FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25  
26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   >>   >|  
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pages From an Old Volume of Life by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. [The Physician and Poet, Not the Jurist, O. W. Holmes, Jr.] This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Pages From an Old Volume of Life A Collection Of Essays Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Release Date: August 16, 2006 [EBook #2699] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PAGES FROM AN OLD VOLUME OF LIFE *** Produced by David Widger PAGES FROM AN OLD VOLUME OF LIFE A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS By Oliver Wendell Holmes CONTENTS: BREAD AND THE NEWSPAPER MY HUNT AFTER "THE CAPTAIN" THE INEVITABLE TRIAL CINDERS FROM ASHES THE PULPIT AND THE PEW BREAD AND THE NEWSPAPER. (September, 1861.) This is the new version of the Panem et Circenses of the Roman populace. It is our ultimatum, as that was theirs. They must have something to eat, and the circus-shows to look at. We must have something to eat, and the papers to read. Everything else we can give up. If we are rich, we can lay down our carriages, stay away from Newport or Saratoga, and adjourn the trip to Europe sine die. If we live in a small way, there are at least new dresses and bonnets and every-day luxuries which we can dispense with. If the young Zouave of the family looks smart in his new uniform, its respectable head is content, though he himself grow seedy as a caraway-umbel late in the season. He will cheerfully calm the perturbed nap of his old beaver by patient brushing in place of buying a new one, if only the Lieutenant's jaunty cap is what it should be. We all take a pride in sharing the epidemic economy of the time. Only bread and the newspaper we must have, whatever else we do without. How this war is simplifying our mode of being! We live on our emotions, as the sick man is said in the common speech to be nourished by his fever. Our ordinary mental food has become distasteful, and what would have been intellectual luxuries at other times, are now absolutely repulsive. All this change in our manner of existence implies that we have experienced some very profound impression, which will sooner or later betray
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25  
26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Holmes

 

Wendell

 

Oliver

 

Volume

 

Project

 

NEWSPAPER

 

Gutenberg

 

VOLUME

 
luxuries
 
uniform

buying

 
family
 

brushing

 

beaver

 

patient

 
Zouave
 

perturbed

 
caraway
 

dispense

 

Lieutenant


cheerfully

 
content
 

season

 
respectable
 

intellectual

 

distasteful

 
ordinary
 

mental

 

absolutely

 

repulsive


profound
 

impression

 
sooner
 

betray

 

experienced

 

change

 

manner

 

existence

 

implies

 

nourished


economy

 

epidemic

 
bonnets
 
newspaper
 

sharing

 

jaunty

 

emotions

 

speech

 

common

 

simplifying