Questions
1. Express in your own words: (a) we made a tryst with destiny; (b) at the stroke of the
midnight hour; (,-) when the world sleeps; (d) when we step out from the old to the new;
(e) we take the pledge of dedication; if) at the dawn of history; (g) India discovers herself
again; (h) with the memory of sorrow.
2. In what does the “Service of India” consists, according to the author?
3. what are the ideals which India has never forgotten?
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4. Mention some of the responsibilities of freedom and power.
5. This speech is concerned with the living as well as the dead. In what way does Nehru
appeal to his listeners? What motive urges Nehru to rouse the India of today to action?
6. Quote the line that has a direct reference to Mahatma Gandhi.
16
The Artist co-operates with God in making increasingly larger numbers of people see the
beauty of the world which these people could never see for themselves, The world is, of
course, God's artistic masterpiece; but it is the artist who lends people eyes to see it with.
Browning's Fra Lippo has the last word on the subject:-
For, don't you mark, we're made so that we love
First when we see them painted, things we have passed
Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see?
In this sense, Oscar Wilde's paradox is perfectly true : that Nature imitates Art; for the
majority of men see in Nature what Art has taught them to see in Nature. The fogs of
London, said Wilde, were the invention of Whistler. To love beauty therefore becomes to
the artist, as an artist, his first duty. To love beauty, that is, to see it for himself first, and
then to communicate it to others; for love implies at once vision and reproduction. It must
be the first article in an artist's creed, as an artist, that beauty is the best interpreter of God
to man; that; when he has got hold of beauty, he has got hold of the surest key to the
knowledge of God. Keats has said that Beauty is Truth. Now, this is not true. But to us
here, Beauty is, as Plato said, the splendour of Truth. The artist, as an artist, must be
content with the splendour and, through this splendour strive to convey the truth. Tie has
no business with truth as such as the philosopher, for instance, has. He has no concern
with conduct as such, as the moralist, for instance, has. It is not his function to exhort
men to good works, or to prove things; but merely to exhibitthen. Plato thought a picture,
for instance, was just a copy of an object - a copy of the idea. It was Aristotle, Plato's
pupil, who pointed out that, though a picture was in one sense certainly a copy and
therefore something less than the object, in another sense it was something more than the
object. It was, briefly, the idea of the object made visible to the eye. Art, therefore, does
not consist merely in line and colour, sound and image; but primarily in ideas. Beauty
may not be useful. Beauty may not improve our minds. But beauty must please. Indeed,
such is the inherent delightfulness of beauty that, by its magic touch, not only the ugly
becomes pleasureable, but even sorrow becomes a joy. That is the explanation of the
pleasure we feel in tragedy. What would shock us in actual life gives us pleasure in a
tragedy. For tragedy makes experience significant; and by making it significant, it makes
it beautiful; and by making it beautiful, it makes it pleasant. And yet, it does not aim at
pleasing; it only aims at exhibiting. Pleasure is not its aim; it is its effect.
- Armando Menezes
Questions
1. What does the artist do for most of us?
2. Why does the artist “lend” his eyes to people?
3. Explain: "Nature imitates Art."
4. What is the artist's first duty? Why?
5. What is the surest key to the knowledge of God? Why?
6. What is the artist's real function?
7. In what does Art primarily consist?
8. When does sorrow becomes a joy?
CHAPTER 38
PRECIS-WRITING
A precis (A French word ( pronounced pressee) connected with the English word Precise)
is a summary, and precis-writing means summarising. Precis-writing is an exercise in
compression. A precis is the gist or main theme of a passage expressed in as few words as
possible. It should be lucid, succinct, and full (i.e. including all essential points), so that
anyone on reading it may be able to grasp the main points and general effect of the
passage summarised.
Precis-writing must not be confused with paraphrasing. A paraphrase should reproduce
not only the substance of a passage, but also all its details. It will therefore be at least as
long as, and probably longer than, the original. But a precis must always be much shorter
than the original; for it is meant to express only the main theme, shorn of all unimportant
details, and that as tersely as possible. As the styles of writers differ, some being concise
and some diffuse, no rigid rule can be laid down for the length of a precis; but so much
may be said, that a precis should not contain more than a third of the number of words in
the original passage.
