154 



The Review of Reviews. 



August 1, 1906. 



Photogrnph by] 



Mr John Johnson. M.P 



[E. H. Mills- 



the books that influenced me at this time were Todd's 

 lecture to children and hia Studenfg Manual. Then I 

 began the study of theology, and commenced with Dr. 

 Cooke's Theology. Shekinah and other works. Field's 

 Theory. Two books in this department which were useful 

 to me were Professor Flint's "Theism" and " Anti-Theistic 

 Theories." The greatest of all was Butler's " Analogy," 

 which was at one time my co - .ant companion. 



McCosh's ' Methods of Divine Government," the works 

 of Dr- Channing. Robertson's sermons, Stopford Brooke's 

 sermon and Canon Liddon's sermons all influenced me. 

 In moral philosophy. Professor Calderwood and Wayland's 

 Moral Science were helpful. Amoug the long list of John 

 Stuart Mill's works, nearly all of which I have read, the 

 one that influenced me most was his work on Liberty. 

 Mazzini'g works also influenced me. In history I com- 

 menced with Milner, but the book I valued most was 

 Green's Short History." Among the books of John Ruskin 

 the one "Unto This Last" was most useful to me. 

 Among the books of Carlyle were "Heroes and Hero Wor- 

 Bhip," " Sartor Resartus," and the Latter-day Pamphlets. 

 Macaulay's Essays were of great value to me. My first 

 poet is Shakespeare, a constant companion. I have read 

 Dante's works, but I fear not with the same profit. Mil- 

 ton's " Paradise Lost." Tennyson's " In Memoriam," 

 "Idylls of the King." etc.. Burns' works. Cowper'e "Task," 

 Gray's "Elegy," etc., Lowell's " Biglow Papers." In fiction 

 I can hardly" give you my favourite- In Thackeray I like 

 "Vanity Fair" and "Henry Esmond": in Dickens, "David 

 Copperfield," " Dombey and Son," and "Oliver Twist"; 

 George Eliot's '" Adam Bede," " Scenes of Clerical Life," 

 "Silas Marner." and " Romola." Among Scott's I like 

 " Heart of Midlothian." " Old Mortalitr," and " Kenil- 

 worth."— Yours truly, JOHN JOHNSON. 



W. JOHNSON (Warwickshire, Nuneaton). 



B. 1849, ^^^^^ Nurneaton. Ed., Elementary 

 School. Occ, Facton.-hand and Miner. Rel.. 

 Congregationalist. 



The following are the books, etc., I found most useful 

 and serviceable to me during the last thirty years: — 

 Smiles' *■ Self Help ' and " Character " ; Platts' books, 

 about a dozen. Is. each, "Religion," "Mammon," "God," 

 " Business," etc. ; Patersons " Mental Science " ; Mazzini's 



Essays and Life; the books of Science and Art for the 

 Kensington Department Examinations; the various his- 

 tories and subjects submitted by the Working Men's Club 

 and Institute, London, for examiiiations a^nd essays. Pl.iin 

 living and high thinking. Later years :— Samuel Laing's 

 ■ Problems of the Future," ' Modern Science and Modern 

 Thought, ' and other similar worns. Earliest of all well 

 ground in Bible reading. WM. JOHNSON. 



JOHN T. MACPHERSON (Preston). 



B. 1872, Middlesbrough. Privately educated. 

 Occ, Steel Smelter. Rel., Free Methodist. 



What I owe to the books I have read would be difficult 

 to estimate. If you. saw my bookcase at home you would 

 see that my loves and friendships are wide and varied- 

 Probably those that I love the most and have rece ved 

 the greatest advantage from are Buskin's works, part cu- 

 larly " Xnto This Last"; Thomas Cajlyle's "Heroes and 

 Hero Worship ' and his "French Revolution"; Herbert 

 Spencer's works, as well as Charles Darwin's. 



Of the poets, Tennyson, Browning, Lowell, Omar Khay- 

 yam. Keats and Byron have made life more wondrous. 



Novels I have also read and enjoyed. Dickens. Edna 

 Lyall. Harold Frederic, Hall Caine, George Meredith, 

 Thomas Hardv, and a host of others.— Yours trulr, 



JOSN T. MACPHEBSON. 



F. MADDISON (Burnley). 



B. 1856, Lincolnshire. Ed., Wesleyan School. 

 Occ, Compositor. 



From my earliest days I have been drawn to religion 

 and politics — the two being with me really one. 



As a consequence, the books which attracted me were 

 of that order. The histories of the Reformation and of 

 the French Revolution were amongst my favourite reading. 



But if I had to name a single writer to whom I owe 

 most it would have to be Joseph Mazzini, especially his 

 essay on "The Duties of Man." He has shaped my politi- 

 cal, economic, and religious thinking, and no one has 

 gained so entirely my agreement.— Tours truly, 



F. MADDISON. 



J. RAMSAY MACDONALD (Leicester). 



B. 1866, Lossiemouth, N.B., Ed., Elementary 

 School. Occ, Clerk. Rel., Free Church of 



Scotland. 



The books that influenced me most were Hugh Miller's, 

 particularly his " Schools and Schoolmasters." Also the 

 ■■ Waverley Novels." in conjunction with Scottish History, 

 opened out the great world of national life for me and 

 led me on to politics. But Hugh Miller had more influence 

 upon me than any other.— With kindest regards, yours very 

 sincerely. J. RAMSAY MaCDONALD. 



GEORGE XICHOLLS (Northampton, North). 



B. 1864, Cambridge. Ed., Dame''s School. Occ. 

 Farm Labourer. Rel., Congregationalist. 



I was by force of circumstances compelled to go to work 

 upon a fen farm at tlie age of nine years. The Education 

 Act did not touch my case, as I was just over the age of 

 thirteen when it was enforced, and, my mother bCiUg 

 poor, the only library I had at the first was a ninepenny 

 Bible I purchased after saving up one penny a week. My 

 next purchase was a " Pilgrim's Progress," Is., and after- 

 ward ■' Foxes Book of Martyrs," Is. 



From a boy I had a real desire to be good and then 

 useful, and until I reached the age of twenty years I never 

 possessed more books than the ordinary smnll story books 

 generally given as Sunday school prizes. 



What became most useful to me for many years were 

 the weekly religious papers. My small wages would not 

 afford costly books, and, my time would not allow for much 

 readins-, for when one has been from home on the farm 

 from 6 o'clock a.m- to 6.30 p.m. in the winter months. 

 he cannot read long before he sleeps, so that the short 

 biographical sketches each week about some eood and 

 useful man. upon the front pages of the ChrUtian Age, 

 ChrUtiaji Herald, Christian Globe, and any monthly that con- 

 tained articles about leaders — soldier, politician or preacher 

 —I would secure somehow, and if possible I would store 

 these together and read them over again and again, and 

 so I kept by me these short accounts of great men, and 



