614 



The Review of Reviews. 



December 1, 1906. 



necessary for the intelligent understanding of the 

 news of the day. 



Of the classics, those short enough to be published 

 in full would be so published ; but those which ex- 

 ceeded the compass of a hundred-page book would 

 be lucidly described, with such copious quotations as 

 would afford the reader a good general idea of the 

 contents of the book. 



Books must be produced short enough for a busy 

 man to read one of them in a week, small enough to 

 go into his pocket, and cheap enough not to emptv 

 that pocket. They must be carefully selected so as 

 to contain all the best that has been written bv the 

 greatest intellects of the world, and to be rid of 

 everything that is neither necessary nor interesting. 

 The Library for the Million will have to be the 

 cheapest, handiest, most condensed collection of 

 books ever published since printing was invented. 



The contents of the Library for the Million 

 would be carefully drawn up after consultation with 

 the most eminent authorities, in order to supply the 

 million with a brief, succinct, lucid and useful series 

 of hooks which would (i) introduce them to the best 

 literature of the world, and (2) supply them with 

 the authentic information necessary to enable them 

 to understand the contents of their daily newspapers. 



In compiling the list of the 120 books the first 

 object which would be kept in view would be to 

 make the range of reading as attractive and interest- 

 ing as possible. The Library would not profess any 

 desire to turn out learned men. It would not aspire 

 to make .scholars. What it would aim at is to make 

 the world and the things that are therein more in- 

 teresting to the people who used the Library. Out 

 of the hundred thousand students who used the 

 Library, one thousand might apply themselves seri- 

 ously to some one studv and become therein expert 

 and learned. That will be all to the good. But 

 the main thing is that the remaining 99.000 will, 

 even if they never read another book than the 120 of 

 our college course, be much more intelligent men 

 and W'Omen and much better instructed citizens than 

 thev would otherwise have been. 



To give people fresh interest in life, to deliver 

 them from boredom, to open up new and enchanting 

 vistas into the glories and miracles of existence, 

 surely that is work well worth doing, and one in 

 which it is good to be able to help. 



A LIBEAEY AS POPULAR TJMVERSITT. 



In founding this Library an attempt would be 

 made to give practical effect to Carlvle's saving that 

 the true University is a collection of books. ' The ob- 

 ject would be to establish such a University in every 

 home in the English-speaking world. Universities 

 have their tutors, professors, and classes ; these we 

 cannot provide in a library. But here there can be, 

 in the first place, selection of hooks ; and in the 

 second place, there can be a substitute for the lecture 

 in summaries with extracts and illustrations from 

 works too voluminous to be read in full. 



The course of reading could be adjusted to the 

 leisure of the student. It might be assumed that in- 

 stead of having the whole of his time during three 

 years, the graduate of this latest born of universi- 

 ties could only spare half-an-hour a day for reading 

 books. The Library would supply him with a hun- 

 dred pages of reading matter every week, of which 

 he would only need to read fifteen per day in order 

 to keep up with this college course. 



The sub.stitute for examinations would be the 

 sending in weekly of indices, analyses, or summaries, 

 as the case may be, limited to one thousand words 

 of the volume read. As an incentive a prize of five 

 pounds might be offered every week for the best 

 paper sent in. 



This popular university curriculum would last for 

 two years and a-half ; 120 books would have been 

 read, of which about half would be of the nature of 

 Universitv Extension lectures on a series of volumes 

 which could not be otherwise included in the course 

 of study. 



When the course was complete, scholarships of the 

 total value of ^£400 would be offered for examina- 

 tion — sav, in the books devoted to History, Poetry, 

 Fiction and Politics — tenable at any University by 

 those who succeed in the examination. 



It is hoped that those who are interested in pro- 

 moting the revival of reading would endeavour to 

 form reading-classes in their own neighbourhood. 



If there are only two or three who compare notes 

 at the newsagents' shops where they obtain the books, 

 it is a beginning. But it would be easy to form 

 classes in connection with Public Libraries, 

 Mechanics] Institutes. Churches. Young Men's Chris- 

 tian Associations, Pleasant Sunday Afternoon So- 

 cieties. Co-operative Associations, Mothers' Meet- 

 ings, and the like, at which the weekly volume could 

 be read and discussed, where the leader could lecture 

 on the book of the week, and the class could ask 

 questions or discuss its subjects. Local prizes could 

 be given for local examinations. In this way some- 

 thing of the help of comradeship might he supplied, 

 and some substitute provided for the stimulating in- 

 fluences of the common-room of the College. 



For those who are alone there remains the resource 

 of correspondence, which could be arranged without 

 difficulty, as all the graduates would be in touch with 

 each other through the Library. 



A PERSONAL REMINISCENCE. 



If the co-operation of the public is secured. I can 

 offer them this Library on terms which will provide 

 an aggregate endowment of at least ^20.000 for the 

 local educational institutions and libraries of the 

 country. Before explaining how this apparent 

 miracle can be wrought I beg leave to indulge in a 

 brief autobiographical reminiscence. 



:Mv father was the minister of a small Congrega- 

 tional church at Howdon-on-Tyne. The village was 

 squalid and dirtv. The church was very poor. But 

 it was in that unpromising location, in the grimy 



