The Bravo of Venice - A Romanceby M. G. LewisINTRODUCTION.Matthew Gregory Lewis, who professed to have translated this romanceout of the German, very much, I believe, as Horace Walpole professedto have taken The Castle of Otranto from an old Italian manuscript,was born in 1775 of a wealthy family. His father had an estate inIndia and a post in a Government office. His mother was daughter toSir Thomas Sewell, Master of the Rolls in the reign of George III.She was a young mother; her son Matthew was devoted to her from the...
The Soul of the Far Eastby Percival LowellContentsChapter 1. IndividualityChapter 2. FamilyChapter 3. AdoptionChapter 4. LanguageChapter 5. Nature and ArtChapter 6. ArtChapter 7. ReligionChapter 8. ImaginationChapter 1. Individuality.The boyish belief that on the other side of our globe all things are of necessity upside down is startlingly brought back to the man when he first sets foot at Yokohama. If his initial glance does not, to be sure, disclose the natives in the every-day feat of standing calmly on their heads, an attitude which his youthful imagination conceived to be a necessary
A Journey in Other Worldsby J. J. AstorA ROMANCE OF THE FUTUREBY JOHN JACOB ASTORPREFACE.The protracted struggle between science and the classics appearsto be drawing to a close, with victory about to perch on thebanner of science, as a perusal of almost any university orcollege catalogue shows. While a limited knowledge of both Greekand Latin is important for the correct use of our own language,the amount till recently required, in my judgment, has beenabsurdly out of proportion to the intrinsic value of thesebranches, or perhaps more correctly roots, of study. The...
The Tale of Balenby Algernon Charles SwinburneDEDICATIONTO MY MOTHERLove that holds life and death in fee,Deep as the clear unsounded seaAnd sweet as life or death can be,Lays here my hope, my heart, and meBefore you, silent, in a song.Since the old wild tale, made new, found grace,When half sung through, before your face,It needs must live a springtide space,While April suns grow strong.March 24, 1896.THE TALE OF BALENIn hawthorn-time the heart grows light,The world is sweet in sound and sight,Glad thoughts and birds take flower and flight,...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE LITTLE MERMAIDby Hans Christian AndersenFAR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as theprettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, verydeep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many churchsteeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the groundbeneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea Kingand his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at thebottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most...
The Village Rectorby Honore de BalzacKatharine Prescott WormeleyDEDICATIONTo Helene.The tiniest boat is not launched upon the sea without theprotection of some living emblem or revered name, placed upon itby the mariners. In accordance with this time-honored custom,Madame, I pray you to be the protectress of this book now launchedupon our literary ocean; and may the Imperial name which theChurch has canonized and your devotion has doubly sanctified forme guard it from perils.De Balzac.THE VILLAGE RECTORITHE SAUVIATS...
Styleby Walter RaleighStyle, the Latin name for an iron pen, has come to designate the art that handles, with ever fresh vitality and wary alacrity, the fluid elements of speech. By a figure, obvious enough, which yet might serve for an epitome of literary method, the most rigid and simplest of instruments has lent its name to the subtlest and most flexible of arts. Thence the application of the word has been extended to arts other than literature, to the whole range of the activities of man. The fact that we use the word "style" in speaking of architecture and sculpture, painting and musi
SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-REDA POOR widow once lived in a little cottage with agarden in front of it, in which grew two rose trees, onebearing white roses and the other red. She had twochildren, who were just like the two rose trees; one wascalled Snow-white and the other Rose-red, and they werethe sweetest and best children in the world, always diligentand always cheerful; but Snow-white was quieter andmore gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red loved to run aboutthe fields and meadows, and to pick flowers and catchbutterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother...
Men of Invention and Industryby Samuel Smiles"Men there have been, ignorant of letters; without art, withouteloquence; who yet had the wisdom to devise and the courage toperform that which they lacked language to explain. Such menhave worked the deliverance of nations and their own greatness.Their hearts are their books; events are their tutors; greatactions are their eloquence."MACAULAY.Contents.PrefaceCHAPTER I Phineas Pett:Beginings of English ShipbuildingCHAPTER II Francis Pettit Smith:...