I. USES OF PRECIS-WRITING
1. Precis-writing is a very fine exercise in reading. Most people read carelessly, and
retain only a vague idea of what they have read. You can easily test the value of your
reading. Read in your usual way a chapter, or even a page, of a book; and then, having
closed the book try to put down briefly the substance of what you have just read. You
will probably find that your memory of it is hazy and muddled. Is this because your
memory is weak? No; it is because your attention was not fully centred on the passage
while you were reading it. The memory cannot retain what was never given it to hold;
you did not remember the passage properly because you did not properly grasp it as you
read it. Now precis-writing forces you to pay attention to what you read; for no one can
write a summary of any passage unless he has clearly grasped its meaning. So
summarizing is an excellent training in concentration of attention. It teaches one to read
with the mind, as well as with the eye, on the page.
2. Precis-writing is also a very good exercise in writing a composition. It teaches one how
to express one's thoughts clearly, concisely and effectively. It is a splendid corrective of
the-common tendency to vague and disorderly thinking and loose and diffuse writing.
Have you noticed how an uneducated person tells a story? He repeats himself, brings in a
lot of irrelevant matter, omits from its proper place what is essential and drags it in later
as an after-thought, and takes twenty minutes to say what a trained thinker would express
in five. The whole effect is muddled and tedious. In a precis you have to work
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within strict limits. You must express a certain meaning in a fixed number of words. So
you learn to choose your words carefully, to construct your sentences with an eye to
fullness combined with brevity, and to put your matter in a strictly logical order.
3. So practice in precis-writing is of great value for practical life. In any position of life
the ability to grasp quickly and accurately what is read, or heard, and to reproduce it
clearly and concisely, is of the utmost value. For lawyers, businessmen, and government
officials it is essential.
II. METHOD OF PROCEDURE
You must make up your mind from the beginning that precis-writing means intensive
brain-work. There is no easy short cut to summarising a passage. To tear the heart out of
a passage means concentrated thought, and you must be prepared for close attention and
hard thinking.
1. Reading. -- (a) First read the passage through carefully, but not too slowly, to get a
general idea of its meaning. If one reading is not sufficient to give you this clearly, read it
over again, and yet again. The more you read it, the more familiar will it become to you,
and the clearer will be (i) its subject, and (ii ) what is said about that subject. Ask
yourself, "What is it I am reading? What does the author mean? What is his subject?
What is he saying about it? Can I put in a few words the pith of what he says?"
(b) Usually you are required to supply a title for your precis. This is a good stage at
which to do this. Think of some word, phrase or short sentence that will sum up briefly
the main subject of the passage. Sometimes this is supplied by what we may call a key-
sentence. This key-sentence may be found at the beginning or at the end of the passage.
For example, look at Exercise 148, No. 20, in which the first sentence gives the subject,
all the rest of the passage being an expansion and illustration of it: "Hospitality is a virtue
for which the natives of the East in general are highly and deservedly admired". This at
once suggests the short title of "Eastern Hospitality". But you will not always find
such convenient key-sentences in the passage you have to summarise. In their absence,
you must get a clear idea of the subject from the passage as a whole, and then sum it up
in a suitable heading.
The effort to find a suitable title at this stage will help you to define in your mind what
exactly the subject, or main theme, of the passage is.
(c) Further reading is now necessary to ensure that you understand the details of the
passage as well as its main purport. Take it now sentence by sentence, and word by word.
If the meanings of any words are not clear, look them up in a dictionary. Detailed study
of this kind is necessary, because a phrase, a sentence, or even a single word, may be of
prime importance, and the misunderstanding of it may cause you to miss the whole point
of the passage.
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(d) You should now be in a position to decide what parts of the passage are essential and
what parts are comparatively unimportant and so can be omitted without any loss. This
process of selection is not so easy as some people think. Beginners select; but they often
select in a haphazard or mechanical way. It requires some practice to be able to say, “This
is essential to the meaning of the passage, and that is only incidental and unimportant."
The best guide, of course, is the subject or main theme of the passage. If you have a clear
and correct idea of that you will soon see what is important and what is unimportant.
At this stage it is useful to jot down your conclusions in brief notes-writing down the
subject, the title, and the details which you consider essential or important. (This is a
better plan than underlining sentences and phrases in the original.)
