshelf, and be w e l l ada pte d to ac co mpl is h the edu cat ion al objec t I h adin m in d .

"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 tw el ve mo nt hs ; for the que s t i on of ex clu s i onor inc lus ion of ea ch i t em ha d to be care ful ly con si de re d f ro m e ve ryposs ible angle .

Harvard University Sanctions the Title"I t w a s fur ther prop ose d t ha t the set be cal led the H a r v a r dC l a s s i c s . In vi e w of this pr opo se d na me , a n d of the fact t ha t I hadbeen pres ident of Ha r va rd U ni ve rs i t y for nea r ly for ty years , I as ke dthe 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 ct ion , f r om the point of vi e w of the Uni ve rs i ty, to m y acce pt in g the

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8 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Yproposal 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 t ha t they saw no objection, and tha t , in their ju dg me nt , theu n d e r t a k i n g , i f w e l l car rie d out , w o u l d pr ov e a usefu l one fr om theeduca t iona l po in t o f v i e w .

Dr. Eliot's Aim" M y a i m w a s no t to select th e best f i f t y , or bes t hu nd re d, bo ok s in

the wo rl d , bu t to g i v e , in twe nty- t hre e tho usa nd page s or thereab outs ,a pi ctu re of the prog res s of the hu m a n r ace wi t h in historica l t ime s, sofar as t ha t prog ress can be depi c ted in bo ok s . T h e purpo se of T h eHa r v a r d Clas s ics is , therefore, one d ifferent f ro m tha t of col lec t ionsin w h i c h the editor ' s a i 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 rist ic a re co rd of the stre am of the wo rl d ' s t ho ug ht t ha t the observantreade r 's m i 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 eth 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 suchk n o w l e d g e of anc ie nt a n d mo d e r n l i teratu re as se eme d essential tothe twe nt i et h-c ent ury idea of a cul t iva ted m a n . T h e bes t acquis i t i ono 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 t h i nk in g;bu t the re mu s t be ad de d to t ha t possess ion acq uai nta nce wi th thepr od ig io us s tore of rec ord ed discover ie s , exper i ences , an d ref lec tionsw h i c h h um a ni ty in i t s in te rmit ten t a nd i r re gula r progres s fr ombar bar is m to c iv i l iz at ion has acq ui red an d la i d up.

Liberal Education Defined" L i b e r a l edu cat ion acc ompl ish es t w o objects . I t prod uces a l iberal

fr am e of mi n d , a nd it ma k e s the stu dio us and reflective recip ientacq uai n te d wi t h the s t r eam of the wor ld ' s tho ugh t and fee l ing , an dw 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 smy hope and b e l i e f t ha t fifty vo lu me s mi gh t accompl i sh th i s r esul tfor an y in t el l ige nt , amb it i ous , an d pers is tent reader , whe th er h is ear lyoppo r tu ni t ies for ed uca t i on has bee n lar ge or small . Su ch wa s theed u c a t ion a l pu r pos e w i th wh i c h I u n d e r took to ed i t T h e Ha r v a r dC 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 9c a l l y cons ide red , the series be gi ns w i t h por tio ns of. the sa cred bo o kso 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 ofG 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 heM 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 representati 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 ar r iv ing a t mo de rn t im escom pr eh en ds selec t ions der ive d fr om I taly, t h r ee cen tu r ies of Fran 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 s om et h in gm o r e t h a n a cen tur y of the Un i t e d Sta tes.

"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 edesirable for the rea der to rere ad those v o l u me s or pas sag es w h i c h hefinds mo st inte rest ing, an d c o m mi t to m e m o r y m a n y of the pieces ofpoetr y w h i c h st ir an d upli ft h i m . I t is a sourc e of ex qu is i t e a n den 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 sexpress ions of h i gh tho ugh ts an d beau t i fu l i ma ge ry.

" T h e elaborate a lphabet ical in de x is in t end ed to g i v e any personim me di at e access to an y au tho r or an y subject me nt io ne d in the ent irecol lect ion, and indeed to any passage in the fifty v o l u m e s t o w h i c hthe inqu i rer has a go od c lue . Th i s fu l l ind ex ma ke s T h e Ha rv a rdC l a s s i c s conv eni ent boo ks of reference.

Cooperation of Harvard University"It w o u l d ha ve bee n imp oss ibl e to pe rf or m the task sa tisfact ori 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 rieso f Ha rv ar d Uni ver s i ty ha d not bee n at d isposal . T h e ra nge of th etopics 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 nw h i c h the des ired books were or ig inal ly wri t ten so great , t ha t theadvice of speciali sts, ea ch in so me po rt io n of the field, h a d fr eq ue nt lyto be so ugh t. I obt ai ned mu c h val ua bl e ad vi ce of this sort f ro mscholar ly fr iends an d nei ghb ors .

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

special w o r k they we re in t end ed to do . T h e publ ish ers ha ve advi se dm e tha t near ly a hal f mi ll io n sets ha ve be en pl ace d in the ho me s ofenthusiastic purchasers, and tha t a stream of unsolici ted let ters of


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10 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Yap pr ov al co me s f ro m these ow ne rs . I ha ve myse lf be en surprised tosee h o w oft en I t u r n to the coll ect ion to enj oy pieces of pe rma ne ntli tera ture, in contras t wi t h the mas s of ep he mer al re ad in g m a t t e rw h i c h I a m ob l i ge d to g o th ro ug h.

" On e m a y h ope t ha t the col lec t ion w i l l en du re for decade s to com e,not onl y as a m o n u m e n t an d mile sto ne, but also as an active forceto 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 LifeD 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 el imitat ions of you r age , of you r cou ntry, of you r per sona lexper iences ; they g i v e yo u access to all ag es , to all cou 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 ny 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 hecom 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 dw 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 rav elwi 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 mefr om your wo r k . T h e y offer y o u i f yo u w i l l only accept their g i f tsfr iends , t r ave l , the k no wl e dg e of l i f e ; they offer yo u edu cat ion , themea 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 l u m e s in t h e I m per i a l L ib r a r yat Pari s . If a m a n we r e to rea d in du st r i ous ly f ro m da w n to da rk forsixty years , he w o u l d d ie in the f i rs t a lc ove . W o u l d t ha t some 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 dal 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 wise ,w o u l d na me those w h i c h ha ve bee n br i dg es or sh ips to carry h i ms a f e l y ov er da rk mora sse s an d ba rre n oce ans , in to the h e a r t of sacredcities, in to palaces an d temp les ."

Eme rs on 's wi sh , wh i ch is the gre at nee d an d wi sh of th ou sa ndso f earnes t, ambi t io us peopl e, has bee n fu lf i l led . T h e fu lf i l lme nt isDr . E l io t ' s F i ve -Fo ot S h e l f of B o o k s .


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What The Five-Foot Shelf Brings To You\ T O W yo u ha ve the Ha rv a rd Class ics , s top for a mo me n t and

^ 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 fo 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, al iberal edu cat ion , ent er t a in ment an d counsel of the greates t me n theworld 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 pas t ag es ; you k n o w their a chi eve men ts ;y o u t rave l wi t h th em, d iscove r wi t h th em, hear their im mo rt alsay ings , l is ten to their profound l o g i c , thri l l to their beau tif ul po em sand stories.

T h e wo rl d ' s im mor ta ls s t and rea dy to tak e you in to their confidence. Y o u can l ive wi th the m d ay by day. Y o u can wa tc h Ce l l in iwon d er f u l c om bin a t ion o f ar t is t and kn av e in h i s dea l i ngs wi t hpri nce s a nd pontif fs, his lo ve affairs and his du el s. Y o u can rea d thelet 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 ldestro y the "sect call ed Chr is t i an s, " an d those des cri bin g the destruct ion of Po mp ei i . Y o u can s tand wi t h Cic er o in the R o m a n Sena tew h i l e he den oun ces Cat i l ine . Y o u revel in the del ight fu l hu mo r ofthe 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 they we re g ian t s .

