The recent pocket classics, like " English Men of
Letters," edited by John Morley, the " Ancient Classics for English
Readers," edited by the Rev. W. Lucas Collins, and the works of
Professor J. R. Green, of Oxford, in history, are all excellent and of
convenient size. For poetry, the last edition of Bryant's " Library
of Poetry and Song " is of great value from the extent of its selec-
tions, the biographical dates of the several poets, and its admirable
indexes which enable one to find what we want, either by author's
name, or subject, or first line. In natural history you may have a
rich feast for very little cost. That ever-charming work, Gilbert
White's " Natural History of Selborne," Stanley's " History of
British Birds," Audubon's " Quadrupeds of America" and " Birds of
America," Mrs. Agassiz' " First Lessons in Natural History," " Wake
Robin," by Burroughs, " Child's Book of Nature," by W. Hooker,
" Our Feathered Friends," and " Houses without Hands " and " Nat-
ural History," by Rev. J. G. Wood, Charles Kingsley's " Glaucus,"
" Seaside Studies in Natural History," by E. C. and A. Agassiz.
form a splendid array, and )'ou may add Buckland's " Curiosities
136 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
of Natural History " and Hamerton's " Chapters on Animals " if
you will.
But in all your reading, remember that you do not live to read
but read to live. Sow that you may reap ; seek that you may find,
learn that you may teach, and amid all your learning and knowl-
edge, learn to " know thyself"
CHOICE OF OCCUPATION.
"As garment draws the garment's hem,
Men their fortunes bring with them ;
By right or wrong
Land and goods go to the strong."
VERYBODY, whether rich or poor, must do something
with his time in this world, and those who do not have
to work for a Hving, really have a harder time of it
than those who do. Doing nothing is very hard
work, because it has to " kill time," as the saying is,
and time is the hardest creature possible to kill ; just when we think
we have killed it, the poor old thing comes to life again and
stares the idle man or woman in the face and says : "• Now what
are you going to do with me ? " If we wanted to punish any one
with great severity, there is no work which could be set him which
would be more tiresome than to do nothing. Only imagine a person
being tried in a court of law for doing wrong, and the learned judge,
after the jury has brought in a verdict of guilty, sentencing him to
do nothing for the rest of his life, or for a certain length of time. It
would be worse than a sentence of death, because while we live our
minds and bodies demand employment. One might as well bind a
man with fetters as forbid him to use his hands and feet. It would
be dreadful to have to sit twirling one's thumbs and doing nothing,
even for a single day. The eyes would be sure to fall on something
which the mind would ask the hands to lay hold of or the feet to
walk to. The thoughts would be sure to keep on saying: " I ought
to be doing this or that ; to-morrow will be too late."
Some people think tha' men and women only work because they
('37)
138 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
Page 83
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The recent pocket classics, like " English Men of Letters," edited by John Morley, the " Ancient Classics for English Readers," edited by the Rev. W. Lucas Collins, and the works of Professor J. R. Green, of Oxford, in history, are all excellent and of convenient size. For poetry, the last edition of Bryant's " Library of Poetry and Song " is of great value from the extent of its selections, the biographical dates of the several poets, and its admirable indexes which enable one to find what we want, either by author's name, or subject, or first line. In natural history you may have a rich feast for very little cost. That ever-charming work, Gilbert White's " Natural History of Selborne," Stanley's " History of British Birds," Audubon's " Quadrupeds of America" and " Birds of America," Mrs. Agassiz' " First Lessons in Natural History," " Wake Robin," by Burroughs, " Child's Book of Nature," by W. Hooker, " Our Feathered Friends," and " Houses without Hands " and " Natural History," by Rev. J. G. Wood, Charles Kingsley's " Glaucus," " Seaside Studies in Natural History," by E. C. and A. Agassiz. form a splendid array, and you may add Buckland's " Curiosities
136 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
of Natural History " and Hamerton's " Chapters on Animals " if you will.
But in all your reading, remember that you do not live to read but read to live. Sow that you may reap ; seek that you may find, learn that you may teach, and amid all your learning and knowledge, learn to " know thyself"
"As garment draws the garment's hem, Men their fortunes bring with them ; By right or wrong
Land and goods go to the strong."
VERYBODY, whether rich or poor, must do something with his time in this world, and those who do not have to work for a Hving, really have a harder time of it than those who do. Doing nothing is very hard work, because it has to " kill time," as the saying is, and time is the hardest creature possible to kill ; just when we think we have killed it, the poor old thing comes to life again and stares the idle man or woman in the face and says : "• Now what are you going to do with me ? " If we wanted to punish any one with great severity, there is no work which could be set him which would be more tiresome than to do nothing. Only imagine a person being tried in a court of law for doing wrong, and the learned judge, after the jury has brought in a verdict of guilty, sentencing him to do nothing for the rest of his life, or for a certain length of time. It would be worse than a sentence of death, because while we live our minds and bodies demand employment. One might as well bind a man with fetters as forbid him to use his hands and feet. It would be dreadful to have to sit twirling one's thumbs and doing nothing, even for a single day. The eyes would be sure to fall on something which the mind would ask the hands to lay hold of or the feet to walk to. The thoughts would be sure to keep on saying: " I ought to be doing this or that ; to-morrow will be too late."
Some people think tha' men and women only work because they
('37)
138 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.