Electrical Apparatus
The remarkable attraction possessed by electrical apparatus for many boys will doubtless send them to such articles asDynamo(Vol. 8, p. 764), by C. C. Hawkins, author ofThe Dynamo;Telephone(Vol. 26, p. 547), by Harry R. Kempe, electrician to the General Post Office, London;Telegraph(Vol. 26, p. 510), also by H. R. Kempe, and the chapter onWireless Telegraphy(p. 529),by J. A. Fleming, professor of electrical engineering in the University of London. These accounts are full of the most practical information, and will be of inestimable help to any boy who wishes to experiment for himself.
Industrial Processes
Many industrial processes, while not employing complicated machinery, nevertheless possess much interest, both from an historical and a technical point of view, and on these the new Britannica is as complete and authentic as in all other departments. Especially useful and entertaining to children will be found the material relating to the manufacture of the common objects by which they are surrounded. Such, for instance, areCeramics(Vol. 5, p. 703), by William Burton and several other experts, with beautiful illustrations;Glass(Vol. 12, p. 86), by Harry James Powell, author ofGlass Making, etc., Alexander Nesbitt, and William Rosenhain of the National Physical Laboratory, England; andProcess(Vol. 22, p. 408), an illustrated account, by Edwin Bale, of the photomechanical processes by which illustrations are reproduced in printing.
These and hundreds of similar articles will prove most helpful and suggestive to school-children who are constantly called on to prepare “themes” and write compositions. As soon as a child makes acquaintance with the new Britannica he will quickly realize its inexhaustible resources, and the aid it lends him in his studies will be continued throughout the course of his life, in his business and in his general reading.
Explorers’ Voyages and Journeys
Children love to read adventures of explorers in forcing their way to unknown lands. The impression they make is much clearer when the child has learned to distinguish the different motives which have led to discovery and to exploration—commercial expansion, fresh conquests, religious zeal, flight from persecution, or the advancement of knowledge for its own sake. With such information he will read in a new light the stirring history of adventure, the great story of hardship and endurance.
The Britannica presents all this on a definite, scientific plan. The inquirer starts on his trip through any field of learning with guide-posts clearly marked, and successive ones in sight one from the other; so that there is no going astray, no uncertain wandering. A reader—young or old—with taste for exploration and adventure may turn first toGeography,Progress of Geographical Discovery(Vol. 11, p. 623), by Dr. H. R. Mill, editor ofThe International Geography.This article outlines geographical discovery in chronological order from the days of the Phoenicians. The reader will doubtless make excursions into other parts of the books for more detailed accounts, but he has always this main article to guide him. He will go to the article onHerodotus(Vol. 13, p. 381), the traveler, by Canon George Rawlinson, the great Oriental archaeologist, and the Rev. E. M. Walker of Oxford University; and to the story ofPytheas(Vol. 22, p. 703), the Greek navigator who brought the first definite news of northwestern Europe to the Mediterranean world, by Sir Edward H. Bunbury, author ofA History of Ancient Geography, and Dr. C. R. Beazley of the University of Birmingham. Other stories of exploration and adventure are:Viking(Vol. 28, p. 62), by Charles F. Keary, author ofThe Vikings in Western Christendom;Leif Ericsson(Vol. 16, p. 396), the first European to set foot on the American continent, by Prof. C. R. Beazley;Vinland(Vol. 28, p. 98), with all the latest known facts of Leif’s discovery, by Prof. J. E. Olson of the University of Wisconsin; the marvelous career of the great Venetian discoverer,Polo, Marco(Vol. 22, p. 7), boldest of medieval travelers, by Sir Henry Yule, authorofThe Book of Ser Marco Polo, and Prof. C. R. Beazley;Henry of Portugal(the Navigator) (Vol. 13, p. 296);Diaz de Novaes(Vol. 8, p. 