Here Are Romance, Humor and AdventureY o u w i l l thri l l ag ai n to th e ad ve nt ur es of the Boy Da n a , s t 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 theh az a r d ou s pas s ag e a r ou n d C a pe Ho r n . Y o u w i l l re spo nd to th e lilto 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 or ient aladve n tur es to be fou nd in T h e Th ou sa nd a nd O n e Ni gh ts . Y o u cansee 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 firsts t reet l i ght in A me r i ca . Y o u can l ive wi th the greates t me n in thein ti ma te per son al conce rn s of their dail y existe nce. T h e r e is in alll i terature no great er pleasure t h a n th i s .

B y o pe ni ng the pa ge s of a bo ok , to t r anspor t oneself in a secondint 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 Magnificent Special Features inThe Harvard ClassicsWH A T ma ke s the Ha r v a r d Clas s ics the greates t l ibrary ofl 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 t o the ho me s of near ly a half mil l ionpeop le? T h e Ha r va rd Class ics mos t assured ly have supr eme qual i t i est h a t enti t le t h e m to gre at nes s. Dr . El io t has g i v e n in this peerlessl ib rary t w o in com pa ra bl e boon s to the wo r l d .

T h e first ha s be en to pre se nt a bri ll ia nt select ion of the price lesswr i t i ng s of al l t i me so tha t , as he said , " Th e i r fa i thful a nd considerater e a d i n g w i l l g i v e any man the essentials of a l iberal education, eveni 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 themag ni f ice n t g r ou p of ed i tor ia l fea tu res . Th e se a re :

T h e Introductory LecturesThe FootnotesThe General IndexT h e Index to the First LinesThe Chronological IndexThe Readers ' GuideT h e Selections for B o y s and GirlsThe Lec tu re VolumeTh 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 indispe ns ab ly ai d h i m to ob ta in the ut mo st in en jo yme nt fro m his set .T h e y t ra nsf orm these imp er i sha ble b oo ks in to a l i vi ng, const ruct i veforce to enter t a in , s t imul ate and inspire h i m. T h e y ena ble theH a r v a r d Class ic s to ren der an edu cat ion al service unsurpa ssed byany other set of books.

In br ief , these great exc lus ive featur es com bi ne d w i t h the pr icelessse lec t ions g i v e to ever y m a n an d w o m a n the pr iv i le ge of a unive rs i tytr 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 li n t h e fo l l ow in g pag es .

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Introductory LecturesI N l ea f in g th rou gh the vo l um es of Dr . E l io t ' s F i ve -F oo t S h e l f yo uw i l l pe rce ive t ha t al l se lect ions are pre ced ed by an in tr odu cto rycrit ical essay. Th e se you w i l l find of the greatest interest for theyc a l l to your a t ten t ion in a most fasc i na t i ng and i l l umi na t i ng ma nn erthe c h i e f facts in the l i f e of the aut hor a nd h o w he ca me to wr i t e t h a tparti cular bo ok . Y o u are told of th e wri te r 's per son al traits, hi ss 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 and thecontr ibut ion he has ma de to wo rl d l i tera ture .

T h i s ski l ful ly-wr i t t en essay is a "c r i t i qu e" of the par t i cular se lect i ont ha t f o l l o w s , est abl is hin g i ts p lace in l i tera ture a nd es t i mat in g i t incomp ari son wi t h other wo r k s by the sa me a u t h o r . Last ly i t sugges tsw h y youas a cul t iva te d ma n or wo ma n s ho u ld read it . Y o u a reto 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 tomidnight , and , to g i v e st il l anoth er instan ce, the circ ums tan ces surr o u n d i n g S a m u e l Johnson ' s bitt erly iron ic letter to on e of th e gre at estnobles o f En gl an d, Lo r d Ches te r f i e ld .

A Series of Skilfully-written EssaysIn se lect ion s, su ch as the bo ok s of th e B i b l e , you are told what is

most impor ta nt to loo k for in these classics . F u l l ex pla na t i on is m a d eo f the conte nts of a piec e an d an appr ec ia ti on of th e be au ty an d p o w e ro f the selection is general ly given so t ha t yo u m a y mo r e rea di ly perc 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 wo r kan d anot her . T h e s e are of un tol d assis tance in g i v i n g you a broadv 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 often findt ha t t he In t roduc to ry Lec t u re s fu rn i sh you wi th in fo rm a t i on w h i c hy 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 ofstate ment, an d the ir ful lness of deta il , these crit ical essays are a mp l yfitted to su pp le me nt the selecti ons, a d d i n g gr ea tl y to you r interes t,an d w i l l hel p yo u extract the greates t benef i t f r om th em . T h i s isreally ha vi ng univers i ty ins t ruc t i on a t ho me , an d mo re than tha t , b ythe greatest teacher of one of the greatest universities.


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The FootnotesA N ext rao rdi nar i ly hel pfu l feature to the reader are th e vo lu mi no u s

footn otes w h i c h appear thr ou gh ou t the ent ire se t. Ev er y on eo f the 22,462 pages has been carefully edited so tha t reader and s tuden tm a y obta in the mos t f r om their re ad in g an d extract the ful l mea n i ngf 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, crossreferences , in te r es t i ng s ide l ights an d cr i t ic i sms. Th e y conta i n t i t le so f bo ok s for su ppl eme nt ar y rea di ng , phrases an d passag es t ransla tedf 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 people 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 l uab l e he lps tothe reader .

Comprehensive and Highly ExplanatoryT h e y in di cat e dif feren ces of opi ni on, the y re vi ew t r ends of though t

related to those in the subject m a t t e r , they point out errors of j udgme n t in the l i gh t of present day th in ki ng , they me nt io n imp ort antevents w h i c h inf luenced con te mpor ary wr i t i ng , they sh ow the bear ingon e scientif ic or g eo gr ap h ic di sc ove ry ha d on ano the r, the y reve al therela t i ons exi s t in g a m o n g dif ferent count r ies , schools , an d re l igi ons.T h e y clear up obscu re me an i n g s in the wo r k s of the olde r wri t ers notr ead i ly int e l l i gib le in th e present da y.

T h e s e exh aus t i ve foo tno tes th ro ug ho ut the en t i re fifty v o l u m e s ,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 th eselec t ion w h i c h he is re ad in g. T h u s , the gre at p ieces of l i tera turew h i c h g o to ma k e up the Ha rv ar d Clas s ics a re rendere d co mple te lyen joyable an d und er st an dab le t o ev er yone . In every respect the footno tes cor res pond to the de ta i l ed exp lana t i ons an d com men ts g i ve nby uni vers i ty lecturers in their co l le ge courses .In no other work w i l l yo u find su ch dive rsi f ied an d usefu l i nf or mat ion on so ma n y subjects . T h e s e footnote s , co mpl et e in eve ry deta i l ,w e r e prep ared by scholars w h o ha ve ma d e their l i f e w o r k the s tudyo f this im mo rt a l l i tera ture . T h e y are bu t anot her splen did featu reo 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 IndexTH I S ma in In dex to the F i ve -F oo t S h e l f is as co mp le te as theh u m a n m i n d can m a k e it . I t i s the on ly v o l u me of i t s ki n din exis te nce; ove r $50,000 an d a year of expe r t w o r k we re spent up onit. It contains 76,000 references and g i v e s ins tant access to the wo rt hw h i l e books of every age tha t ha ve bee n wri t t en o n eve ry subjec t .He re , i n fact , is the ex ha us ti ve ke y to thi s vast s tore hou se ok 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 ef 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 mpile 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 t ha t the reader w i l l findno 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 t h a tcann ot be co mp ut ed in ter ms of dol la rs a nd cent s . L o n g da ys ofsearch w o u l d not br i ng to ha nd the wea l t h of mat er i al t h a t can beobtai ned in a f ew min ut es thr ou gh 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 c a npossibly escape you . Cer ta in ly the sub-divis ions of ea ch topi c w i l lenable you to f ind ins tant ly what you are looking for .