2. Writing. -- (a) Rough Drafts :- You should now be ready to attempt the writing of the
precis; but be sure of the limits within which it must be compressed. If the number of
words is given you, this is easy; but if you are told to reduce the passage to say, a third of
its length, count the number of words in the passage and divide by three. You may use
fewer words than the number prescribed, but in no case may you exceed the limit.
It is not likely that your first attempt will be a complete success. The draft will probably
be too long. In fact you may have to write out several drafts before you find how to
express the gist of the passage fully within the limits set. A good deal of patience and
revision will be required before you get it right. It is a good plan to write the first draft
without having the actual words of the originial passages before one's eyes.
(b) Important Points:-The following points must be kept in mind:
(i) The precis should be all in your own words. It must not be a patchwork made up of
phrases and sentences quoted from the original.
(ii) The precis must be a connected whole. It may be divided into sections or paragraphs,
according to changes in the subject-matter, but these must not appear as separate notes,
but must be joined together in such a way as to read continuously.
(iii) The precis must be complete and self-contained; that is, it must convey its message
fully and clearly without requiring any reference to the original to complete its meaning.
(iv) It is only the gist, main purport, or general meaning of the passage which you have to
express. There is no room in a precis for colloquial expressions, circumlocutions,
periphrasis or rhetorical flourishes. All redundancies of expression must be rigorously
pruned. If faithful reproduction of the main theme js the first essential of a summary,
conciseness is the second.
(v) The precis must be in simple, direct grammatical and idiomatic English.
(c) The Art of Compression:-You are not bound to follow the original order of thought of
the passage to be summarised, if you can
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express its meaning more clearly and concisely by transposing any of its parts.
In condensing, aim rather at remodelling, than at mere omission. We may omit mere
repetitions, illustrations and examples; but we change figures of speech into literal
expressions, compress wordy sentences, and alter phrases to words.
Take a few examples :-
"His courage in battle might without exaggeration be called lion-like".
He was very brave in battle.
"The account the witness gave of the incident moved everyone that heard it to laughter."
The witness's story was absurd. "There came to his recollection." He remembered.
"The clerk who is now in his employ."
His present clerk.
"They acted in a manner that rendered them liable to prosecution."
They acted illegally.
"He got up and made a speech on the spur of the moment."
He spoke off-hand.
"John fell into the river and, before help could reach him, he sank."
John was drowned in the river.
"He was hard up for money and was being pressed by his creditor."
He was in financial difficulties.
"The England of our own days is so strong and the Spain of our own days is so feeble,
that it is not possible, without some reflection and care, to comprehend the full extent of
the peril which England had from the power and ambition nf Spain in the 16th century."
(51 words.)
We cannot nowadays fully realise what a menace Spain was to England in the 16th
century. (16 words.)
(d) Indirect Speech:- As a rule, a precis should be written in indirect speech, after a "verb
of saying" in the past tense. For example:-
"Whether we look at the intrinsic value of our literature, or at the particular situation of
this country, we shall see the strongest reason to think that of all foreign tongues the
English tongue is that which would be the most useful to our native subjects."
- Macualay
Condensed in indirect speech:-
Lord Macaulay said that England's noble literature and the universality of her language
made English the foreign language most useful for India.
The change from direct to indirect speech calls for attention to the following points :-
(i) Correct sequence of tenses after the "verb of saying" in the past tense.
(ii) Clear differentiation of the various persons mentioned in the passage. Care must be
taken with pronouns he, she and they. To avoid confusion proper names should be used
occasionally.
(iii) Correct use of adverbs and other words indicating time.
(iv) Proper choice of "verbs of saying", to indicate questions, commands, warnings,
threats or exhortations.
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Great care must be taken to avoid lapsing into direct speech - a very common fault.
Some passages, however, are best summarised in direct speech.
3. Revision :- When you have made your final draft, carefully revise it before you write
out the fair copy. Be sure that its length is within the limits prescribed. Compare it with
the original to see that you have not omitted any important point. See whether it reads
well as a connected whole, and correct any mistakes in spelling and punctuation, rammar
and idiom.
Then write out the fair copy neatly, prefixing the title you have chosen.
III. TO SUM UP
1. First carefully read the passage, if necessary, several times, apprehend clearly its main
theme or general meaning.