172);Columbus, Christopher(Vol. 6, p. 741)—all of these by Professor Beazley;|America—Its Discoverers and Conquerors|Gama, Vasco Da(Vol. 11, p. 433), who discovered the Cape route to India;Pinzon(Vol. 21, p. 631);Vespucci, Amerigo(Vol. 27, p. 1053), by Professor Beazley;Balboa, Vasco Nuñez de(Vol. 3, p. 241), discoverer of the Pacific Ocean;Cabot(Vol. 4, p. 921), by H. P. Biggar, author ofThe Voyages of the Cabots to Greenland;Magellan, Ferdinand(Vol. 17, p. 302), the first circumnavigator of the globe, by Professor Beazley;Soto, Ferdinando de(Vol. 25, p. 435), wrongly called the discoverer of the Mississippi;Peru,History(Vol. 21, p. 274), by Sir Clements R. Markham, author ofTravels in Peru and India, a full account of Pizarro’s conquest;Cortes, Hernan(Vol. 7, p. 205), a concise and able description of the conquest of Mexico;Cartier, Jacques(Vol. 5, p. 433), which tells of the discovery of the St. Lawrence;Hudson, Henry(Vol. 13, p. 849);Baffin, William(Vol. 3, p. 192);La Salle(Vol. 16, p. 230), by C. C. Whinery, assistant editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica;|Great Voyages|Champlain, Samuel de(Vol. 5, p. 830), by Dr. N. E. Dionne, author ofLife of Samuel Champlain, etc.;Drake, Sir Francis(Vol. 8, p. 473);Buccaneers(Vol. 4, p. 709), by David Hannay, a stirring account of the piratical adventurers of different nationalities who united against Spain in the 17th century, andCook, James(Vol. 7, p. 71), by Professor Beazley.
Modern Exploration
The story of geographical discovery and exploration is continued in such articles asAmerica,General Historical Sketch(Vol. 1, p. 806), by David Hannay;Africa,History: Exploration and Survey since 1875(Vol. 1, pp. 331 and 352), by F. R. Cana, author ofSouth Africa from the Great Trek to the Union;Asia,Exploration(Vol. 2, p. 738), by Col. Sir Thomas H. Holdich, formerly superintendent of the Frontier Surveys of India;Australia,Discovery and Exploration(Vol. 2, p. 958); andPolar Regions(Vol. 21, p. 938), by Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, the Arctic explorer, and Dr. H. R. Mill, which gives a brilliant survey of all the attempts to conquer the frozen world. In connection with these articles should be read the full and interesting biographies of the great modern explorers such asBaker, Sir Samuel White(Vol. 3, p. 227);Burton, Sir Richard F.(Vol. 4, p. 864), by Dr. Stanley Lane-Poole;Livingstone, David(Vol. 16, p. 813), by John Scott Keltie, secretary of the Royal Geographical Society;Stanley, Sir Henry Morton(Vol. 25, p. 779), by F. R. Cana;Emin Pasha(Vol. 9, p. 340);Speke, John H.(Vol. 25, p. 633);Parry, Sir William Edward(Vol. 20, p. 865);Franklin, Sir John(Vol. 11, p. 30);Kane, Elisha Kent(Vol. 15, p. 650);Nordenskiöld, Nils Adolf Erik(Vol. 19, p. 740);Nansen, Fridtjof(Vol. 19, p. 162);Peary, Robert Edwin(Vol. 21, p. 30). See the chapter onGeographyin this Guide.
A Complete History of the World
A strong taste for history is often found in children, and the new Britannica is, among other things, a complete history of the world, by the greatest historians of the present day. In respect to the treatment and arrangement of the historical section there are many things that make it especially adapted for young people’s reading. In the first place the great episodes of history, such asFrench Revolution, Renaissance, Reformation, Middle Ages, andCrusades, are discussed in separate articles. Also every battle, siege, campaign, or war of importancehas its article, apart from its treatment in the histories of countries. The historical articles in the new Britannica will send those a little older to other articles dealing with government, and thus help them to cope intelligently with the social and civic problems of the age—in other words, enable them to become the best kind of citizens. The chapter in this Guide headedQuestions of the Daycovers this ground; and see the chapters onHistory.
A child is naturally curious to know about mountains, rivers, caverns, the causes of rain, dew and wind. Just as this encyclopaedia shows itself the best of instructors in regard to the plant and animal world, so with natural phenomena it serves to bring the child into close, sympathetic touch with the truths of science.