R e a l i z i n g the wo rt h of th is gre at w o r k of reference , De a n E va 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 lo f exc el le nce . By i t on e m a y easily trace the best tho ug ht s of th ewises t me n on al l topics of vi ta l h u m a n in teres t ru nn i ng t hr ou ghthe ages . "

The Index to the First LinesPar t i cular l y val uab le is the Inde x to the Firs t L i ne s of po em s, songs ,

hym ns and psa lms app ear ing in a l l the vo lu me s of the Ha rv a rdC l a s s i c s . V e r y of ten yo u hea r or r e me mb e r th e first li ne of a p o e mqu 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 exg i v e s yo u the me an s by wh i c h yo u can "p la ce " the verse in yo uro w n m i n d .

I f yo u yours el f are hu nt i ng f or a n apt qu ot at io n, a l i ne of poe try,17


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i8 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Yor even the a u t h o r , his dates of birth and death, or the title of hisp 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 refer r ed to the place wh e re the aut hor a nd his w o r k are men t i one d.B y us in g this co nv en ie nt l is t of first l ines, yo u often save yoursel fho ur s of fru i t less search and , in some cases, men ta l emb arr ass mentat not being able to locate a w e l l k n o w n po em . In th i s fash ion doesthe In de x to Fi rs t L i n e s ta ke the place of a pri vat e secretary.

The Chronological IndexV 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 ththe ear lies t k n o w n da tes , cen tu r ies before Chr i s t , an d co mi ng d o w n

to ou r prese nt da y. T h i s in de x lis ts the yea rs of bir th an d de ath ofthe wor ld ' s fa mou s me n , wi t h expla na tor y co mme nt s on each . I tg i v e s date s of indust r ia l , social , an d r el i g io us revo lut ions , of decis ivebat t les , and w h e n ep oc h- ma ki ng speeches we re de l iver ed , on wh atdates c lassic dr am as we re wri t t en , ac ted , and publ ishe d, an d w h e nnota ble sc ient i f ic d isco ver i es we re ma de .

T h i s In de x ma y be used w i t h Dr . El i ot 's prescr ibed courses ofr ead in g , an d w i l l be in va lu ab le for ref ere nce . It is difficult to e sti matethe 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 za 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 dm a y be re ad fr o m this tabl e of d ate s.


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The Readers' GuideTH E Rea ders ' G u i d e of fer s yo u courses of r e ad in g an d s tud y ofa broad educat ional n a t u r e . B y fo l l ow in g th e s u g g es t ed ou t l i n eo f any course wh i ch you w i l l f i n d i n vo lu m e f i f t y , yo u w i l l obta in as p le n d id w o r k i n g k n o w l e d g e o f t ha t subjec t comparable in everyw a y to t ha t wh i ch yo u w o u l d rece ive in a un ive rs i ty . Th e se cour sesas laid ou t b y Dr . El io t are de si gn ed to aff ord a l ib era l, ge ne ra lt r a in in g .

M o r e t h a n an y o ther Am e r i c a n educa t or , Dr . E l i o t i s r espons ib lefor our mo de rn met hod s of un ivers i ty te ach ing . H e insp i red an dform ula ted the educa t iona l sys tem not on l y a t Ha rv ar d , o f w h i c h h ew a s pres iden t for fort y years , bu t he inf lue nce d th e cu rr ic ul um s inschools an d col l ege s th ro ug ho ut the cou nt ry. T h e s e cour ses there forein w h i c h he too k so great an in teres t and care in ou t l in in g for re ad in gin the Ha rv a rd Class ic s bear the s t am p of the h ig he st aut hor i ty.

The Value of Selected ReadingDr . El i o t wa s a s taunch be l iever in sys te mat i zed re ad i ng . H e he l d

tha t re ad i ng so done , wo u l d lead to a l ibera l edu ca t ion . R e a d i n g notso 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 r ec t ed r ead in gle ad in g progre ss ive ly th ro ug h a subjec t f ro m i ts s imp ler to i t s mo recomp li cat ed aspects w a s the bes t poss ible t ra in in g. T h e re ad in gcourses in the Ha rv a r d Cla ss ics represe nt h is ide a of orde r ly, w o r t hw h i l e rea d in g for every m a n an d w o m a n .

Th e i r value to the amb it iou s , ser ious s t u d e n t cannot be eas i lyes t i mated . A fai thful car ryi ng out of the as s i gn men ts in the out l in esw 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 el ev en re ad in gcourses . Th e s e are al l on cul t ural subjects w h i c h f or m the ba ck bo neo f a l iberal col leg e edu cat ion an d the y em br ac e such in t ere s t i ng an dins 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 cat ion , Sc ien ce , Pol i t i c s , V o y a g e s a n d T r a v e l s , C r i t i c i s mo f Li t e r a tu r e an d th e F i n e Ar t s , Dr a m a , B iog r a ph y an d Le t t e r s ,E s s a y s , Na rra t i ve Poet r y an d Prose F ic t io n . In each of these wi de lydiversified subjec t s, Dr . E l i o t has a r r ang ed a broad , com pr eh en s i ve

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20 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Yrea 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 an dar ra ng ed th em a cco rdi ng to subjec t an d the order in wh ic h theyshould be read. L o g i c a l l y , Dr . El io t chooses the simpler selectionsf i rs t , which g i v e the ele men ta l or ge ne ra l surv ey of the subject an dgr ad ua ll y pro ce eds to the mo re difficult aspects as the readerprogresses .

A Comprehensive Study CourseB u t so w i s e l y ha s the gre at ed uca to r selecte d his lists, t ha t the

topi cs for re ad in g are also ge ne ra ll y in ch ro no lo gi ca l orde r. In thisw a y yo u star t at the be g i nn i n g of ma n' s tho ug ht on a subject an df o l l o w i t d o w n th ro ug h the centur ies . Dr . El i ot has also wri t ten ashor t descr ip t ion o f ea ch re ad in g course, ex pl ai n i ng i ts plan andpur pos e an d te l l in g yo u w h a t is most imp or t an t to get f r om yourre ad in g. H e c o mm e nt s briefly o n the classic selections and oftenment ions the c h i e f facts in the l i v e s of the fa mou s authors . T h eshor t pre fa ce s in fact , ser ve th e sa me h i gh l y usef ul purp os e as aprofessor 's in t rodu ctor y re ma rk s in a c lass room.

In ar ra ng in g 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 variety anden ter ta inment , as w e l l as ins t ruct ion. Th es e inc lud e nove ls ref lec t ingthe l i f e of th e t i mes , wi tt y po em s, s t i rr in g ball ads, an d essays dea li ngappro pr iat ely wi t h the subjec ts . Dr . El iot 's s impl e but th or ou gh plano f stu dy ena ble s yo u to mas te r his courses w i t h the great est benefitto yourse l f . T h i s Rea der s ' Gu i d e i s a va lu able key w h i c h un lock s thek 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 butanot her o f the ma n y preci ous cont r ibu t io ns Dr . El i ot ma ke s to thecause of real edu cat ion .

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 ad a ve ry defin itereferen ce to the re ad in g courses w h e n he ma de tha t famous s ta tementabou t t h e Har va r d C l a s s i c s , t ha t , "th e fai thfu l an d consid erat e reading of these books w i l l g i v e an y m a n the essentials of a libe ral ed uc ati 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 GirlsFrom T w e l v e to Eighteen Years of AgeP R E S I D E N T E L I O T i n c o n su l t a t io n w i t h Pr e s i d e n t N e i l s o n o fS m i t h C o l l e g e prep are d a l i st 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 veto eig 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 indsgreater usefulness t h a n to chi ldr en . I f yo u ha ve chi ld re n in yo urf a m i l y g r o w i n g bo ys an d gir l sl et t h e m h av e free access to theHar va r d C las s i c s .

