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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1896)
YALE ATI Reet THE BOOK SHELF. (Conducted by ALBERT LEE, '91.] So far as the reading of books is concerned, college men may pretty fairly be divided into-two distinct classes, one of which pursues a “course of reading,’ while the other takes his books more or less indis- criminately as time, opportunity, in- clination, or chance may provide. There is perhaps a third class of col- lege men,—and doubtless a large one, —Wwhich does not read at all, outside of the morning paper and a magazine, but that one, of course, is excluded by our premises. As to which is the greater of. the two book-reading divisions of the col- lege, I am unfortunately unable, from my present view point, to judge, and having been unobservant in my own time, my recollection upon the sub- ject is of small account. My surmise, however, is that the second group,— the desultory crowd,-—is the greater; and, further, my sympathies and con- victions are’ wholly with the ‘“‘Dab- blers” and squarely opposed to the “Regulars Coursers.’’ There must be a number of. men in every class, and we have all of us known them, who 3 think that their intellects need a “course of reading,’’ and they resolve that during the term, or the year, as the’ case may be, they will read the works of Dickens, or of Thackeray, or of Balzac, or of Dumas, or of such writers as have earned high places in literature, making their selection ac- ‘ cording as their opinions go concern- ing what the ‘course of reading’’ should be. Most of these fellows nurse the fallacy that it is incumbent upon any man desirious of being considered _ lecture. nn well read, to wade through everything written by Dickens or Thackeray or such authors as they consider ‘‘stand- . ard,’ whether they like and admire what these men have written or not. I remember very well that this self _ same doctrine was pounded at me when I was a youngster, when I was about twelve or fourteen. A vigorous attempt was made to impress upon Mme the relative positions in literature Of Charles Dickens, and Oliver Optic,— positions which I now frankly admit were, in their relations as propounded, directly the reverse to that which they held in my own boyish affections. They also told me that Dickens was humorous; lingua pueri, ‘“funny’’. Then they gave me a copy of the Pickwick Papers and I plunged boldly in, en- thusiastically expectant of a comic But my boyish conception of humor was not that of my elders. Il had a very hard time of it with Mr. Pickwick. I plodded through the close- ly printed pages, urged onward solely by a sense of duty. I began to- think” I must be stupid, or perhaps too child-- ish for my years, and I wondered if other boys liked Dickens, and why. At the end I could not recall more than one funny page in all the Pick- wick. Papers. That was the incident. of the lost hat, and I certainly enjoy-' ed reading of how Mr. Pickwick’s headgear went bounding away from. him, a sport to the wind. That is all I remember to the pres-— ent day about this book, except one thing. At an entertainment a few years later a gentleman read from the / Pickwick Papers, Sam Weller’s and he spoke Mr. dialogue just as Mr. . Weller himself would doubtless have spoken’ it had he been there, and I was highly pleased. But I have al- ways felt, down in the bottom of my heart, that the passage which «this. gentleman read (and perhaps all the other ‘funny’? passages of the book) were not in the copy I had as a boy, for I never saw them, or seeing them I knew them not. All of which is to lead up to the statement that I believe most boys are taught to hate the standard au- 5 a KING NOANETT. A Story of Old Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay A NEW HISTORICAL NOVEL. By F. J. STIMSON, (J. S. of Dale.) ‘‘ We are not afraid to predict that ‘King Noanett’ will take its place in the hearts of the people with such books as ‘Lorna Doone’ and ‘The Little Minister..—A most noble book.”—James MacArthur, in the September Bookman. “achat ee SRR CE AT STIR OAT Sm ALTRI 8 OT ESR CIE WW HHhKhLY thors by being dosed with them before they are mentally capable of appre- ciating them. The greater number of these boys doubtless overcome the an- tipathy and, perhaps, when they get to college, they read the authors again, when they are able to under- Stand and enjoy. These are the ones Who go in for a ‘course of reading;” those who can’t get the taste out of - their mouths are the ones who put their interest into contemporary liter- ature. The point I am endeavoring to make is that the college man, and just as much the college graduate, ought to have some way of finding out what kind of reading is most suitable to his tastes and to his necessities. He Should not be compelled to take so much chaff with his wheat. If I could 80 back into Freshman year now, knowing what little I do to-day about books, I believe I could make very good use of the Linonia Library,—very much better use of it than I did in the halcyon days. A man in college, and afterwards, cannot read all the books there are. He can read only a certain number of volumes in the time he has at his disposal. Some men can devour more than others, but it is a question if these do not eventually suf- fer from literary dyspepsia. There- fore if those who are. busy with other matters can have some means of as- certaining what books,—and I am now largely speaking of books,—will be the most profitable for their individual -wants and tastes, they can save a great deal of time. The critic has undertaken, in. mod- ern times, to point out these things which I have thought should be point- ‘a out. But frequently. the . critic, from various motives, allows the ele- ment of personal opinion and preju- dice to enter too largely into his dis- Sertation. The college man and the college graduate, do not care so much for criticism, so far as current litera- ture is concerned, as they do for what is colloquially known as a “‘tip.’’ Tnere- fore, if it were possible to point out ‘that which is good on the book stalls, doing this from a general knowledge contemporary Tighe, Lane, Wheeler & Farnham, Attorneys at Law, 109-112 Manhattan Building, St. Paul, Minn. . AMBROSE TIGHE. JOHN W. LANE. HOWARD WHEELER. CHARLES W. FARNHAM. of the kind of book the college man is likely to be interested in, and writ- ing of books and their contents from a college man’s point of view, this column might serve some good purpose in the field of its endeavor. SRR: saa Dr. Chase’s Pamphlet, A notable pamphlet of 27 pages has just appeared at Leipzig (Buchhand- lung Gustav Fock) entitled, ‘““A Biblio- graphical Guide to Old English Syn- tax.’ In it Dr. Frank H. Chase, ’94, gives a list, complete to date, of all the treatises on Old English syntax, and afterwards classifies them (1) chronologically, (2) according to the universities at which they were pro- duced, (3) according to syntactical cat— egories, and (4) according to the va- rious texts investigated. He then adds four or five pages of observations, sug- gested by his examination and use of the treatises tabulated. The little work will thus be indispensable to all investigators in this field. A single sentence will illustrate the character of his appended remarks: ‘The ideal dissertation in Old English Syntax should, it seems to me, be a complete historical account of a single form of expression, or group of such forms; it should distinguish between early and late usages, when a distinction exists; and should point out traces of Latin influence, if they are present. Copies of the pamphlet may be had in this country on application to the author at Cheshire, Conn. SOME OTHER PUBLICATIONS. A Bad Penny, by John T. Wheelwright. With ten full-page illustrations by ‘It is marked in conception and execution alike by a trait which, without reserve, we may name beauty. The quality of charm which pervades the romantic tales of the Old World is just what distinguishes ‘King Noanett.’ The real spirit of the book, the temper which gives it inevitable romantic charm, comes from no documents at all, but straight from nature. The beauty of this book in its conception is like the beauty of our woods and our fields, of our fields and our streams. It is native. That is why we love it. Subtly rhythmical cadences which belong to the essence of lyric prose. In sub- stance and in style alike, then, we may welcome ‘ King Noanett’ as a thing of beauty.” —Prof. Barrett Wendell, of Harvard University, in The Boston Transcript. ‘‘So far as American fiction is concerned ‘King Noanett’ is far and away the book of the year. Certainly nothing fresher or more original has found its way into our literature for many a year. The volume possesses a distinct historical value.”—Literary Editor, The Boston Transcript. ‘* A book which it is hard to put down until the end is reached. The climax is a triumph of clever manipulation. It is a credit to American letters to have produced such a book. We trust that no one will miss the opportunity of making the acquaintance of ‘King Noanett.’ "—N. Y. Examiner. ‘“We have read few fictions whose interest was so steady, so continuous and so absorbing. ‘King Noanett’ must, however, be read in full to be justly appreciated. We sincerely commend the story to our readers, "—_N, Y. Independent. ‘‘It is interesting. It is spirited. cavalier is a delightful acquaintance. Literary World. ‘‘ A stirring and delightful romance.”—Congregationalist. ‘And who but an Irishman could have said Heigho ! "Tis the women who make the trouble of this life—and life worth the trouble.’ Mr. Stimson has done his best work in ‘King Noanett,’ and in Miles Courtenay he has added an immortal figure to the characters of fiction.” —James J effrey Roche, in The Pilot. It has movement and life. The young Irish ‘King Noanett’ possesses positive merits,”— ‘‘It is difficult to describe the fascination of its style, the enchantment which it wields, and the spiritual beauty which illumines the whole work.”—James MacArthur, in The Bookman. ‘** King Noanett’ is a book designed for all ages.”—N. Y. Tribune. ‘* Mr. Stimson writes as good a story as DuMaurier ”—Brooklyn Eagle. Ex Libris: Essays of a Collector, by Charles Dexter Allen. Illustrated by copper plate prints direct from coppers. Edition limited to 800 copies, 750 of which will be sold at $3.00 ; and 50 of which, bound in vellum and signed and numbered by the author, will be sold at $15. 00. F. G. Atwood, : : ; : A ; . $1.25 Fairy Tales, by ‘Mabel Fuller Blodgett. With twelve full-page illustrations by Ethel Reed, A : ; _* 20 Vera Vorontzoff, by Sonya Kovalevsky : rendered into English by Anna von Rydingsviard (Baroness von Proshwitz), (net) 1.25 Earth’s Enigmas. A volume of stories, by Charles G. D. 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Translated from the French by Minna Caroline Smith. Scotch plaid cover. ‘‘ The little volume, in its plaided covers, has achieved the distinction of being the most rapidly printed and lightning speeded book issued by the press.”—The Boston Herald, .50 Uncle Sam’s Church; His Creed, Bible and Hymn-Book. By John Bell Bouton. Cover in red, white, and blue; or buff and blue, .00 If Jesus came to Boston, by Edward Everett Hale, Sic: SO My Double, and How He Undid Me, by Edward Everett Hale. Republished with a new preface and portrait of the author, Th In Friendship’s Name. What makes a Friend? Two gift books compiled by Volney Streamer. Beautifully bound in Japanese vellum, and enclosed separately in pasteboard boxes, each, ; ; ‘ : 4p A Man without a Country, by Edward Everett Hale. A new edition of this famous story, 75
