eir predecessors
cannot give us; it may not be the most important message for us, but it
is a message of value, as we shall see if we return to De Morgan and his
novels. These remarkable books we cannot miss without losing something
that makes our own day fine and precious among earth's generations. But
in this respect they are literally chosen from ten thousand, for we need
constantly the caution that the near carries with it an appearance of
importance that is an illusion; of this truth our periodical literature,
from the newspaper up, is the illustrious example, and the lesson is all
summed up in the one phrase, "back number." Let us be careful that in
heeding contemporary voices we are not storing our minds with the
contents of "back numbers." True literature as we have seen, never
becomes out of date; Homer keeps up with the telegraph.

I have but one final word, which has been provided for me by Charles
Lamb, who says in his inimitable fashion: "I own that I am disposed to
say grace upon twenty other occasions in the course of the day besides
my dinner. I want a form for setting out upon a pleasant walk, for a
moonlight ramble, for a friendly meeting, or a solved problem. Why have
we none for books, those spiritual repasts--a grace before Milton--a
grace before Shakespeare--a devotional exercise proper to be said before
reading the Fairy Queen?" This is the spirit of a joyous but devoutly
grateful expectance, in which I would have myself approach the reading
of a great book. The gratitude I surely owe the author, for there is no
great book but has come like refined gold out of the furnace fire. I owe
it also to the Providence which has granted me this lofty privilege.
Moreover, it is only in the humility born of such an attitude that I can
make a complete approach to my author and gain that uplift and
enrichment of the soul, which--and not pastime nor pleasure--is the true
end, as it should be the aim of reading.

THE BACKGROUND OF THE BOOK

One of the greatest contributions that modern investigation has made to
human knowledge is background. It was once thought a remarkable
achievement to uncover the historic background of modern institutions,
and this was all that, until lately, scholarship attempted. Dr. Samuel
Johnson confidently remarked that we know no more about ancient Britain
than the old writers have told us, nor can we ever know any more than
this. Edward Clodd reminds us that at the very time