In order t ha t the chi ld m a y ha ve a pleas ant in t rod uct ion to th i sm o n u m e n t a l w o r k , t he r e are here g i ve n those pieces w h i c h the b oyor gi r l ca n re ad and en joy. Dr . El io t has chos en mo r e t h a n s ix tys tor ies, po em s an d art ic les wi t h the num be rs of vo lu me s an d pa ge swh er e they appear in the F i ve -F oo t Shel f . H e r e w i l l be fo un d t hewo rl d ' s best tales, pl ays a nd verses ar ra ng ed i n the or de r in w h i c hthey 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 ertales c o m e first and g i v e the you ng er me mb e r s of the fam il y a sol idfou nda t io n of in teres t ing , eas i ly und ers too d l i terature . A s the chi ldr endeve lop , they can fo l l ow d o w n the l is t an d rea d the mo re ad va nc edselections. T h u s , they hav e secured a g ras p on wo r t h wh i l e bo ok san 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 tsou rce of plea sure a nd satisf action.

They Create a Sound Cultural BackgroundT h e Ha rv a 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 lserve to w h e t thei r hea lth y a nd e ag er curi osi ty, for the y are the finestwr 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 rdC l a s s i c s w i l l br in g 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 thesup rem e l i terature , a t the impr ess ion abl e a ge w h e n cul tur al habi t sare fo rm ed for a l ife t 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 t o t h e Ha r v a r dC l a s s i c s for their ent er t a in ment , s t im ula t io n an d recreat i on, a nd theyw i l l use th is grea t l ibra ry th ro ug ho ut their schoo l years .

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The Lecture VolumeTH E addi t iona l vo lume to the f i f t y volume set is entit led, " L e c t u r es on the Harva rd C l a s s i c s . " This extraordinary ser ies fa l l sin t o tw el ve ma i n d i v is ion s o f k n o wl e d g e such as, His t o ry , Poe t ry ,Na tu ra l Sc ience , Ph i l o s ophy , B io gra phy , P rose F ic t ion , Cr i t i c i s m andthe 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 a n d T r a v e land Re l ig io n , w i th each d iv i s ion con t a in ing f i v e lectu res on thosesubjects . T h u s t h e r e are six ty 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 nthis ser ies of lect ures in pr om ot i n g the edu cat ion al object he ha d inmind when he made the co l lec t ion . A l s o t u r n to Pres ident Ne i l s on ' spreface in wh i c h he says, th e lect ures op en the door to the H a r v a r dC l a s s i c s " the great s torehouse of s t a n d a r d wo r k s in a l l the ma i ndep ar t men ts o f in te l l ec tua l ac t iv i ty . "

By an Array of Famous ProfessorsT h r o u g h these lectures , as Dr . Ne i ls on fur ther wri t es , the s tuden t

i s in tr od uc ed to a vast ra ng e of topics un der the gu id an ce of dist in gui sh ed professors . A m o n g these a re G e o r g e Pie rce Baker , p robably 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 sN i x o n Ca rv er , th e mo st note d aut hori ty on pol i t ica l science ande c o n o m i c s in this country; B l i s s Perr y , fa mou s 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 tandi 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 rgre at lecture s is an opp ort un it y wh i c h ca nn ot be mea su re d in ter mso f dol lars an d cents . T h e s e lectures w i l l do much to broaden youro u t l o o k an d ex te nd you r interests to diversif ied, v i ta l bra nch es ofth ou gh t . T h e foo tno tes , too , in th is vo lu me furn ish sp le ndid s upplemen ta ry mate r ia l fo r rea din g . T h e y m a k e the author ' s me an i n gper fec t ly clear to yo u an d offer int eres t in g info rma ti on on the m a t t e rin the text . T h e va lu e of this vo l u me wi t h the other features such asthe In t roduc t ion , Not es , Gu i de s to Re a di ng and Indexes as ProfessorN e i l s o n sta tes , "may t h u s cla im to const i tute a reading courseunpar a l l e le d in compr ehen s iv enes s an d author i ty . "

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The Daily Reading GuidePR E S I D E N T E L I O T wr ot e in h is in t rodu ct i on to the Ha r v a r dC 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 bo ok sen ou g h to g i v e a l iberal educ at i on to any one wh o w o u l d rea d th emwi t h de vot ion , ev en if he cou ld spare bu t fifteen mi nu te s a da y f orrea din g." W i t h th is ver y defin i te ly in mi nd , w e ha ve pre par ed adai ly re adi ng gu id e in w h i c h the ass ignm ent s chosen appr opr i ate lye 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 wi t hleisurely en jo yme nt . T h e s e selections ass ign ed for ea ch da y in t heyear 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 , t h esubjects or the c h i e f c h a r ac t e r s . T h ey w i l l serve to in tr od uce y o u inthe 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 lenable you to bro wse en joyably a m o n g the wor ld ' s im mor ta l wr i t i ng swi th ent er t a in ment an d s t imu lat i on in endless var ie ty.

Form this Pleasant and Exhilarating HabitT 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 pos sib le. T h a tfifteen minutes w i l l carry you on w i n g s of ro ma nc e an d ad ve nt ur eto othe r l an ds , to the scenes of ot he r d ay s a n d w i l l br eak th e m o n o to n yo f your days, w i l l ch an ge the course of yo ur th i nk in g, w i l l g i v e yo uthe pr ivi lege of contac t wi t h the gre at mi nd s wh os e wr i t in gs h av est imula ted and inspired ma n k i n d ove r the centur i es .

A s comp reh ens ive as i t i s , the Dai l y R e a d i n g G u i d e does notpre su me to exh aus t the we al th of interest a nd profit t ha t l i e s be tweenthe pag es of this gre at l ibra ry. W e beli eve t h a t on ce you ha ve be enafforded a tas te of the del i ghts of the imp er i sha ble wr i t in gs yo u w i l ls 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 h av ebee 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 have Dr . E l io t ' s Re ad in g Cou rse s as ou t l ined in v o l um e f i f t y the re mar ka bl e cou rse of s ixty 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 f asc ina t ingtopics in an unf ai l i ng d ivers i ty. T h u s the Ha r v a r d Clas s ics affordy o u in generou s measure en te r ta in ment and en cha n tm ent an dintel lec tual 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 YS 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 th e N e w Year

" R e s o l u t i o n : Resolve to perform what yo u ought; perform without fail what yo u resolve"was one of the rules for successframed by Ame ri ca' s first "self-made" m a n .Read from FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY Vol. i, pp. 79-85

S chool- Day Poems of John MiltonA t the age of sixteen, Mi lt on first appear ed before the publice y e as a pro mis in g yo un g poet. Th es e early verses, writte n whi lehe w a s a bo y in school, indicate his brilliant future.(First edition of Milton's collected poems published Jan. 2, 164;.)Read: MILTON'S POEMS Vol. 4, pp. 7-18

Cicero on Friendship"Fi re a n d water are not of more universal use than friendship"such is the high value pu t upon this great hu ma n relationshipb y the most famous 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 Flou nd er Fish S toryA fisherman, so the story g o e s , once caught a flounder that spoke,b e g g i n g to be released. This w a s granted, whereupon the fisherman's w i f e demanded that it grant her one miracle after another,until even the flounder was disgusted.(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 nd Contented StorkM a z z i n i labored for the freedom of Italy, but wa s exiled. Byronand Goethe also battled for liberty. Ma zz in i wrote a n essayin which he compared Byron to a soaring eagle an d Goethe toa contented stork.(Byron arrived in Greece to fight for Greek, freedom, Jan. 5, 1824.)R e ad: Mazz in i ' s BYRON AND GOETHE Vol. 32, pp. 377-396


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26 FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAYJANUARY Reading Guide12 What Is Good Taste?

