writings of John Huss led Martin Luther to be the Reformer of Germany; so extensive and so incalculable are the consequences which sometimes follow from human actions.' Our historian has accompanied this, by giving the very feelings of Luther in early life on his first perusal of the works of John Huss; we see the spark of creation caught at the moment; a striking influence of the generation of character! Thus a father-spirit has many sons. . . . . . Such are thegreat lights of the world,' by whom the torch of knowledge has been successively seized. and transmitted from one to the other..... The torch of genius is perpetually transferred from hand to hand amidst this fleeting scene." D'Israeli's Literary Character, &c.; Alexandrian edition, pp. 444, 446.

13. EARLY READING-FIRST STUDIES.

The serious caution and conscientious watchfulness to be exercised by parents and friends, in the selection of books for the young, and for those who have not been accustomed to reading, (on the minds of both which classes, vivid and permanent, and therefore most important impressions will necessarily be produced by the authors recommended,) are forcibly suggested by the illustrations which follow. The practical teachings of these examples make it proper that they should have the place of emphasis and chief effect, at the close of our collations.

The first studies form an epoch in the history of genius, and unquestionably have sensibly influenced its productions. Often have the first impressions stamped a character on the mind adapted to receive one, as often the first step into life has determined its walk..... An early attachment to the works of Sir Thomas Browne produced in Johnson an excessive admiration of that Latinized English, which violated the native graces of the language. The first studies of Rembrandt affected his after labors; that peculiarity of shadow which marks all his pictures, originated in the circumstance of his father's mill receiving light from an aperture at the top, which habituated that artist afterwards to view all objects as if seen in that magical light. When Pope was a child, he found in his mother's closet a small library of mystical devotion; but it was not suspected till the fact was discovered, that the effusions of love and religion poured forth in his Eloisa, were derived from the seraphic raptures of those erotic mystics, who to the last retained a place in his library among the classical bards of antiquity. The accidental perusal of Quintus Curtius first made Boyle 'in love with other than pedantic books, and conjured up in him,' as he expresses it, an unsatisfied appetite of knowledge; so that he thought he owed more to Quintus Curtius than did Alexander. From the perusal of Rycaut's folio of Turkish history in childhood, the noble and impassioned bard of our times, (Lord Byron,) retained those indelible impressions which gave life and motion to the Giaour, the Corsair and Alp.' A voyage to the country produced the scenery..... The influence of first studies, in the formation of the character of genius, is a moral phenomenon, which has not sufficiently attracted our notice. Dr. Franklin acquaints us that when young and wanting books, he accidentally found De Foe's 'Essay on Projects, from which work impressions were derived which afterwards influenced some of the principal events of his life.... . Such is the influence through life of those first unobserved impressions on the character of genius, which every author has not recorded." Such, too, in a greater or less degree, is the influence of first impressions on all minds. As the impressions can never be obliterated, the influence is to last forever.-See D' Israeli's Literary Character, &c.; Alexandrian edition, p. 412.

14. HINTS TO Young Ladies as to What to READ AND HOW TO READ. "THINK, my dear young friends, of the difference that is made in the character of a human being, simply by reading. Compare an Irish girl

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who comes to this country at fifteen or sixteen, who has never been taught to read, with one of your own countrywomen in the humblest condition, of the same age, who loves to read, and who has read the books within her reach! Books are the best property of the rich; think what they are to the poor who really love them. Compare the pampered boy, who cares for nothing so much as the indulgence of his sensual appetites, fretting over a table spread luxuriously, to a little fellow who, coming from the districtschool, with his empty luncheon basket, snatches his Robinson Crusoe from the shelf; and, while his half frozen toes are warming, devours it, forgetful of every evil in life. . . . . It was but yesterday that I was at the humble home of a revolutionary soldier-a pensioner. I found his wife reading. Her eight children are dispersed south and west, and the old pair are left alone. They live far away from the village, and hardly put their heads out of doors from November till March. I involuntarily expressed my sympathy in their solitary condition. Oh,' replied the old lady most cheerily, 'I have company-books, the best of company!' .. Think over your acquaintance, my young friends; I am sure you will find among them some old person, some invalid, some one cut off from social pleasures. to whom life would be a tedious burden, if it were not for books. . . If there is a real love of books, there is hardly a limit to be set to the knowledge that may be acquired from them without the aid of instructors, schools, or colleges... A love for reading is with some merely the keen appetite of a superior mind. It would be felt under any circumstances whatever. But these are the few -the gifted. With most persons, the taste for reading must be cultivated. I believe there is no habit easier to form. Intelligent children, who live in reading families, with very few exceptions, are fond of reading as soon as they can read with facility. But, if you have been so unfortunate as not to acquire this habit of reading early, form it now for yourself. If you are not capable of selecting your own books, take the advice of some friend who knows the wants of your mind. Resolve to devote a portion of every day, for a year to come, to reading; and then, if you forget your resolution, it will not signify. The love of reading will, by that time, surely take the place of the duty, and do your mind vastly more good.

