Chapter I: Front Matter

ESSAYS ON THINGS

BY WILLIAM LYON PHELPS

ESSAYS ON MODERN NOVELISTS
ESSAYS ON RUSSIAN NOVELISTS
ESSAYS ON BOOKS
ESSAYS ON MODERN DRAMATISTS
ESSAYS ON THINGS
HOWELLS, JAMES, BRYANT AND OTHER ESSAYS
READING THE BIBLE
TEACHING IN SCHOOL AND COLLEGE
SOME MAKERS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE ADVANCE OF THE ENGLISH NOVEL
THE ADVANCE OF ENGLISH POETRY
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC MOVEMENT
HUMAN NATURE IN THE BIBLE
HUMAN NATURE AND THE GOSPEL
ADVENTURES AND CONFESSIONS
AS I LIKE IT, FIRST, SECOND, THIRD SERIES
ARCHIBALD MARSHALL
HAPPINESS
LOVE
MEMORY
MUSIC
A DASH AT THE POLE
BROWNING--HOW TO KNOW HIM

ESSAYS ON THINGS

BY WILLIAM LYON PHELPS

NEW YORK
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1930

COPYRIGHT, 1930,
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

All rights reserved--no part of this
book may be reproduced in any form
without permission in writing from
the publisher.

Set up and printed. Published September, 1930.

· PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ·

CONTENTS

PAGE
SUNRISE 3

MOLASSES 8

RESOLUTIONS WHEN I COME TO BE OLD 14

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN HUMOUR 20

A PAIR OF SOCKS 26

AN INSPIRING CEMETERY 31

ANCIENT FOOTBALL 35

RIVERS 39

ONE DAY AT A TIME 45

CITY AND COUNTRY 51

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY 57

CHURCH UNITY 63

POLITICAL HISTORY 68

A ROOM WITHOUT A VIEW 74

TEA 80

THE WEATHER 86

WAR 91

MAN AND BOY 96

AMBITION 101

BIRDS AND STATESMEN 107

RUSSIA BEFORE THE REVOLUTION 113

THE DEVIL 119

THE FORSYTE SAGA 124

PROFESSION AND PRACTICE 130

LONDON AS A SUMMER RESORT 135

WHAT THE MAN WILL WEAR 140

DREAMS 146

EATING BREAKFAST 151

THE MOTHER TONGUE 157

OUR SOUTH AS CURE FOR FLU 163

GOING TO CHURCH IN PARIS 169

OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM 175

TRANSLATIONS 180

MUSIC OF THE SPHERES 185

DOG BOOKS 190

GOING TO HONOLULU 196

HYMNS 201

OLD-FASHIONED SNOBS 207

A FAIR CITY 212

TRADITIONS 218

SPOOKS 224

TRIAL BY JURY 230

ATHLETICS 235

A PRIVATE LIBRARY ALL YOUR OWN 240

THE GREATEST COMMON DIVISOR 246

THE GREAT AMERICAN GAME 252

TEN SIXTY-SIX 258

GOING ABROAD THE FIRST TIME 264

SPIRITUAL HEALING 269

SUPERSTITION 274

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EARTH 279

WHAT SHALL I THINK ABOUT? 285

ESSAYS ON THINGS