Another book of philosophical importance is Ecclesiastes, where, in addition to much proverbial wisdom, you will find some admirable world-poetry--that is, poetry which contains universal truth about human life in all times and all ages.

Of the historical books and the law books I do not think that it is important to read much; the literary element in these is not so pronounced.

It is otherwise with the prophetic books, but here in order to obtain a few jewels of expression, you have to read a great deal that is of little value.

Of the New Testament there is very little equal to the Old in literary value; indeed, I should recommend the reading only of the closing book--the book called the Revelation, or the Apocalypse, from which we have derived a literary adjective "apocalyptic," to describe something at once very terrible and very grand.

Whether one understands the meaning of this mysterious text makes very little difference; the sonority and the beauty of its sentences, together with the tremendous character of its imagery, can not but powerfully influence mind and ear, and thus stimulate literary taste.