Physical Geography made Interesting
The principles of physical geography are clearly explained inGeography,Principles of(Vol. 11, p. 630), by Dr. H. R. Mill; and when these are learned young people will turn with eager interest to such articles asAlps(Vol. 1, p. 737), partly by W. A. B. Coolidge, author ofThe Alps in Nature and in History;Andes(Vol. 1, p. 960);Appalachian Mountains(Vol. 2, p. 207), by Dr. Arthur C. Spencer, geologist to the Geological Survey of the United States;Himalaya(Vol. 13, p. 470);Volcano(Vol, 28, p. 178), by F. W. Rudler, of the Museum of Practical Geology, London;Vesuvius(Vol. 27, p. 1063), by Sir Archibald Geikie and Dr. Thomas Ashby;Earthquake(Vol. 8, p. 817), by F. W. Rudler and Dr. John Milne, author ofEarthquakes, etc.;Geyser(Vol. 11, p. 913);Cave(Vol. 5, p. 573), by Dr. William Boyd Dawkins, author ofCave Hunting, etc.;Mammoth Cave(Vol. 17, p. 531), by Rev. Horace C. Hovey, author ofCelebrated American Caverns, etc.;Luray Cavern(Vol. 17, p. 127), also by Dr. Hovey;Grand Canyon(Vol. 12, p. 347), by R. S. Tarr, late professor of physical geography, Cornell University;Great Salt Lake(Vol. 12, p. 421);Yosemite(Vol. 28, p. 937), by Dr. John Muir, president of the American Alpine Club, and author ofThe Mountains of California;Yellowstone National Park(Vol. 28, p. 912);Glacier(Vol. 12, p. 60), by Rev. E. C. Spicer, of Oxford University;Niagara(Vol. 19, p. 634), by Dr. G. K. Gilbert, author ofNiagara Falls and their History;Mississippi River(Vol. 18, p. 604);Amazon(Vol. 1, p. 783), by Col. George E. Church, the famous American explorer of the Amazon;Orinoco(Vol. 20, p. 275), also by Colonel Church;Rhine(Vol. 23, p. 240), by Dr. J. F. Muirhead, editor of many of Baedeker’s Guide Books, and Philip A. Ashworth;Nile(Vol. 19, p. 692), by F. R. Cana and Sir W. E. Garstin, governing director, Suez Canal Co.;Niger(Vol. 19, p. 674) andCongo(Vol. 6, p. 914), by F. R. Cana;Yangtsze-Kiang(Vol. 28, p. 903), by George Jamieson, formerly British consul-general at Shanghai;Desert(Vol. 8, p. 92), by Dr. H. N. Dickson, professor of geography, University College, Reading;Sahara(Vol. 23, p. 1004), by Edward Heawood, librarian of the Royal Geographical Society, London, and F. R. Cana. There are also separate articles on the oceans and large lakes.
Astronomy is a science which is peculiarly attractive to children, since it arouses the imagination and makes a strong appeal to their delight in all that is marvelous. There are 277 astronomical articles in the new Encyclopaedia Britannica to which the classified list in the Index Volume (Vol. 29, p. 888) is the key.
Readings in Astronomy
In the preceding chapter are mentioned a few articles which will serve for the beginning of an acquaintance with astronomy. When a child has learned to know the zodiacal constellationshe will certainly want to readZodiac(Vol. 28, p. 993), by Agnes M. Clerke, author ofA History of Astronomy in the 19th Century, for the story of the signs and what they meant to the nations of past ages. There are separate articles on the principal constellations and stars.Astrology(Vol. 2, p. 795), by Prof. Morris Jastrow of the University of Pennsylvania, will prove both entertaining and instructive.
Those who wish to know about methods of observation will find the complete story inTelescope(Vol. 26, p. 557), a beautifully illustrated article by H. Dennis Taylor, author ofA System of Applied Optics, and Sir David Gill, formerly astronomer royal at the Cape of Good Hope.
Games and Pastimes
In the preceding chapter a few articles on games were mentioned as being useful to parents helping very young children to amuse themselves. A little later, the child will be delighted to choose for himself among the 260 articles on sports and pastimes; and the analysis of this department of the Britannica, in Part 6 of this Guide, will then be of service. We may mention here the articlesGolf(Vol. 12, p. 219), by H. G. Hutchinson, golf champion and author ofHints on Golf;Lacrosse(Vol. 16, p. 54);Bowling(Vol. 4, p. 344);Rowing(Vol. 23, p. 783), by C. M. Pitman, formerly stroke of the Oxford University Eight;Model-Yachting(Vol. 18, p. 640);Angling,Methods and Practice(Vol. 2, p. 24);Cricket(Vol. 7, p. 435);Archery,Pastime of(Vol. 2, p. 364), by the late W. J. Ford. A long list of indoor and out-door games will be found in the classified subject-list (Vol. 29, p. 946).
