A man may usually be known by the books he reads, as well as by the company he keeps; for, there is a companionship of books as well as men and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best friends. It is the same today that it always was and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness, amusing and instructing us in youth and comforting and consoling us in age.
A good book is often the best urn of a life, enshrining the best thoughts of which that life was capable; for, the world of man's life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus, the best books are treasuries of good words and golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our abiding companions and comforters.
Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples crumble into ruin, pictures and statues decay; but books survive.
Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we are participators in their thoughts; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them, their experience becomes ours and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe.
While books are among the best companions of old age, they are often the best inspirers of youth. The first book that makes a deep impression on a young man's mind often constitutes an epoch in his life. It may fire the heart, stimulate the enthusiasm, and by directing his efforts into unexpected channels, permanently influence his character. The new book, in which we form an intimacy with a new friend, whose mind is wiser and riper than our own, may thus form an important starting-point in the history of a life. It may sometimes almost be regarded in the light of a new birth.
It is unnecessary to speak of the enormous moral influence which books have exercised upon the general civilization of mankind, from the Bible downwards. They contain the treasure knowledge of the human race. They are record of all labours, achievements, speculations, successes and failures, in science, philosophy, religion, and morals. They have been the greatest motive-powers in all times.
Courtesy:"Character" by Dr.Samuel Smiles (Excerpt from the Highly Abridged Edition published by LIFCO, Chennai).
Grateful thanks to LIFCO.
