THREE] GROWING THE HOUSE 
common seeing and hearing. Most people see in 
exceedingly narrow grooves. Besides, there is this 
peculiar danger, not to be overlooked, that as we 
come closer to nature, literary culture will lose too 
large a share of its influence. I would have my 
country-bred boys and girls as close to the so-called 
“‘Humanities”’ as to the Sciences; that is, as close to 
history and mathematics as to botany and geology. 
They should learn to comprehend pure literature; 
and to have a taste for Whittier and Burns and Scott 
and Phillips Brooks, and all that is stimulating to 
pure thought and art and poetry — climbing up to 
Shakespeare and the Bible. So the library will be 
a delightful cozy room, or alcove, where good books 
lord it. The atmosphere must suggest great thoughts 
and great men. You must feel the British essayists, 
and the American essayists as well. Here the sup- 
ply must be according to your purse somewhat, yet 
it can easily include a hundred character-making 
volumes — enough to establish an atmosphere. 
The family and private rooms may also have books 
of appropriate sort, but they ought not to prevent 
at least a book nook, even in the homeliest cot- 
tage. Be sure that you do not rely on borrowed 
books. They smell of dirty hands and tobacco 
[47] 
