The real life that
a man sees before him is the natural subject of thought; and in its
strength as the primary element of existence, it can more easily than
anything else rouse and influence the thinking mind.
After these considerations, it will not be matter for surprise that
a man who thinks for himself can easily be distinguished from the
book-philosopher by the very way in which he talks, by his marked
earnestness, and the originality, directness, and personal conviction
that stamp all his thoughts and expressions. The book-philosopher, on
the other hand, lets it be seen that everything he has is second-hand;
that his ideas are like the number and trash of an old furniture-shop,
collected together from all quarters. Mentally, he is dull and
pointless--a copy of a copy. His literary style is made up of
conventional, nay, vulgar phrases, and terms that happen to be
current; in this respect much like a small State where all the money
that circulates is foreign, because it has no coinage of its own.
Mere experience can as little as reading supply the place of thought.
It stands to thinking in the same relation in which eating stands
to digestion and assimilation. When experience boasts that to its
discoveries alone is due the advancement of the human race, it is as
though the mouth were to claim the whole credit of maintaining the
body in health.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86