2. Examine the passage in detail, to make sure of the meaning of each sentence, phrase
and word.
3. Supply a short title which will express the subject.
4. Select and note down the important points essential to the expression of the main
theme.
5. Note the length of number of words prescribed for the precis, and write out a first draft.
6. In doing this remember that you are to express the gist of the passage in your own
words, and not in quotations from the passage; that you should condense by remodelling
than by mere omission; and that your precis must be self-contained and a connected
whole. Add nothing; make no comment; correct no facts.
7. Revise your draft Compare it carefully with the original to see that you have included
all the important points. If it is too long, still further compress it by omitting unnecessary
words and phrases or by remodelling sentences. Correct all mistakes in spelling, grammar
and idiom, and see that it is properly punctuated. Let the language be simple and direct.
8. Write out neatly the fair copy under the heading you have selected.
SPECIMEN - 1
One great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its
knowledge. Science, as we have seen, .has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use
them like small children.
For example :- we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be
man's servants; yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are in a fair way to
become his masters. Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and
waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed with
coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and must be kept at the right
temperature. And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky
and refuse to work, or burst with rage, and blow up, and spread ruin and destruction all
round them, So we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep
them In a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to work or play without the
machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the
animals.
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SUMMARY
MEN AND MACHINES
We do not know what to do with our knowledge. Science has given us superhuman
powers, which we do not use properly. For example, we are unable to manage our
machines. Machines should be fed promptly and waited upon attentively; otherwise they
refuse to work or cause destruction. We already find it difficult to do without machines.
In the course of time they may rule over us altogether.
SPECIMEN - 2
A stamp is, to many people, just a slip of paper that takes a letter from one town or
country to another. They are unable to understand why we stamp collectors find so much
pleasure in collecting them and how we find the time in which to indulge in our hobby.
To them it seems a waste of time, a waste of effort and a waste of money. But they do not
realise that there are many who do buy stamps, many who find the effort worth-while and
many who, if they did not spend their time collecting stamps, would spend it less
profitably. We all seek something to do in our leisure hours and what better occupation is
there to keep us out of mischief than that of collecting stamps? An album, a packet of
hinges, a new supply of stamps, and the time passes swiftly and pleasantly.
Stamp-collecting has no limits and a collection never has an end; countries are always
printing and issuing new stamps to celebrate coronations, great events, anniversaries and
deaths. And the fascination of collecting is trying to obtain these stamps before one's
rivals. Every sphere of stamp-collecting has its fascination - receiving letters from distant
countries and discovering old stamps in the leaves of dusty old books. A stamp itself has
a fascination all its own. Gazing at its little picture we are transported to the wilds of
Congo, the homes of the Arabs, and the endless tracks of the Sahara desert. There is a
history in every stamp. The ancient Roman Empire and the Constitution of America,
India's Independence and the Allied victory, are all conveyed to our mind's eye h> means
of stamps. We see famous men, pictures, writers, scientists, soldiers, politicians and
famous incidents. Stamps, so small and minute, contain knowledge that is vast and
important.
SUMMARY
STAMP-COLLECTING
To many people a stamp is merely something necessary for sending a letter. They regard
stamp-collecting as a waste of time, effort and money. But there are many people who
love buying stamps and find this hobby worthwhile and more profitable than other leisure
pursuits. Collecting stamps helps to pass the time quickly and pleasantly.
Stamp-collecting is limitless and endless. Countries are always issuing stamps to
celebrate important events. It is fascinating to receive letters from distant countries and to
discover stamps in old books. A stamp itself has a charm. Stamps show us geographical
and historical pictures, famous people and incidents. These small things contain vast
knowledge.
Exercise 148
Write summaries of the following passages of about one-third of the original length:-
1. In every country people imagine that they are the best and the cleverest and the others
are not so good as they are. The Englishman thinks that he and his country are the best;
the Frenchman is very proud of France and everything French. The Germans and Italians
think no less of their countries and many Indians imagine that India is in many ways the
greatest country in the world. This is wrong. Everybody wants to think well of himself
and his country. But really there is no person who has not got some good and some bad
qualities. In the same way, there is no country which
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is not partly good and partly bad. We must take the good wherever we find it and try to
remove the bad wherever it may be. We are, of course, most concerned with our own
country, India. Unfortunately, it is in a bad way today. Many of our people are poor and
unhappy. They have no joy in their lives. We have to find out how we can make them
happier. We have to see what is good in our ways and customs and try to keep it, and
whatever is bad we have to throw away. If we find anything good in other countries, we
should certainly take it.