Diverting and Profitable Occupations
The aptitude of children for diverting and often profitable occupations is admirably fostered by the new Britannica through many of its very practical articles. This matter has been discussed in the last chapter. In addition it is worthy of note that an ingenious boy could learn to make and set up a sun-dial with the help ofDial and Dialling(Vol. 8, p. 149), by Hugh Godfray; and could experiment and amuse himself with aCamera Lucidaor aCamera Obscura(Vol. 5, p. 104), from the articles written by Charles J. Joly, late Astronomer Royal of Ireland; while even a younger child could quickly learn to tie any kind of a knot fromKnot(Vol. 15, p. 871), with 54 illustrations, by P. G. Tait, the famous British physicist. All the crafts that produce objects of household utility are practically taught in articles by experts, so that the Britannica is a complete guide to the use of every kind of tool.
Reading for Girls
In the field of girls’ occupations there is in the Britannica much material that serves to give knowledge of the best methods of home making.
A great number of articles for girls’ reading will be found among those named in the chapter For Women.
In these days parents, and especially mothers, are devoting more and more time to the study of child development. The importance and value of intelligent sympathetic guidance in everything a child does—and every active child strives to do something—has been fully realized. The chief problem before the parent is, therefore, to have at hand some ready means of meeting every expression of a child’s interests, every indication of budding talents. A short experience with the new Britannica will show this to be one of its many valuable functions. Children do not need to be driven to the volumes. They need only to be made acquainted with them.
CHAPTER LXIIISOME QUESTIONS CHILDREN SOMETIMES ASK, AND SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK CHILDREN
A child gains a great part of its knowledge by asking questions, and he should be encouraged to ask them. But parents often find the child’s questions, even those about the objects he sees every day, so difficult to answer, that he is told “not to bother.” With the new Encyclopaedia Britannica at hand, there is hardly any intelligent question that cannot be answered after a glance at the Index and at the page to which it refers the reader. Again, there is no better way at once of amusing and instructing the child than to ask him questions and help him find his way to the answers. Here are a few questions: some of the kind that a child might ask, and some that may be put to a child. The Britannica supplies interesting answers to all of them, and some of these answers are given here.
What makes people snore?
The answer, found at once by referring to “snoring” in the Index, is that the cause is breathing through the mouth, which makes the soft palate vibrate. When the child is told this, it should also be told what the Britannica says about mouth-breathing being a dangerous habit for children to form, as it often leads to sore throats.
How does one ant tell another to go to work?
By patting it with its feelers. The articleAnt, by Professor Carpenter, will supply you with stories to tell children as fascinating as any fairy tale.
What makes the colours of sunset?
Dust. If it were not for the dust floating in the air, we should lose not only the brilliant sunsets but the glorious cloud scenery as well, and there would be no twilight. Furthermore, all the moisture in the air, which now condenses on the particles of floating dust, would settle on our clothes and on the walls of our rooms. You will find many other curious facts in the articleDust, by John Aitken, who invented the machine for counting the particles of dust in the atmosphere.
How does the brightness of moonlight compare with that of sunlight?
Most people would guess that sunlight is twenty, or, at most, fifty times as strong; yet it is really half a million times stronger. The articleMoon, by Dr. Simon Newcomb, is full of such curious information and of delightful pictures.
Why did the Israelites in bondage need straw to put in their bricks, although we do not use it in ours?
The articleBricktells you that their bricks were made of Nile mud, which would not bind without something to hold it together.
When sea-water freezes, does the salt go into the ice?
Only one-fifth of it, the articleIcesays.
Are you sure you like the taste of vanilla?
This is an excellent puzzle to put to a bright child. The curious answer, found in the articleTaste, is that vanilla, like onions and some other substances which we think have strong flavors, really has no taste at all. We smell them as we eat them, and therefore we imagine we taste them. This you can prove to a child by blindfolding it, while its nose is firmly closed, holding a slice of onionand a slice of apple near its open mouth, and touching its tongue first with one and then with the other.
What is a beaver’s favourite food?