A Tu rk is h sultan, relates Bur ke , wh en sho wn a picture of thebeheaded John the Baptist, praised many things, but pointedout one gr ue so me defect . Di d this obser vation sho w the sultanto be an inferior judge of art?(Edmund Burke born Jan. 12, 1729.)Read: Burke ON TASTE Vol. 24, pp. 11-26

J Rou s se au Seeks S anc tu ary in EnglandRousseau taught that menwere not created free and equal.T o substantiate hisdaring beliefs he traced man's history backto his primitive beginnings. For his teachings, Rousseau wasf o r c e d to seek refuge in England .(Jean Jacques Rousseau arrived in England, Jan. 13, 1766.)Read from Rousseau's INQUIRY ON INEQUALITY Vol. 34, pp. 215-228

JzJ. T he First St ep T owa rd Ind epend ence(Fundamental Orders of Connecticut adopted Jan. 14, 1639.)T h e Fundamental Orders of Connecticut is "thefirst writtenconstitution as a permanent limitation on governmental power,k n o w n in history." It is the work of the Connecticut Y a n k e e .R e ad: THE FUNDAMENTAL ORDERS OF CONNECTICUT Vol. 43, pp. 60-65

" T he Mo v ing Finger Writ es "("Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" first published Jan. 1$, /S59.)Om ar K ha yyam laughed and enjoyed the good things of l i f e .Hi s "R ub ai yat ," the most popul ar philosophic poe m, is the besto f all books todip into for an alluring thought.Read from T H E RU BAIYAT OF OMAR K HAYYAM Vol. 41, pp. 943-953

I T he Old Wom an and the Wine JarA n old woman once found a wine jar, but it was empty. Shes n i f f e d at the mouth of the jar and said: "What memories cling'roun d the instrumen ts of our plea sure."Read from JESOP'S FABLES Vol. 17 , pp. 43-44; also pp. 31-43

J J Franklin' s Fam il y T ree(Benjamin Franklin born Jan. 17, 1706.)G o o d middle-class people, Franklin boasts, were his ancestors.S o m e have attributed hisgenius to hisbeing theyoungest sono f the youngest son for five generations. In his famous autobiography, he reveals 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 vau dev ill eteam, Xanthias and Dionysus start off a dialogue that minglesw 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 PoetryRegarded in Europe as one of America ' s greatest writers, Poeoriginated the detective story, perfected the mystery short story,and prod uced Ame ri ca 's first great po ems . He re he unr avel sthe fabric of wh ich 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 mi dn ig ht on the eve of St. A g n e s there we re certain sol emnceremoni es wh i ch all virg ins mus t pe rfo rm to ha ve "visi ons ofdelight and soft adorings from their l o v e s . " Porphyro took advantage of this custom to win his bride.R e ad: Keats' EVE OF ST . AG NES Vol. 41, pp. 883-893

2 J T he Ni ghtingale' s H eal in g Mel od yT h e Emp er or of Ch in a lies on his deat hbed gr ie vi ng for thes 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. 301-31022 A King's Pleasu re N o w You rsT h e classic plays of Fr en ch lit eratur e are pr od uced to-day pre c i s e l y as wh en they wer e gi ve n for the resple ndent k in gs the yw e r e writt 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-minded philosopher and mathematician, fathomed the human traits of man's nature wi t h the same accuratemeasurements which made him famous in the realm of geometry. Rea d his sea rchin g analysis of ma n' s conce it.R e ad: Pascal's T H E A RT 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

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JANUARY Reading GuideOdysseus Silenced the Sirens

W h e n his ship approached the siren's rock, Odysseus stuffedthe ears of his crew with wax and had himself bound to the mastthat he mi gh t hear the al lu rin g voice of the siren an d yet notw 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 sA humble Scotchman, plowing his fields, turns over the nest ofa frigh tene d mou se . H e apo log iz es wi th the deepest sincerityan d exp la ins h o w "the best-laid schemes o' mic e an ' me n g angaft 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 ad le of Ci vi li zat ionA king who entombed his daughter in a golden cowthe worship of the bull and the catscandal of the court and the gossipof the temples is given by Herodotus in his delightful story ofold Egypt .Read from Herod otus ' A N ACCOUNT OF ECYPT Vol. 33, pp. 65-75

Dante and Beatrice in ParadiseDante f e l l ma dl y in lov e wi th Beat rice at first s ight ; but it isdoub ted if he eve r spo ke to her in this wo rl d. H e tells of hishappy 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 WingsA pur e heart, says T h o m a s a Ke mp is , compr ehe nds the verydepth s of He av e n and He ll . A n d it is by the wi ng s of simplicityand purity that ma n is lifted abo ve all earthly things .Read from T h o m a s a K em pis Vol. 7, pp. 242-249

Visits the Land of FireSout h of Pata gonia is Tie rra del F u e go " Th e La nd of Fire. "T h e natives of that primitive country are to-day almost extinct.D a r w i n ma de a careful and vita lly inter esting study of that landan 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

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JANUARY Reading Guide

Don Quixote, the ambitious amateur \night, was well ridiculed forhis 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 ET 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 LB 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 EM I N D . C H A N N I N G .

First Prob lem Pla y Popu la rA n t i g o n e , an orph an princess, defies a king's mandate an d risksher l i f e to do her duty to her brother. What is this duty whichher brother calls he r to perform an d the king forbids?(Sophocles died at Athens, Jan. 30, 405 B. C.)Read from Sophocles' ANTIGONE Vol. 8, pp. 255-266

^ J What " D o n Qu ix ote" Really SlewS l a y e r of windmills, rescuer of fair damsels i n distress, eccentricD o n Quixote, scores of years behind his time, set ou t o n a m a dquest of knight-errantry. Worlds of fun and killing satire arein this absorbing story of Cervantes.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 YF E B R U A R Y

. . . howling Winter fled ajarTo hills that prop the polar star;And loves on deer-borne car to rideWith 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 Knights of the Round Table were startled by" c r a c k l i n g a n d crying of thun der" w hi ch rang thro ugh the greathall of the castle. T h e n there entered " T h e Holy Grail coveredw 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, Laertes, departs for a foreign country, Poloniusa d v i s e s h i m as to his conduct an d dress, while Hamlet, th e king 'sson, 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 RevelryW h i l e th e cat's away the mice w i l l play. Boisterous a n d ludicrous happenings occur in a house left in charge of a servant.B u t in midst of merriment the master 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 uncons c i o u s of their stupendous strength. A n d each of u s ha s hiso w n peculia r menta 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 byvenomous serpents, Sindibad devised a clever means of escapingw 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 NICH TS Vol. 16 , pp . 243-250


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FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY 31FEBRUARY Reading Guide

^ Charles Lam b Su ggests To- day's Re ad ing" T h e reluctant pangs of abdicating royalty in 'Edward' furnished hints whi ch Shakespea re scarcely imp rov ed in his 'Ri cha rdthe Second, ' and the deat h scene of Ma rl ow e' s K i n g moves to pityand 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 from a LionJohnson w as not al wa ys a conve ntio nal guest. Gra cio usl y treated,he responded in lik e man ner , bu t offended, Johnson c oul d wi el da pen dripping with vitriol.(Samuel Johnson writes to Lord Chesterfield, Feb. 7, 1755.)R e ad: LET TE R TO LORD CHESTER FIELD Vol. 39, pp. 206-207

g Tr agic D eat h of a World - Famo u s Beau ty" B u t I, the Queen of a' Scotland, maun lie in prison Strang."Burns sings of poor Mary bound by chains, yearning for the dayw 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 WarsT a c i t u s , the historian, visit ed the virile Ge r ma n tribes in thei rpri mit ive homes on the banks of the Rh in e. H e wa s surprisedto learn that the me n so active and eager in wa r lolled in i ndol e n c e during the intervals between.Read from Tacitus ON GERMANY Vol. 33, pp. 93-102