2. There are hundreds of superstitions which survive in various parts of the country, and
the study of them is rather amusing. We are told, for example, that it is unlucky to point
to the new moon or to look at it through glass, but if we bow nine times to it we shall
have a lucky month.
Now suppose you tell a scientist that you believe in a certain superstition - let us say, that
the howling of a dog is a sign of death. The scientist will immediately require evidence
before he can accept your belief. He will want figures to prove it. It will be useless to
quote two or three cases; he will want hundreds. He will want also to know (a) if it ever
happens that the howling of dogs is not followed by a death, (b) if ever a person's death is
predicted by the howling of dogs. The answer to the former question is in the affirmative,
and to the latter in the negative. Your superstition will not bear investigation. It may
impress an ignorant person; but it cannot face the light of facts. Your case would not cany
conviction in a court of law.
Apart from this process of testing by results, any intelligent man will want to know ihe
"reason why". What connection can there be between a howling dog and an approaching
death? Can it be cause and effect? Can it be that the dog has a gift of foreseeing such
events? Or is the dog the instrument employed by some uncanny power that moves
invisibly in our midst?
3. Over-eating is one of the most wonderful practices among those who think that they
can afford it. In fact, authorities say that nearly all who can get as much as they desire,
over-eat to their disadvantage. This class of people could save a great more food than
they can save by missing one meal per week and at the same time they could improve
their health.
A heavy meal at night, the so-called “dinner”, is the fashion with many and often it is
taken shortly before retiring. It is unnecessary and could be forgone, not only once a
week but daily without loss of strength. From three to five hours are needed to digest
food. While sleeping, this food not being required to give energy for work, is in many
cases converted into excess fat, giving rise to over-weight. The evening meal should be
light, taken three or four hours before retiring. This prevents over-eating, conserves
energy and reduces the cost of food.
4. Trees give shade for the benefit of others and while they themselves stand in the sun
and endure scorching heat, they produce the fruit by which others profit. The character of
good men is like that of trees. What is the use of this perishable body, if no use of it is
made for the benefit of mankind? Sandalwood - the more it is rubbed the more scent does
it yield. Sugarcane - the more it is peeled and cut into pieces, the more juice does it
produce. Gold - the more it is burnt, the more brightly does it shine. The men who are
noble at heart do not lose these qualities even in losing their lives. What does it matter
whether men praise them or not? What difference does it make whether riches abide with
them or not? What does it signify whether they die at this moment or whether their lives
are prolonged? Happen what may, those who tread in the right path will not set foot in
any other. Life itself is unprofitable to a man who does not live for others. To live for the
mere sake of living one's life is to live the life of dogs and cows. Those who lay down
their lives for the sake of a friend, or even for the sake of a stranger, will assuredly dwell
forever in a world of bliss.
5. We must insist that free oratory is only the beginning of free speech; it is not the end,
but a means to an end. The end is to find the truth. The practical justification of civil
liberty is not that the examination of opinion is one of the necessities of man.
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For experience tells us that it is only when freedom of opinion becomes the compulsion
to debate that the seed which our forefathers planted has produced its fruit. When that is
understood, freedom will be cherished not because it is a vent for our opinions but
because it is the surest method of correcting them.
‘The unexamined life', said Socrates, 'is unfit to be lived by man'. This is the virtue of
liberty, and the ground on which we may best justify our belief in it, that it tolerates error
in order to serve the truth. When more men are brought face to face with their opponents,
forced to listen and learn and mend their ideas, they cease to be children and savages and
begin to live like civilized men. Then only is freedom a reality, when men may voice
their opinions because they must examine their opinions.
The only reason for dwelling on all this is that if we are to preserve democracy we must
understand its principles. And the principle which distinguishes it from all other forms of
government is that in a democracy the opposition not only is tolerated as constitutional
but must be maintained because it is in fact indispensable.
