A COURSE ог ENGLISH READING, ADAPTED TO EVERY TASTE AND CAPACITY: WITH ANECDOTES OF MEN OF GENIUS. BY THE REV. JAMES PYCROFT, B. A. PHILADELPHIA: CAREY & HART, 126 CHESNUT STREET. PREFACE. MISS JANE C. divided her indoor hours into three parts: the housekeeping and dinner-ordering cares of life claimed one part; hearing two younger sisters say their lessons a second part; and during the third and most delightful remainder she would lock herself up in her bedroom, and move on the marker of Russell's "Modern Europe" at the rate of never less than fifteen pages an hour, and sometimes more. Being so vexatious as to ask wherein her satisfaction consisted, I was told-in the thought that she did her duty; that she kept her resolution, and exercised selfdenial; that she read as much as the best educated of her friends; that continually fewer histories remained to read; that labour sweetened leisure, and that she hoped one day to excel in literature. A few torturing questions elicited that all the labour, all the self-denial, and all the resolution aforesaid, had not produced any sensible increase, or more than a vague but anxious expectation, of available information, love of study, confidence in society, or mental improvement. In short, my very deserving friend was all but convinced that there was some truth in the everlasting annoying remark of a certain jealous and idle companion, that she was "stupefying her brains for no good." A few days after I received a letter, from which I extract the following:"I'll tell you what:-I will never forgive your vexatious sifting of my ways and means of reading, if you do not sit down and write me a list of books which will do me good; and such plans and contrivances of study as may enable me to improve as fast as you say that my incessant toil and trouble deserve. Now, mind—I'll follow your plan to the letter, and if it does not succeed, the fault must be yours." In reply, I gave half an hour's instructions, which led to such an increase in the knowledge, the entertainment, the habits of reflection, and sense of improvement of my pupil, that, after modifying the same instructions to suit the taste and capacity of other literary young ladies and literary young gentlemen, and after putting their value repeatedly to the test, I venture to publish them in the following pages. J. P. Bath, May 15, 1844. 3. |