Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno.djvu/18

xiv the copyright of which has long ago expired, and which simply need photo-zincography, or some similar process, for their successful reproduction. The book should be handy in size——with a pretty attractive-looking cover——in a clear legible type——and, above all, with abundance of pictures, pictures, pictures!

Secondly, a book of pieces selected from the Bible——not single texts, but passages of from 10 to 20 verses each——to be committed to memory. Such passages would be found useful, to repeat to one's-self and to ponder over, on many occasions when reading is difficult, if not impossible: for instance, when lying awake at night——on a railway-journey——when taking a solitary walk——in old age, when eye-sight is failing or wholly lost——and, best of all, when illness, while incapacitating us for reading or any other occupation, condemns us to lie awake through many weary silent hours: at such a time how keenly one may realise the truth of David's rapturous cry 'O how sweet are thy words unto my throat: yea, sweeter than honey unto my mouth! '

I have said 'passages,' rather than single texts, because we have no means of recalling single texts: memory needs links, and here are none: one may have a hundred texts stored in the memory, and not be able to recall, at will, more than half-a-dozen——and those by mere chance: whereas, once get hold of any portion of a chapter that has been committed to memory, and the whole can be recovered: all hangs together.