J Q N o Fanc y for a Plai n G ent le m anV o l t a i r e once visited Co ng re ve . T h i s fa mou s dramati st requested to be regarde d only as a plain gent le man . " H a d yo ubeen that I should ne ver have come to see you , " Vol ta ir e cynica llyr 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 Philos ophyDescartes was slain through the eccentric whim of a queen whodemanded that he tutor her in the freezing dawn in the deado 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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FEBRUARY Reading GuideJ 2 O x fo rd Corrects Lincoln's Mi stak eL i n c o l n himself thoug ht his famous Get tysburg Address wa s a

f a i l u r e . To -d ay the who le wo rl d acclaims its greatness. Castin bronze, it hangs on the wall of B a l l i o l C o l l e g e , Oxford, regarded 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 St ory of an A m az i ng LifeA t the age of fifty-eight Be nv en ut o Ce ll in i shaved his headand retired to a monastery to write his own story of murder, pass 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 picture of the most colorful period in history, a period when statecraft and religion and black magic and assassination were naivelym 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. Love A lways You ng( 5 / . Valentine's Day.)Pascalan original geniuspurposed to master everything thatw a s ne w in art and science. H e was a mat hemat ici an and scientistas w e l l as a rel igious enthus iast an d mora list , and he shows ad 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 LOVE. . . . V o l . 48, pp. 411-421

T he Worl d Well Lost?T h e romant ic an d heedless loves of An t on y and Cleopa tra f igurepr omi nent ly in history, literature, and dr ama. Dryd en ma de afascinating pla y fro m the story of Ant on y, w h o sacrificed theleadership of Rome, reputation, and l i f e itself for love of theE 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 A L L FOR LOVE Vol. 18, pp. 53-69

Social Circles A m on g A ntsA n t s ha ve slaves w h o wo r k for th em. Th es e slaves ma ke thenests, feed the master ants, tend the e g g s , and do the movingw h e n a colony of ants migr at e. Da r wi n min utely describes thehabit s and liv es of the indus trio us ants and their mar ve lous socialorganizat iona won der to mank ind .Read from Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES Vol. 1 1 , pp. 264-268


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FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY 33BRUARY Reading Guide

Death H i s Curtain CallW h i l e acting in on e of h i s o w n plays, Moliere w a s suddenlystricken a n d died shortly after th e final curtain. H e took an important role in "Tartuffe" which introduces to literature a character as famous as Shakespeare'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 ainA l l Americans should know this treaty which finally inaugurated an era of peace a n d good understanding wit h Eng lan d.For over a hundred years this peace h a s been unbroken.(Treaty with Great Britain proclaimed Feb. 18, 1815.)Read: TREATY WITH GREAT BRITAIN ( 1 8 1 4 ) Vol. 43, pp. 255-264

Eart hly Ex perience of a Chinese GoddessT h e thousandth celestial w i f e of the Gar land G o d slipped a n df e l l t o earth, where she took mertal form a n d served as an attendant i n a templ e. Dea th finally released her and she wentb a c k to heaven to tell h er lord of th e ways of men.Read from the BUDDHIST WRITINGS Vol. 45, pp. 693-701

Voltaire Observes t he QuakersB e c a u s e the early Quakers shook, trembled, a n d quaked whenthey became inspiredthey received th e title of "Quakers ." Thissec t attracted the keen-minded Voltaire, w h o made interestingnotes o n them during 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 of fine buildings? Alibrary? A staff of well-trained teachers? A body of eager students? A wi nn in g football team? Car din al N e w m a n definesthe 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 S I T Y Vol. 28, pp. 31-39

A n O d e for Washington's Birthday(George Washington born Feb. 22, 1732.)Burns asks fo r Columbia's harp, a n d then sings of liberty. H eb e w a i l s the sad state of the land of A l f r e d a n d Wallace whichonce 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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Lights and S hadows of M il tonIn a superb po em , Mi lt on bids Loa the d Melan chol y begon e tosome dark c e l l . H e calls for the joys of you th and v o w s eternalfaith 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 WitT h e brilliant wit and cutting satire of Defoe made for himfriends 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 wasfined, 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 iathH u g o wa s insult ed by the most power ful critics in Fr anc e. H eput into the preface of a play "his sling and his stone" by whichothers 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 night ! Far in yon azure deeps"S o begin poems that hav e cha rme d and cheered thousands.Read from LONGFELLOW'S POEMS Vol. 42, pp. 1264-1280

Spok e Lat in 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, Montaig ne received an unusu al educat ion. Hi s who le l i f e was spentin sto ring up his choice th ough ts for our profit and pleasure.Read from Montaigne 's ESSAYS Vol. 32, pp. 29-40

FEBRUARY Reading Guide2^ 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 ek n e w all the news of court and street. Stevenson, w h o neverput his pen to a dull subject, writes of Pepys.(Samuel Pepys born Feb. 23, 1632.)Read from Stevenson's SAMUEL PEPYS Vol. 28, pp. 285-292


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FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAYFEBRUARY Reading Guide

35

LEAP YEARGoethe's Tale of a Maiden in Love

T o either Saint Patrick or the Scottish Parliament of 1228 gothe honorsor dishonorsof originating the traditions attendingthis d ay ; says the latter, "il\a maiden ladee, of baith high andlowe estait, shall hae libeitie to spea\ ye man she li\es." T h ecourse of true l o v e runs smooth in Goethe's narrative poem, endur ing today for its characterization a n d s w i f t - f l o w i n g lines.Begin HER MAN N AND DOROTHEA Vol. 19 , p. 337; also p p . 395-410

Dr. William Harvey established the fact that the arteries carryblood by feeling his own pulse while in a hot bath. (See ReadingAssignment 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 YC 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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M A R C HOld Winter bac\ to the savage hillsWithdraweth 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 yW 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 eh 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 rthan flesh a n d b l o o d p e o p l e . Sir R o g e r de C o v e r l y a n d W i l lH o n e y c o m b are now bold f igures in l i t e r a t u r e .(First issue of 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 l o 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 di n his S u n d a y b e s t , t he 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 out 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 e an 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 nI 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 rarts 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 rw h o s e h o b b y w a s p o e t r y .(George Herbert died March 3, 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 Charles grants Penn charter of Pennsylvania, March 4, 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 fo r e the k i n g w i t h hish a t o n . T h e k i n g o v e r l o o k e d t h i s a n d l a t e r m a d e h i m g o v e r n o rof 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 sP r i s o n w a l l s w e r e the l e a s t of C e l l i n i ' s t ro u b l e s . " L o c k m e w e l lu p a n d w a t c h me, 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 . " Ins 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 da 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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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y 37RCH Reading GuideWest Point's O u tc as t, Am eric a'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 couldnot 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 symb oli 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 gesB a c o n pointed out that a judge's duty was to interpret laws andnot to make l a w s . This single essay of Bacon's is a richly condensed 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 angerou s Ex perim ent wi t h a Wif eA n s e l m o and Loth ari o wer e close friends. An s el mo , anx iou s tolearn if his w i f e were perfect, as he believed her to be, makesan unusual proposal to his old friend.Read from Cervantes' DO N QUIXOTE Vol. 14, pp. 307-319

C om m on Sense and Good MannersS w i f t regretted the laws against dueling because dueling at leastw a s a good means of ridding the country of bores and f o o l s .Hi s ke en eye penetr ated social cus toms an d saw the co mm onsense that gover ned goo d 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 abet han Pl aywrightsIn the days when contact with the theatre mea nt exile from thebest society, Be au mo nt and Fletch er, me n fro m go od famil ies,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

Gai n Gl eaned fro m Su fferingW e are paid for our suffering and we pay for our happiness.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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MARCH Reading GuideJ 2 A n I r i s n Bishop's WitB 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 collegein 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 RoomsM a n z o ni has pict ured in this thr ill ing roma nce of the seventeent hcentury nobility, the pompous and sporting life of those good oldd a y s when nobles lived sumptuously in spacious castles surrounded by vast estates.R e ad from Manzoni 's I PROMESSI SPOSI Vol. 21, pp. 318-332

A Maiden's Forf ei t" T h i s g en t l ewo m an that ye lead wi th you is a m a i d ? " dem and edthe kni ght . "S ir ," said she, "a mai d I am . " " T h e n she musty 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 Idesof March, although "the earth rocked and the stars f e l l andheadles s me n w al ke d in the Fo r um , " Caesar goes to the do omawaiting him in the Senate Chamber.Read from Plutarch's CESAR Vol. 12, pp. 315-321