Of all unlikely things—water-lilies! This, and other things that will delight children, you will find in the articleBeaver, by Richard Lydekker, the famous naturalist.
Why is it harder to guess the width of a river than to guess the width of a field as wide?
The articleVisionwill tell you.
Why are new-born babies’ eyes often slate-blue, for a time?
The articleEyewill tell you.
Why is not spiders’ silk manufactured?
Unfortunately, although the silk is of the finest quality, quite equal to the silkworm’s, the spiders are such fierce cannibals that each one would have to be kept in a separate box, and this would make the silk too costly. The articleSpiders, by R. I. Pocock, superintendent of the London Zoological Gardens, also tells you how spiders make their way through the air to islands in the sea; how the wolf-spider builds a nest with a hinged door, and how the common pond-spider builds his thimble-shaped house under water and fills it with air by swimming down to it, time after time, on each trip taking down a tiny bubble of air.
Why do not animals that sleep all through the winter starve to death?
Because they live on the fat they have put on during the summer, as the articleHibernationexplains.
Why could not the Norsemen who visited America in the 11th century found permanent settlements?
The natives were hostile and the Norsemen had no firearms. The wonderful story of the first voyages to America is told in the articleVinland.
How can you tell how far away a flash of lightning is?
Sound travels so much more slowly than light does, that if the flash is a mile away you see it five seconds before you hear the report; so by counting the seconds you can measure the distance. The Index, under “Lightning: distance” refers you to the articleSound, by Professor Poynting.
Why does your hair stand on end when you are frightened?
The articleSkin, by Professor Parsons, will tell you about this curious action of the muscles.
Why do we count by tens?
Because people began by counting on their fingers and thumbs, and when they got to ten they had to begin again. Some tribes used to make twenty their basis for counting, adding in their toes. The articleArithmetictells you this; and a newspaper critic said of this article that he was amazed to find it one of the most readable things in the Britannica. The truth is that there are no subjects that are dull in themselves. There is a dull way of treating them, and there is also the Britannica way, which is to show youhow things came to be as they are. That is why children are delighted when “Britannica time” comes, the hour when the parent sits down by the bookcase and tells them true stories out of the volumes and shows them the exquisite pictures.
Are men or women oftener stammerers?
The articleStammering, which tells you that men are much oftener afflicted than women, is one that all parents should read. If a child’s speech is carefully watched, the first trouble of this kind may sometimes be checked before it becomes a habit.
Why does a room look smaller with red than with violet wall-paper?
Read the articleVisionand you will understand this and many other curious facts about the way our eyes do their work. Furthermore, you will be reminded that slight defects in a child’s sight should be noticed and treated by an oculist before permanent harm has been done.
Why is winter colder than summer?
Simply because the sun’s rays, coming aslant instead of from overhead, travel through more miles of air and are thus robbed of much of their heat before they reach us. The polar regions actually get more hours of sunlight in a year than we get in the United States, more even than there are at the equator, but the sun is never high above the horizon at the poles.
Can a snake cross a frozen pond?
No, nor move on any other smooth surface, as the articleSnakesshows.
How long was Abraham Lincoln at school?
Less than a year in all, as shown by the articleLincoln, Abraham, by J. G. Nicolay (Lincoln’s private secretary) and C. C. Whinery. But although he could not get much teaching, he read over and over again every book he could get hold of.
Here are a few questions without the answers; but the numbers after each question show the volume and page of the Britannica where each answer can be found:
What makes blood clot?(Vol. 4, p. 81.)
Are there any red-haired human races?(Vol. 12, p. 823.)
Why does a cut apple turn brown?(Vol. 21, p. 756.)
What makes negroes black?(Vol. 25, p. 190.)
Are men or women oftener colour-blind?(Vol. 28, p. 139.)
Why do stars twinkle?(Vol. 23, p. 29.)
What happens in your throat when you sob?(Vol. 23, p. 195.)
What change in water, as it freezes, makes ice float?(Vol. 14, p. 227).
Why is the shadow cast by an electric light sharper-edged than the shadow cast by the sun?(Vol. 24, p. 758).
Why does fright make people faint?(Vol. 27, p. 942).
What makes the beautiful “ice-flowers” on a frosted window-pane?(Vol. 14, p. 226).
How do trappers prepare valuable fur-skins so as to preserve them until they get to market?
