Life — January 17, 1907 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

with which I gazed at the figures, and anticipated the story and adventures of Major Bath and Com- modore Trunnion, of Trim and my Uncle Toby, of Don Quixote and Sancho and Dapple, of Gil Blas and Dame Lorenzo Sephora, whose lips open and shut like buds of roses."” We must not be understood as urging upon children stich books as “Tom Jones,” “Peregrine Pickle,” “ Tristram Shandy,” and “Gil Blas.” They are not milk for babes. But we have not the slightest fear that our heirs of all the ages will turn to Fielding, Smollett or Sterne while they have Henty and his fellow-craftsmen, large and small. Boys who vote Scott and Cooper stupid and long-winded, boys who are used to such highly spiced food that they find Dickens flat and insipid, will never be tempted by any of the cighteenth-century nov ‘barring Defoe. Some English journalists, apparently un- aware of developments in juvenile literature since 1860, have been gravely discussing the question whether children should be allowed to read Shakespeare, Allowed to read Shakespeare? How can we possibly persuade them to read Shake- speare ? HAT shall a man read and how muck? This is a question of constantly increasing importance as each year adds to the number of books which one may, can, might, could, would or should read. To every one according to his} tastes or abilities is probably the safest rule as to | quality. On the side of quantity there are some rather useful hints given by Henri Mazel, the French critic, in “What a Man Must Read in His Lifetime,” as translated in the New York World: With the reading of three authors a year, on the average, a iew more during youth, much fewer as old age approaches, one cannot dread fatigue. If the proposed author scems to you to repeat himself in a too facile abundance, read only two or three volumes of him; if he enthrall you, let yourself be drawn on; you will not die by having swallowed in one year twenty-two volumes of Saint Simon or fifty of Balzac! This regular course, from year to year, will not forbid you extras. There are robust digestions that can assimilate a volume a day. ‘These may exceed the normal dose, and if their card for one year bear the name of Shakespeare they can add to the prin- cipal dish all the entrées of his contemporaries, all the hors d’ocuvres of his imitators, and all the pastries | of his critics, commentators, historiographers, and so forth. On the other hand, men who are absorbed by | it occupations may excuse themselves from] ing the entire works of the great William, but | can still, at the rate of one drama a month, | make themse! familiar with a dozen of his best works—and that iswell. Between these two doses— a volume every three months and a book every day— all appetites can be suited. I take for my ‘age type the man who, the duties of his profession performed and his worldly distractions provided for, can set aside three or four evenings a week in his study. Out of these the time needed for his own work and his technical studies, also for running through the newspapers or the | “books of the day,” must be taken; but there will remain enough time for him to read, according to circumstances, one book a week, a fortnight, or a month. From twelve to fifty volumes a year is Pretty good, if they be well chosen. The choice of books is an important matter; these faithful friends are also terrible revealers. Would you know what th The Sign of tige Charron, Girardot, Voigt q The C. G. V. Car is so associated with the great names in the social and financial worlds of Europe and America, that it has become a hall-mark of prestige and social standing. @ There is nothing to compare with the C. G. V. in finish and style. It is the cheapest car you can buy; it does not begin to deteriorate the first month of its use, but remains for years a per- manent value of its full purchase price. @ No knowing about the C.G. V stter what car you may buy, you will be enabled to get a greater value out of it by ‘Write for our superbly illustrated Catal i No. 7; it will idateuct you 96 thoscaghly in the excatial of a geod cai that then you do go ent to’ sclext ‘one, no matter what make—or price—you will know the points of construction which make Sole Importers for United States and Canada_( ee C.G.V. IMPORT co. 1849 Broadway At 1st Street NEW YORK CITY for power, durability, ease of control and elegance. Write to-day—now. Devight, 10, + Marion, tnd os, Mass. ite. pds, Mich. liege Ave. tor Liquor and Drug Using A scientific remedy which has been skilfully and successfully administered by medical specialists for the past twenty-seven years, At the following Keeley Institutes: Pletsbung, Pa. Canada, Leadon, England. comicbooks.com