"It is difficult to give any general advice as to the selection of books, because so much depends on the character, opportunities, and leisure of the individual. . . . . It would be too painful for me to believe that there is one among you, to whom it is necessary to say, 'Regard the bible as the first and best of books.' But I fear, my young friends, that you read the bible much less than you should. The multitude of religious books and tracts have, in some measure, superseded it. You are attracted by a story, and, to get a little pure gold you receive a great deal of dross. Many of these books, I know, derive their spirit from the bible; many of them are useful and delightful; but let them take a subordinate place, and not encroach on the time you have to give to the fteading of the bible. Do not be satisfied to drink from the stream which is imbued with much earthy material, when you can go to the pure fountain. . . . . You will find your pleasure in reading the bible incalculably increased, if you will read it not only with a spirit submissive to its Divine instruction, but with your mind awakened, and eager to understand it. There are Dictionaries of the Bible that explain what is obscure; there are books that will give you much light upon the history, customs, and modes of life among the Jews. There are others that explain the prophecies, and show you their fulfillment. . . . . . If you can read but few books, be sure that the history of your own country is among them. Make yourself acquainted thoroughly with its institutions, its past and present condition, its extent, climate, laws, productions, and commerce. All these subjects come within our own sphere--they may be called domestic matters. Think you, if a woman was well instructed, well read on these topics, she would be as incapable of business, and therefore as dependent as she now is?. . . . Next to the history and condition of your

own country, it is important that you acquaint yourselves with the history and condition of the countries whence your ancestors came. Then you will be able to compare your country with other countries, your own times with preceding ages. Thus informed, you will not fall into the commɔn national vanity of fancying all knowledge, all virtue, and all progress, concentrated in the United States; nor into a worse error, a culpable ignorance of the advantages of your own country, and insensibility to them.... You will find well written and authentic travels a very improving and delightful kind of reading. You may lack money and opportunity to travel twenty miles from home, when for one or two dollars you may buy a book that will take you, with a well-instructed and all-observing companion, half over the world. Or, if you cannot expend the cost of the book, you may get it from a society, or district-library; or, borrow it from some kindly disposed person.. .. Good biographies are very improving books. The experience of others will often suggest models, advice, and reproof, that comes in the most inoffensive form. . . Every well educated young person who has leisure for reading, should be well versed in English literature. . . . . In the wide department of fictitious writing, let your consciences restrain and direct your inclination, and rectify your taste. When our Saviour employed fiction in the parables of the prodigal son, and of the good Samaritan, it was, no doubt, to give to an important truth, a form that should be universally interesting and touching. Few will object to your reading such fictitious writings as do good to your hearts; and while you have such as Sir Walter Scott's, and Miss Edgeworth's, you have no excuse for reading the profligate and romantic novels of the last century, or the no less profligate and far more insidious romances of the present day.

"Next to 'what to read,' comes the great question how to read,' and I am not sure the last is not the weightier of the two. . No book will improve you which does not make you think; which does not make your own mind work. This is as certain as that the mill is not improved by the corn that passes through it, or that the purse is none the richer for the money that has been in it. . . . . When you read, do not take for granted, believing, with ignorant credulity, whatever you see stated in a book. Remember an author is but one witness, and often a very fallible one. Pause in your reading, reflect, compare what the writer tells you with what you have learned from other sources on the subject, and, above all, use your own judgment independently, not presumptuously. . Knowing how short and precious time is, be more careful in the selection of your books than eager to read a great many. When you do read, read thoroughly and understandingly. . . . It is a good practice to talk about a book you have just read; not to display your knowledge, for this is pedantry or something worse; but to make your reading a social blessing by communicating liberally to those in your family circle, who may have less time and opportunity for reading than you have. You may often, too, by the superior knowledge of a friend, correct the false impressions you have received. Or, your friend may have read the same book, and then it is a delightful point of sympathy. ... One word before I close this subject, as to the preservation of your books. If you love them, you will respect them. and unless you arc incorrigibly slovenly and careless, you will not break off the covers, soil the leaves, and dog-ear the corners. . . . . There is a common and offensive habit destructive to books, which we should not presume to caution any educating little girl against, if we had not seen it practiced by educated men. This is wetting the fingers to turn over the leaves..... Surely this should not be. When you borrow a book, put a cover on it before you read it. Use it with clean hands. Never lay it down on the face, nor where it is exposed to be knocked down by the next passer-by. Do not readily yield to any one's request to lend it again, but return it promptly and punctually Perform the borrower's duty strictly, and Heaven bless you with libera lenders."-Miss C. M. Sedgwick: Means and Ends.

PLAN OF READING RECOMMENDED BY THOMAS S. GRIMKE.

