152 



The Review of Reviews. 



August 1, 1906. 



Photooraph 'jyj 



Mr Will C.'ooks, M.P. IE. H. Mills. 



ways a teetotaler— aud I slowly opened niy precious book 

 and began to read. Heavens, what a revelation it was 

 to me ! A whole new world, gorgeous with romance and 

 beauty, opened itself up to me. I was enohanted. I forgot 

 work and the dreary East -End and everything. I sailed 

 among the isles of Greece, and I was in another world. 

 I assure you, Mr. Blathwayt, it was a fair luxury to a 

 man like me to get the entree into such company — gods 

 and kings and heroes — as that of wliich I then obtained 

 my first glimpse. I have had but little opportunity to read 

 the classics of Greece and Rome, as you may suppose. 



Speaking of the " P'ilgrinVs Progress/' Mr. Crooks 



said : — 



Bunyan is the ideal of our working people! I always 

 think of that splendid passage of the passing over the 

 river and the entry into Heaven of Christian and Faith- 

 ful. I can quu-e sympatliise with Arnold of Rugby whe*i 

 he said. *" I never dare trust myself to read that passage 

 aloud.'" But still. I must confess that, apart from Bunyar. 

 the theology of religion does not touch the working classes 

 so much as its social side. 



C. DUNCAN (Barrow-in-Furness). 



B. 1865. Middlesbrough. Ed., Board School 

 Occ, Engineer. 



I have your kind letter of April 23rd to hand re books 

 that have influenced and been helpful to me. First, I 

 am a very wide reader — all is fish that comes to my net; 

 and I like to buy books worth reading, as I think such 

 books must be worth keeping. This is naturally limited 

 by my ability to purchase. Still. I am rather proud of 

 my collection, as it represents practically oil mi/ spare 

 cai^h besides my taste in literature. 



ify advice to all men is to have books of your own. 

 Public libraries are very good, but private libraries are 

 very much better, as you thus command the pick of the 

 world's brains as your close friends and advisers as well 

 as teachers. Besides this, by wide reading in the Classics 

 fancient) you can see how the world moved thousands of 

 years ago. and see history repeating itself to-day. 



The unread man has a narrow outlook, and easily goes 

 astray; he is the sport of political tricksters and the tool 

 for all knaves. The brain is a wonderful garden; but its 



cultivation requires assiduous attention, and the harvest 

 is simply astounding. 



The following are a few of the books that have influenced 

 me:—" Sartor Resartus," Carlyle; " Unto This Last," 

 Ruskin; "Sesame and Lilies." Ruskin : "Industrial Demo- 

 cracy," Webb; "History of Trades t'nions." Webb; " White 

 Slaves of Ensland." Shernrd : " What Would Jesus D^?" 

 Charles M. Sheldon; ' Walden." Thoreau ; Plato's "Re- 

 public and Dialogues": " Merrie England." Robert Bla + ch- 

 ford; "Poems." Robert Burns. CHARLES DU^•CAN. 



ENOCH EDWARDS (Hanle>M. 



Long hours of work in my early working life left little 

 time for reading. In fact there was neither time to read 

 books or money to buy them with. I owe much to the 

 kindness of Sunday school teachers, and the Bible was 

 my first book. A village library at the school gave me 

 mv opportunity, and then I read history, travel and 

 biogri-phy. These formed the staple food for my young 

 mind in those days. Whfle engaged in the mine a 

 workman lent me the History of England, which was a 

 veritable mire of intellectual wealth, and I read it care- 

 fully before j- was sixteen years of age- Since then I 

 have secured all the best my limited means would allow. 

 —Yours truly. ENOCH EDWAEDS. 



C. FEWVICK (Northumberland. Wansbeck). 



B. T'^50, Northumberland. Ed.. Pit Village 



School. Occ, 



Methodist. 



Coal-miner. Rel.. Primitive 



I gladly resnond to your request re the books which I 

 have found most helpful to me in fighting my way up 

 from my humble origin : — 



II ilatthew Henry's "Commentary." 



2) "European Democracy." and "Faith in the Future.*' 

 by Joseph Mazzini. 



i5) The story of Mungo Park and the travels of Dr. Living- 

 stone. 



i4) Macaulay's History and Essays. 



Sir Walter Soott, Kingsley, and Rosa Carey are my 

 favourite novelists. I am glad when I can find time for 

 a chat in the "ingle" with any of them. Sincerely yours. 



CHARLES FEXWICK. 



A. H. GILL ^Bolton). 



B. 1856, Bolton. Ed., Streets. Occ, Cotton- 

 spinner. Rel., Wfsleyan. 



Cannot make any special reference to books. — Yours, 



A. H. GILL. 



THO]\L\S GLOVER (St. Helens). 



B. 1852, Lancashire. Ed., Night Schools. Occ.^ 

 Coal-miner. ReL, Congregationalist. 



In answer to your letter of the 25rd inst. I am sorry to 

 say that I have not gained my experiences out of books, 

 but from the everyday experiences of how the workers 

 have been treated by the employers and the class which 

 do not work, and whose main object has always been to 

 keep the workinz man as much in the dark as" they can. 

 I had to work in the mines from a ver.v early age — nine 

 years old when I started and very long hours— and the 

 little I learned was at the night" schools, and then by 

 seeking to get into company always above myself and 

 learning from them, which was most valuable to me. If 

 you think this is any use to you for your paj>er you may 

 use it.— Yours faithfully. THOS. GLOVKE. 



JAMES HASLAM (Derbyshire, Chesterfield). 



B. 1842. Ed., CoIlier\ School. Occ. Coal-miner. 

 ReL, Methodist. 



I am sorry I cannot say very clearly what books hare 

 been of particular advantage over others. I havft read 

 Lytton, Dickens. Mill. Robert Owen. Henry George, and 

 a lot of current literature of manv kinds. — Yours faitb- 

 fnlly, J.vs. Haslam. 