The skins are simply dried in the air, as stated in the articleFur, which was written by the head of a great wholesale fur business.
How does the amount of air in a room spoiled by an ordinary gas-burner, or a small reading-lamp, compare with the amount spoiled by a man’s breathing?
The gas burner or the lamp spoils four times as much air, as shown in the articleVentilation.
What part of your weight is blood?
One-twentieth. (Vol. 27, p. 939).
What domestic animal is oftenest born with only one eye?
The pig. (Vol. 18, p. 743).
Which covers the more space, the United States (without Alaska) or Europe?
Europe. (Vol. 27, p. 612, and Vol. 9, p. 907.)
If you looked at the moon all night every night, how soon would you have seen all its surface?
Never. Four-tenths of it can never be seen from the earth. (Vol. 18, p. 803.)
What was the great difference between the destruction of Pompeii and that of Herculaneum?
Pompeii was covered by ashes and Herculaneum by mud. (Vol. 22, p. 50, and Vol. 13, p. 342.)
Why do not high mountains, where more snow falls than melts, keep growing higher?
Because pressure forces the snow, changed into ice, to descend in the form of glaciers, as explained in the articleGlacier.
Who wrote to George Washington, on behalf of a number of officers in the United States army, asking him to make himself king of the United States?
Col. Lewis Nicola. The articleWashington, George, by Professor MacDonald of Brown University, gives you the words of Washington’s indignant reply.
How deep has anyone ever dived in diver’s dress?
The articleDiverstells you: 210 feet.
In baseball, how is a fielding-record calculated?
To get the fielder’s average, you divide the number of chances he has made the most of by the total number of chances he has had. (Vol. 3, p. 461.)
How tall must a giant be?
Seven feet, to be properly called a giant. (Vol. 18, p. 741).
Where were the first lighthouses built?
In lower Egypt, as stated in the articleLighthouse, which describes all the great lighthouses and gives pictures of the towers and of the wonderful lamps.
When ships are going through the Panama Canal, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, will they be heading to the eastward or to the westward?
Oddly enough, to the eastward; for the Isthmus curves so, just where the canal line lies, that the Pacific end is much to the eastward of the Atlantic end. You can see this plainly on the detailed map in the articlePanama Canal.
Why does a tame rabbit die if it is held erect for half an hour?
Because the muscles of its abdomen are so weak that they cannot act as a belt, as our muscles do, and all the rabbit’s blood settles below the heart. (Vol. 27, p. 942.)
For what price was Manhattan Island bought from the Indians in 1626?
For $24 worth of goods, as shown in the articleNew York.
Why do people, when they are in the polar regions, seldom catch cold?
Because colds are caused by microbes and there are very few microbes in places so far from any masses of people, as you can see from the articleClimate.
If North America were spread out on the surface of the moon, what share of the moon’s surface would it cover?
About four-sevenths. (Vol. 18, p. 805, and Vol. 19, p. 764.)
Which is the greater: the highest mountain’s height or the deepest sea’s depth?
The sea’s depth, which is 31,614 feet; while Mt. Everest is 29,002 feet high. (Vol. 19, p. 973, and Vol. 10, p. 7.)
Of what use are the hairs on a caterpillar?
Like the bristles on a dog-collar, they keep an enemy from biting him. (Vol. 6, p. 733.)
Why do you twist yourself into an uncomfortable position when you have a pain?
Because instinct teaches you that discomfort will help you by partially taking your attention away from the pain. (Vol. 22, p. 587.)
What warm-blooded creature has the longest average life?
Man, except possibly the whale; but not the elephant, as is generally believed. The articleLongevitytells how long all kinds of animals live.
What mistake about American history is caused in our minds by the celebration of the Fourth of July?
The belief that the Declaration of Independence was signed on the 4th of July. Congress did not order it to be engrossed for signature until July 19th. The articleIndependence, Declaration of, also shows that the most important day was July 2nd, when Congress adopted the Resolution of Independence.
If you look up the answers to these questions, in the Britannica, you will incidentally learn, from the articles to which you turn, a great many things that will be of practical use to you in every-day life. For whether you turn to the volumes because you want only a single fact, or because you want to learn all about some important subject—or even because you merely want to pass a pleasant hour—you always get from them far more than you had hoped to find.