eiedwalloflearninganddissedanalyzethembeforewebesurethatwehaveaMiltonoranIsaiah,andnotmerelyacleverimitation.Manyscholarsfet,itseemstome,thatourenjoymentofthegreatworksofliteraturedependsmoreupohofoursympathythanuponouruanding.Thetroubleisthatveryfewoftheirlaboriousexplanationsstithememory.Theminddropsthemasabranchdropsitsoverripefruit.Itispossibletoknowaflower,rootandstemandall,andalltheprocessesofgrowth,aohavenoappreciationoftheflowerfreshbathedinheavensdew.AgainandagainIaskimpatiently,"Whymyselfwiththeseexplanationsandhypotheses?"Theyflyhitherandthitherinmythoughtlikeblindbirdsbeatingtheairwithiualwings.Idooobjecttoathhknowledgeofthefamousworksweread.Iobjelytotheinterminableentsandbewilderingcriticismsthatteachbutohing:thereareasmanyopinionsastherearemen.ButwhescholarlikeProfessorKittredgeinterpretswhatthemastersaid,itis"asifnewsightweregiventheblind."HebringsbackShakespeare,thepoet.

    Thereare,however,timeswhenIlongtosweepawayhalfthethingsIamexpectedtolearn;fortheovertaxedmindotenjoythetreasureithassecuredatthegreatestcost.Itisimpossible,Ithink,toreadinoneday

    fourorfivedifferentbooksindifferentlanguagesaingofwidelydifferentsubjects,andnotlosesightoftheveryendsforwhiereads.Whenonereadshurriedlyandnervously,havinginmindwrittesandexaminations,onesbrainbeesencumberedwithalotofchoicebric-a-bracforwhichthereseemstobelittleuse.AtthepresenttimemymindissofullofheterogeneousmatterthatIalmostdespairofeverbeingabletoputitinorder.WheneverIeheregionthatw