After

1. Before I commenced an author, I made myself thoroughly master of the whole scheme of his work, (if a table of contents and chapters enabled me to do so.) of the character of his whole system, of the principles on which hẹ had separated and arranged the parts, and of their relation to each other, and to the whole. 2. I then studied the author in the following manner. reading the first sentence, I meditated on it, developing the author's thought, as well as I was able; and reducing the whole, as nearly as possible, to a single, distinct, concise expression. I then read the second sentence, and did the same: and next compared the two sentences together, meditating on them, and gathering out of them their substance. Thus I went through the paragraph, and then reflected on the whole, until I had reduced it to a single sentence, containing its essence. I then studied the next paragraph in like manner: and having finished it, I compared the two together, and gathered out of them their substance. The same plan was followed in the comparison of sections with sections, chapters with chapters, books with books. until the author was finished. This may appear, at first sight, an exceedingly tedious process; but any one, acquainted with the nature of the mind, knows the wonderful facility that would soon be acquired by a faithful, patient adherence to this mode of study, even through a single chapter. 3. A third rule was to pass nothing unexamined. nothing without reflection, whether in poetry or fiction, history or travels, politics, philosophy, or religion. Gratitude will not allow me to pass unnoticed the vast advantages derived from a humble, patient, thankful perusal of Watts' admirable book on the Improvement of the Mind. Nor ought I to omit the three rules of Professor Whitaker, of Cambridge, given to John Boyse, one of the eminent translators of the Bible in the time of James the 1st, to study chiefly standing or walking, never to study at a window, and not to go to bed, on any account, with cold feet.

It is an error to suppose that a course of study is confined to the period of youth, and that when a young man has left school or college, he has finished his education, and has nothing to study but his profession. In truth he has done little more than treasure up some of the important materials, and acquire the elementary habits and discipline, which are indispensable to the continued improvement of his mind. If he expects to be a scholar, not in the literary sense of the word, but in a far higher and nobler sense, as a Christian, patriot, philanthropist, and public servant, in the state or national councils. in literary, benevolent, and religious institutions; if he means to be distinguished for his sense of duty, and his spirit of usefulness, for just principles, enlarged views, dignified sentiments and liberal feelings, for sound thinking, and clear, close reasoning, let him be assured that he has done little more than lay the foundations, in the school, or even in the college, up to the age of twenty. He must make up his mind to be a devoted student, in spite of his professional engagements, for ten years at least; until he shall have been able to deepen and strengthen, and enlarge, and elevate his mind, so as to fit himself for solid, honorable, permanent usefulness. Let him remember, that the school only prepares the youth to enter on the course of study, appropriate to the young man: and that the college only enables the young man to enter on the course of study appropriate to the man. Manhood has its appropriate course of study, and the difference between men arises very much from their selection and pursuit of a right course of study. Many fine minds, capable of enlarged and durable improvement and usefulness, are lost every year to the community, in which their lot is cast, to the country they are bound to serve, to the cause of religion, humanity, justice and literature: because they have failed in this great duty, they have neglected the course of study, appropriate to manhood. And here let it be remarked, that the true student never considers how much he reads, but rather how little, and only what and how he reads.― Grimke on Science, Education, and Literature, p.p. 54–56.

EDUCATION, STUDIES AND CONDUCT.

FOREIGN TRAVEL AS PART OF EDUCATION.

LETTER OF SIR PHILIP SIDNEY TO HIS BROTHER ROBERT, (Earl of LEICESTER).

THIS letter originally appeared in a little volume entitled “Instructions for Travelers, by Robert Earl of Essex, Sir Philip Sidney and Secretary Davison, 1633." It was written in 1578, probably on the application of his brother Robert, about to set out on his travels, who had been urged by his father, Sir Henry Sidney, at that time Lord Deputy to the Queen for Ireland, "to look to the practice of your most loving brother. Imitate his virtues, exercises, studies and actions. Seek the knowledge of the estate of every prince, court, and city you pass through. Address yourself to the company, to learn this of the elder sort, and yet neglect not the younger. By one you shall gather learning, wisdom, and knowledge; by the other, acquaintance, languages and exercise."

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, whose act and words on the fatal field of Zutphen, to the poor wounded soldier who, as he was borne by on a litter, cast a longing look on a bottle of wine which the wounded knight was putting to his own lips-"Poor fellow! thy necessity seems greater than mine," and pushed the bottle towards him-has outlived the memory of his Defense of Poesy,' or his 'Arcadia,' and all but the traditions of his many personal and intellectual accomplishments, was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, and died, as above intimated, from the wound received at Zutphen, October 16, 1586, in the very prime of his days, "the idol of his times-the soldier's, scholar's, courtier's eye, tongue, and word." His dying words to his brother were: 'Love my memory, cherish my friends. But above all, govern your will and affections by the will and word of your Creator, in me beholding the end of this world with all her vanities.' In his own travels, which occupied three years, he devoted himself to the studies, exercises and society for which each city had special opportunities, at Vienna, to horsemanship; at Padua, to geometry and astronomy, for which the University was then famous; at Frankfort he cultivated the society of Hubert Languet, and at Venice, of Tasso.