My Memories of Eighty Yearsby Chauncey M. DepewTO MY WIFE MAY PALMER DEPEW THIS BOOK GREW FROM HER ENCOURAGEMENTFOREWORDFor many years my friends have insisted upon my putting in permanent form the incidents in my life which have interested them. It has been my good fortune to take part in history-making meetings and to know more or less intimately people prominent in world affairs in many countries. Every one so situated has a flood of recollections which pour out when occasion stirs the memory. Often the listeners wish these transcribed for their own use....
THE WALLET OF KAI LUNGBY ERNEST BRAMAH"Ho, illustrious passers-by!" says Kai Lung ashe spreads out his embroidered mat under themulberry-tree. "It is indeed unlikely that youcould condescend to stop and listen to thefoolish words of such an insignificant andaltogether deformed person as myself.Nevertheless, if you will but retard yourelegant footsteps for a few moments, thisexceedingly unprepossessing individual willendeavour to entertain you." This is a...
Sir Nigelby Sir Arthur Conan DoyleCONTENTI. THE HOUSE OF LORINGII. HOW THE DEVIL CAME TO WAVERLEYIII. THE YELLOW HORSE OF CROOKSBURYIV. HOW THE SUMMONER CAME TO THE MANOR HOUSE OF TILFORDV. HOW NIGEL WAS TRIED BY THE ABBOT OF WAVERLEYVI. IN WHICH LADY ERMYNTRUDE OPENS THE IRON COFFERVII. HOW NIGEL WENT MARKETING TO GUILFORDVIII. HOW THE KING HAWKED ON CROOKSBURY HEATHIX. HOW NIGEL HELD THE BRIDGE AT TILFORDX. HOW THE KING GREETED HIS SENESCHAL OF CALAISXI. IN THE HALL OF THE KNIGHT OF DUPLINXII. HOW NIGEL FOUGHT THE TWISTED MAN OF SHALFORD...
FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE FLAXby Hans Christian AndersenTHE flax was in full bloom; it had pretty little blue flowers asdelicate as the wings of a moth, or even more so. The sun shone, andthe showers watered it; and this was just as good for the flax as itis for little children to be washed and then kissed by their mother.They look much prettier for it, and so did the flax."People say that I look exceedingly well," said the flax, "andthat I am so fine and long that I shall make a beautiful piece of...
THE IRON HEELby Jack LondonFOREWORD.IT CANNOT BE SAID THAT THE Everhard Manuscript is an importanthistorical document. To the historian it bristles with errors- noterrors of fact, but errors of interpretation. Looking back acrossthe seven centuries that have lapsed since Avis Everhard completed hermanuscript, events, and the bearings of events, that were confused andveiled to her, are clear to us. She lacked perspective. She was tooclose to the events she writes about. Nay, she was merged in the...
The Perils of Certain English Prisonersby Charles DickensCHAPTER ITHE ISLAND OF SILVER-STOREIt was in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, that I, Gill Davis to command, His Mark, having then thehonour to be a private in the Royal Marines, stood a-leaning overthe bulwarks of the armed sloop Christopher Columbus, in the SouthAmerican waters off the Mosquito shore.My lady remarks to me, before I go any further, that there is nosuch christian-name as Gill, and that her confident opinion is, that...
A UNITARIAN CREED_To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse__Monticello, June 26, 1822_DEAR SIR, I have received and read with thankfulness andpleasure your denunciation of the abuses of tobacco and wine. Yet,however sound in its principles, I expect it will be but a sermon tothe wind. You will find it as difficult to inculcate these sanativeprecepts on the sensualities of the present day, as to convince anAthanasian that there is but one God. I wish success to bothattempts, and am happy to learn from you that the latter, at least,...