Cra bs Cl im b Trees?M a n y a ma zi ng thi ngs happ en in the Ma la y jungl es. Fo r example, Darwin tells about a crab that climbs trees and walksd 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 Ir ish L ege nd(St. Patrick's Day.)A n old Irish leg end tells ho w, whi le St. Patr ick w as preac hingabout Paradise and Hell, several of his audience begged to bea l l o w e d to inv est iga te the real ity of these places. St. Patr ickactually 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 39R C H Reading GuideN e w W a y to Pa y O ld Debts

A cunning uncle cheats h is worthless nephew o u t of his fortune.T h e nephew, laughing stock of his former servants, sets ou t toretrieve h is old position a n d riches.(Massinger buried March 18, 1640.)Read from A NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS Vol. 47, pp. 859-870

Seeing O l d EgyptT h e mysterious Egyptian temples, th e floating islands, th e hugepyramids an d the many wonders of ancient Egypt a re picturedfor 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 CoalsSir Isaac Newton was aided in his momentous discoveries by themost insignificant objectseven apples, feathers, a n d coal. V o l taire discusses the wondrous discoveries of N e w t o n .(Sir Isaac Newton died March 20, 1727.)Read from Voltaire's LETTERS ON THE ENGLISH Vol. 34, pp. 113-124

1,000 Years of History on the Surface of a ShieldV e n u s , mother of ^Eneas a n d w i f e o f Vu lc an , obtained fromher husband, by seductive witchery, a marvelous shield whosesurface reflected a thousand years of future events. Ve nu s d escribes the wonders of th e magic armor.Read from Virgil's .IENEID Vol. 13, pp. 280-292

From Puppet Show to Majestic DramaT h e Faust legend, which can be traced to puppet shows o f earlierd a y s , portrays a philosopher wh o, thr oug h Satan's ai d an d in return for the price of his soul, works magic a t w i l l . From thisrude framework Goethe h as reared a drama of sublime grandeur.(Goethe died March 22, i8j2.)Read from Goethe's FAUST Vol. 19, pp. 23-36

First of a T hous and H ar em StoriesShahrazad, favorite of the treacherous Sultan's harem, selecteda most thrilling story for he r bridal night. B y leaving i t unfinished she was privileged to l i v e to continue i t th e next nightandso on fo r a thousand and one nights.Read from T H E T H O U S A N D AND ONE NIGHTS Vol. 16, pp. 15-24


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40 F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A DAY

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MARCH Reading Guide24 ^ Q u e e n P k a d s

G u e n e v e r e , K i n g Ar th ur 's que en, justly accused but harshlytreated, ma ke s a noble an d brave att empt to con vin ce her courtthat Gawaine lied and that Laun cel ot was true.{William Morris born March 24, 1834.)Read: Morris' DEFENSE OF GUENEVERE Vol. 42, pp. 1183-1193

H o w Cons ci ence Mak es C oward s of U s Al lHa ml et pon dere d ove r wh ic h course contained the least u nhap-pinesswhether to suffer here and not incur new dangers, orwhe th er to end it all and chan ce the un k no wn terrors of thenex t wo rl d. See ho w Ha ml et reasoned.(Shakespeare ma\es his will, March 25, 1616.)Read from Shakespeare's HAMLET Vol. 46, pp. 144-158

" 2 , 5 0 0 Years A go -


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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D A Y 41MARCH Reading Guide

Sir Francis Bacon believed that "the supreme law of all is the wealof the people." (See Reading Assignment for March Jth.)

I T W A S T R U L Y S A I D , OPTIMl CONSILIARU MORTUI . . .B O O K S W I L L S P E A K P L A I N W H E N C O U N S E L L O R S B L A N C H .

F R A N C I S B A C O N .

30 T he Plague of Milan"I Promessi Sposi," a seventeenth century novel, v i v i d l y describesthe devastating plague of Mi la n. T h e n who le families sickenedin a few hours and died in less than a day's time of strange andv i o l e n t complaints whose symptoms were unknown to physicians.(Capuchin monkjs given charge of the plague hospital in Milan,

March 30, 1630.)Read from Manzoni 's I PROMESSI SPOSI Vol. 21, pp. 500-5123 J The G hastl y Whim of John Donne

Monuments are usually ma de from dea th mas ks, b u t John Donnetook pleasure in posing for his, wrapped from head to foot in ashroud. Isaak Wa lt on tells of this in his fascinating biographyof the eccentric poet.(John Donne died March 31, 1631.)Read from Walton's LIFE OF D R . DONNE Vol. 15 , pp. 364-369


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A P R I L. . . proud-pied April, dress'd in all his trim,

Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him.

S H A K E S P E A R E (Vol. 40, p. 278)

"Oh! to Be in England N o w T hat April's T here"E v e r y o n e knows the pangs of homesickness in the spring. Evenbright, sparkling Italy could n ot we an Br ow ni ng 's affection fromthe green hedgerows of misty England.R e ad: BROWNING'S POEMS Vol. 42, pp. 1068-1074

A Spoon Dances in the MoonlightA huge spoon dressed in human finery, placed o n a grave, appears to become convulsed when the moon's rays fa l l on it anddances to the tune of cha nti ng natives. W e i rd sights, accor dingto Darwin, abound in th e South Seas.Read from Darwin's VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE Vol. 29, pp. 462-471

Romance with a H appy Ending" A s a conqueror enters a surpri sed ci ty; love ma de such resolutions as neither party w a s able to resist. She changed her nameinto Herbert the third d a y after this first interview."(George Herbert born April 3, 1593.)Read from Walton's LIFE OF GEORGE HERBERT .Vol. 15 , pp. 392-404

The Mistakes of a N i g h tG e n i a l and roll icking fun are provided in this highly entertaini n g story of a man who mistakes a private house for an inn,and w h o treats his host's daughter like a serving maid.(Oliver Goldsmith born April 4, 1774.)R e ad from SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER Vol. 18, pp. 205-215

You and Your DreamsDreams and their causes interested Hobb es . Wi tho ut superstition, the philosopher weighed the evidence of ghosts, goblins,and witches.(Hobbes born April 5, 1588.)Read from Hobbes' LEVIATHAN Vol. 34, pp. 313-322


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F I F T E E N M I N U T E S A D AY 43

APRIL Reading Guide^ Who Is Bad?

Badness has many interpretations, a different definition has beenthe dictate of each n e w generation. T h e solution of the eternalriddle w a s earnesdy sought byMarcus Aurelius.(Marcus Aurelius born April 6, 121 A. D.)R e ad: MARCUS AURELIUS' MEDITATIONS Vol. 2, pp. 243-253

J Natu re Guided His PenWordswor th w a s so closely in touch with Nature that the simplebeauty of flowers, woods, and fields is reflected in hispoems asi f Nature herself took up thepen and wrote.(Wordsworth born April 7, 1770.)R e ad: WORDSWORTH'S POEMS Vol. 41, pp. 639-651

Beware the Vengeful Hounds!O r e s t e s , holding an avenging sword over his mother, is told:" B e w a r e thymother's vengeful hounds." H o w he pays fordisregarding his mother 's warning is told in this drama where amother isslain toavenge a father's ghost.Read from jEschylus' T H E LIBATION BEARERS Vol. 8, pp. m-121

P A Perfect Land in a Wilderness of WatersW e s t ofPeru there w a s reported to be a land where Truth andS c i e n c e were used topromote the happiness a nd freedom of m a n .Here is Bacon's description of this ideal commonwealth.(Francis Bacon died April 9, 1629.)Read from Bacon's N E W ATLANTIS Vol. 3, pp. 1 4 5 - 1 5 5

J 0 Am eric ans b y Will of the KingB e f o r e English adventurers could at tempt settlement in Amer icait w a s necessary first to get permission from the K i n g . Thecharter of K i n g James to the oldest American colony is an extremely important historical document.(King lames grants charter toVirginia, April 10, 1606.)R e ad: FIRST CHARTER OF VIRGINIA Vol. 43, pp. 49-58