The democratic system cannot be operated without effective opposition. For, in making
the great experiment of governing people by consent rather than by coercion, it is not
sufficient that the party in power should have a majority. It is just as necessary that the
party in power should never outrage the minority. That means that it must listen to the
minority and be moved by the criticism of the minority.
6. I designed, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days at Baghdad, but it was
not long ere I grew weary of an indolent life, and I put to sea a second time, with
merchants of known probity. We embarked on board of a good ship, and after
recommending ourselves to God, set sail. One day we landed on an Island covered with
several sorts of fruit-trees, but we could see neither man nor animal. We walked in the
meadows, along the streams that watered them. Whilst some diverted themselves with
gathering flowers, and others fruits, I took my wine and provisions, and sat down near
a stream betwixt two high trees, which afforded a delightful shade. I made a good meal,
and afterwards fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but when I awoke the ship was
no longer in view.
In this sad condition, I was ready to die with grief. I cried out in agony, beat my head and
breast, and threw myself upon the ground, where I lay some time, overwhelmed by a
rushing current of thoughts, each more distressing than the last. When I gazed towards
the sea I could discern nothing but sky and water; but looking over the land I beheld
something white; and coming down, I took what provision I had left, and went towards
the object, which was so distant that at first could not distinguish what it was.
As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, of a prodigious height and extent. I
drew near to it, and walked round it; but found no door to it; and I found that I had not
strength nor activity to climb it, on account of its exceeding smoothness. I made a mark at
the place where I stood, and went round the dome, measuring its circumference; and lo !
it was fifty full paces; and I meditated upon some means of gaining an entrance into it;
but no means of accomplishing this occurred to me.
By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a sudden the sky became as dark as if it
had been covered with a thick cloud. I was much astonished at this sudden darkness but
much more when I found it occasioned by a bird of a most extraordinary size, that came
flying towards me. I remembered that I had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous
bird called the roc, and conceived that the great dome which I so much admired must be
her egg. Shortly afterwards, the bird alighted, and sat over the egg.
7. It is very easy to acquire bad habits, such as eating too many sweets or too much food,
or drinking too much fluid of any kind, or smoking. The more we do a thing, the more we
tend to like doing it; and, if we do not continue to do it, we feel unhappy. This is called
the force of habit, and the force of habit should be fought against.
Things which may be very good when only done from time to time, tend to become very
harmful when done too often and too much. This applies even to such good things as
work or rest. Some people form a bad habit of working too much, and others of idling too
much. The wise men always remembers that this is true about
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himself, and checks any bad habit. He says to himself, "I am now becoming idle," or "I
like too many sweets," or "I smoke too much" and then adds, "I will get myself out of this
bad habit at once."
One of the most widely spread of bad habits is the use of tobacco. Tobacco is now
smoked or chewed by men, often by women, and even by children, almost all over the
world. It was brought into Europe from America by Sir Walter Raleigh, four centuries
ago, and has thence spread everywhere. I very much doubt whether there is any good in
the habit, even when tobacco is not used to excess; and it is extremely difficult to get rid
of the habit when once it has been formed.
Alcohol is taken in almost all cool and cold climates, and to a very much less extent in
hot ones. Thus, it is taken by people who live in the Himalaya Mountains, but not nearly
so much by those who live in the plains of India. Alcohol is not necessary in any way to
anybody. Millions of people are beginning to do without it entirely; and once the United
States of America have passed laws which forbid its manufacture or sale throughout the
length and breadth of their vast country. In India it is not required by the people at all,
and should be avoided by them altogether. The regular use of alcohol, even in small
quantities, tends to cause mischief in many ways to various organs of the body. It affects
the liver, it weakens the mental powers, and lessens the general energy of the body.
8. The great advantage of early rising is the good start it gives us in our day's work. The
early riser has done a large amount of hard work before other men have got out of bed. In
the early morning the mind is fresh, and there are few sounds or other distractions, so that
work done at that time is generally well done. In many cases the early riser also finds
time to take some exercise in the fresh morning air, and this exercise supplies him with a
fund of energy that will last until the evening. By beginning so early, he knows that he
has plenty of time to do thoroughly all the work he can be expected to do, and is not
tempted to hurry over any part of it. All his work being finished in good lime, he has a
long interval of rest in the evening before the timely hour when he goes to bed. He gets to
sleep several hours before midnight, at the time when sleep is most refreshing and after a
sound night's rest, rises early next morning in good 'health and spirits for the labours of a
new day.