J J Danger in Being You ng and FairT h e virgin beauty of Margaret enchanted Faust, w h o dazz ledher with thebrilliance ofma ny ge ms . Marg are t innocently tookhis g i f t s , believing that beauty should not "blush unseen"butunmindful of consequences to f o l l o w .Read from Goethe's FAUST Vol. 19, pp. 1 1 5 - 1 3 1


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I L Reading GuideT he Perfect A rgu m entY o u would doubdess like to k n o w h o w to hold your o w n in any

ar gu men t. Rea d wh at Lesli e Steph en declares the finest specimen in our language of the conduct of argument.Read from Berkeley's THREE DIALOGUES Vol. 37, pp. 230-240

Michelangelo H is Boon CompanionK i n g s , emperors, the greatest artists and sculptors of the Renaissance at its most magnificent period, walk through the pages ofhis autobiographynot as cold, austere, historical characte r,but as the intimate friends of C e l l i n i .Read from CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY Vol. 31, pp. 23-35

A Raid on Spanish T reas ure in AmericaSpanish towns in the N e w World were rich in treasure and tempti n g booty for English soldiers of fortune, w h o were venturesomeand merciless. " H o ! fo r the Spanish Main!" was the rallyingc r y for all freebooters a n d buccaneers.Read from B iggs ' DRAKE'S GREAT ARMADA Vol. 33, pp. 229-242

O Captain! M y Captain!{Lincoln died April 15, 1865.)T h e rugged, genuine Lincoln w a s idealized by Walt Whi tmanthe founder of the new school of American poetry. T w o ofWh i tm a n' s finest p oe ms we re inspired by Lincoln.R e ad: WHITMAN'S POEMS Vol. 42, pp. 1412-1420

Inside the Gates of HellT h e city of Dis , with in the gates of Hel l , w a s guarded by monsters an d surrounded by a moat filled with the tormented. Dante,protected by V i r g i l , entered the forbidden city, and viewedsights never before seen by l iv ing m a n .(Dante urges attack, on the city of Florence, April 16, 1311.)Read from Dante's DIVINE COMEDY Vol. 20, pp. 32-39

Benjami n Frank li n Book SalesmanIn 1731 there were not many books in America. Frankl in sawthe need for more books and by house-to-house canvassing persuaded Philadelphians to aid him in founding a public libraryw h i c h to-day stands as a lasting memorial to Frankl in .(Benjamin Franklin died April 17, 1790.)R e ad from FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY Vol. 1, pp. 66-77


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APRIL Reading Guide

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J g R e a d y for A d v e n t u r e s and C on q u e s t sRead ing too many romances of kn igh ts and valorous deeds causeda poor Spanish gentleman to polish up his great-grandfather 'sarmor, rechristen his old nag, and sally forth. " D o n Qu ix o te , "besides holding a secure niche in literature as the w o r k thatquashed the romantic school of knight-errantry, is at the sametime on e of the most widely-read stories in the wo r ld .(Cervantes receives the last sacraments April 18, 1616.)Read from Cervantes' D O N Q U I X O T E Vol. 14, pp. 17-28

J 9 B a t t l e of C o n c o r d(Fought April 19, 1775.)D r . Eliot says of the opening stanza of the " C o n c o r d H y m n " :"In twenty-eight words here are the whole scene and all theessential circumstances . . . w h a t an accurate, mo vi ng, immortaldescription is this!"R e ad: Emerson's CONCORD HYMN Vol. 42, pp. 1245-124620 Byr on Gave H is Life for Fr e e d omEngland's romantic poet died while fighting against the T u r k s o nthe side of the Greeks . H i s poems, " T h e Isles of G r e e c e " a n d" T h e Prisoner of Chi ll on, " proclaim freedom.(A t Missolonghi, Greece, 37 guns honor Byron, April 20, 1824.)R e ad: BYRON'S POEMS Vol. 41, pp. 801-815

Books as W i n d o w s to the Pas tT h r o u g h the pages of a book the reader sees the life of past days.C a r n i v a l s , processions, battles, coronations, voyagesthe wholehistory of the world and its people is revealed in a stupendouspageant. Taine was a Fren ch m an w h o wrote an unsurpassedhistory of English literature; its introduction reveals the unusualcombination of an imaginat ive and an analytical style.(H. A. Taine born April 21, 1828.)Read from INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH LITERATURE. . . . V o l . 39, pp. 410-418

22 Happiness as a D u t yImmanuel Kant , the most influential of German phi losophers ,taught that i t was man's duty to be happy, for an unhappy m a ni s tempted to sin. Seekers after happ ines s find aid an d inspirationin Kant 's writ ings.(Immanuel Kant born April 22, 1724.)Read from FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF MORALS. .. . V o l . 32, pp. 310-317


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Ni ne te en Mi l l ion Elepha ntsA t the rate at which elephants naturally increase, Darwin estimated that in 750 years there could be nearly 19,000,000 elephants.B u t did D a r w i n consider the ravages of civil izati on and circuses?Read from Darwin ' s ORIGIN OF SPECIES Vol. 1 1 , pp. 74-86

Mighty Rome Feared These MenM e n w h o danced amo ng sharp swor ds who gambl ed wi th theirl i v e s w h o took their women to the battlefields to encourage thebrave and shame the cowardlythese were the primitive German s w h o ma de Ro ma n emperors tremble.Read from Tacitus ' O N GERMANY Vol . 33, pp. 106-120

D o Miracle s St i l l H ap pe nJust wh a t constitutes a mir acl e? Do e s Scienc e indorse miracles?O n e wo nd er s w hy such mar velo us thing s do not happen oftenn o w a d a y s . H u m e tel ls wh y.(David Hume born April 26, 1711.)Read f r o m H u m e O N MIRACLES Vol. 37, pp. 375-385

27 H e Da re d to See For bid den B ea ut yT h e Purit an world feared Beauty. Emers on, great Ame ri cane s s a y i s t and philosopher, declared that the world was made forbeauty, and openly worshiped at beauty's shrine.(Emerson died April 27, 1882.)R e a d : Emerson's BEAUTY Vol. 5, pp. 297-310

2g "V an i t y of Van i t i es , " Sai th the PreacherThree hundred years before Christ, a preacher in Jerusalem complained that there wa s no ne w thi ng under the sun. Ev er yth ingconsidered new had really existed in the time of the fathers.Sophis tica ted and mo de rn is this wr ite r of 2,300 years ago.Read from T H E BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES Vol. 44, pp. 335-341

APRIL Reading Guide"I f Yo u H a v e Poison for Me, I Wi l l Dr in k I t "

Sh ak en and di sillus ioned by the treachery of his elder daug hte r,K i n g Lear suspected even the faithful Cordelia of e v i l designs.Her most tender efforts to comfort him failed to drive away theinsistent specter of his m ad nes s.(Shakespeare died April 23, 1616.)Read from Shakespeare's KING LEAR Vol. 46, pp. 293-303


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APRIL Reading Guide

"No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle," wrote Hume, thusarousing bitter animosity in orthodox circles. Hume's searchingtreatment of miracles will stimulate to deeper thought upon thiscontroversial subject, {See Reading Assignment for April 26th.)

T H E S W E E T E S T P A T H O F L I F E L E A D S T H R O U G H T H EA V E N U E S O F S C I E N C E A N D L E A R N I N G . H U M E .

29 H o w I G ot R ic hb y Sindbad the SailorSindbad, a poor man, recited w o e f u l verses before the magnificentd w e l l i n g of Sindbad of the Sea. T h e great Sindbad, hearing h i m ,invited the poor Sindbad to a feast a n d told the wonderful storyo f his fabulous fortune.Read from T H E THOUSAND AN D ONE NIGHTS Vol. 16 , pp. 231-242

O A Washington's Dictum on Private LifeWashington declared that the strength of the ne w nation l ay inthe "pure an d immutable principles of private morality." A freegovernment,

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