It is very plain that such a life as this is far more conducive to health than that of the man
who shortens his waking hours by rising late, and so can afford in the course of the day
little leisure for necessary rest. Any one who lies in bed late, must, if he wishes to do a
full day's work, go on working to a correspondingly late hour, and deny himself the hour
or two of evening exercise that he ought to take for the benefit of his health. But, in spite
of all his efforts, he will probably produce as good results as the early riser, because he
misses the best working hours of the day.
It may be objected to this that some find the perfect quiet of midnight by far the best time
for working. This is no doubt true in certain cases. Several great thinkers have found by
experience that their intellect is clearest, and they can write best, when they burn the
midnight oil. But even in such cases the practice of working late at night cannot be
commended. Few men, if any, can exert the full power of their intellect at the time when
nature prescribes sleep, without ruining their health thereby; and of course the injury
done to the health must in the long run have a bad effect on the quality of the work done.
9. The human race is spread all over the world, from the polar regions to the
tropics. The people of which it is made up, eat different kinds of food, partly according
to the climate in which they live, and partly according to the kind of food which their
country produces. Thus, in India, the people live chiefly on different kinds of grain,
eggs, milk, or sometime fish and meat. In Europe the people eat more flesh and less
grain. In the Arctic regions, where no grain and fruits are produced, the Eskimo and
other races live almost entirely on flesh, especially fat.
The men of one race are able to eat the food of another race, if they are brought into the
country inhabited by the latter; but as a rule they still prefer their own food, atleast for a
time - owing to custom. In hot climates, flesh and fat are not much needed.
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but in the Arctic regions they seem to be very necessary for keeping up the heat of the
body.
The kind of food eaten also depends very often on custom or habit, and sometimes upon
religion. Brahmins will not touch meat; Mohammedans and Jews will not touch the flesh
of pigs. Most races would refuse to eat the flesh of many unclean animals, although, quite
possibly, such flesh may really be quite wholesome.
All races of mankind have their own different ideas on this matter. Thus the English used
to laugh at the French because the latter ate frogs' legs and some kind of snails; the
Australians dislike rabbits although the English eat them; and the Burmese eat the flesh
of crocodiles and elephants.
Neverthless there are many reasons for these likes and dislikes. Thus, swine in eastern
countries are very dirty feeders, whereas in Europe they are kept on clean food. The
result is that their flesh is eaten in Europe but not in India. Men dislike eating the flesh of
all draught animals. Hence the Englishman will not eat horse-flesh, and the Hindu will
not touch the flesh of cattle.
Lastly, certain savage peoples used to be cannibals - that is to say, they ate human flesh -
though this custom has now fortunately almost ceased throughout the whole world
There is another reason for disliking certain kinds of flesh, and a very good reason too. It
is because these kinds are apt to contain dangerous parasites, which may get into the
blood of those who eat the flesh. Certain kinds of swine, for example, are dangerous as
food, as their flesh contains a parasite in the form of a little worm.
10. Dear boy, now that you are going a little more into the world I will take this occasion
to explain my intentions as to your future expenses, that you may know what you have to
expect from me, and make your plan accordingly. I shall neither deny nor grudge you any
money that may be necessary for either your improvement or pleasures; I mean the
pleasures of a rational being. Under the head of improvement I mean the best books, and
the best masters cost what they will; I also mean all the expense of lodgings, coach, dress
servants, etc., which, according to the several places where you may be, shall be
respectively necessary to enable you to keep the best company. Under the head of
rational pleasures I comprehend, first, proper charities to real and compassionate objects
of it; secondly, proper presents to those to whom you are obliged, or whom you desire to
oblige; thirdly, a conformity of expense to that of the company which you keep; as in
public spectacles, your share of little entertainments, a few pistoles at games of mere
commerce and other incidental calls of good company. The only two articles which I will
never supply are, the profusion of low riot, and the idle lavishness of negligence and
laziness. A fool squanders away without credit or advantage to himself, more than a man
of sense spends with both. The latter employs his money as he does his time, and never
spends a shilling of the one, nor a minute of the other, but in something that is either
useful or rationally pleasing to himself or others. The former buys whatever he does not
