Arms and the Manby George Bernard ShawINTRODUCTIONTo the irreverentand which of us will claim entire exemption from thatcomfortable classification?there is something very amusing in theattitude of the orthodox criticism toward Bernard Shaw. He so obviouslydisregards all the canons and unities and other things which everywell-bred dramatist is bound to respect that his work is really unworthyof serious criticism (orthodox). Indeed he knows no more about thedramatic art than, according to his own story in "The Man of Destiny,"Napoleon at Tavazzano knew of the Art of War. But both men weresuccesses each in his waythe latter won victories and the former...　

AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONSby Adam Smith1776BOOK FIVEOF THE REVENUE OF THE SOVEREIGN OR COMMONWEALTHCHAPTER IOf the Expenses of the Sovereign or CommonwealthPART 1Of the Expense of DefenceTHE first duty of the sovereign, that of protecting thesociety from the violence and invasion of other independentsocieties, can be performed only by means of a military force.But the expense both of preparing this military force in time of...　

The Crusade of the Excelsiorby Bret HarteCONTENTS.PART I.IN BONDS.CHAPTER I.A CRUSADER AND A SIGNCHAPTER II.ANOTHER PORTENTCHAPTER III."VIGILANCIA"CHAPTER IV.IN THE FOGCHAPTER V.TODOS SANTOSCHAPTER VI."HAIL AND FAREWELL"CHAPTER VII.THE GENTLE CASTAWAYSCHAPTER VIII.IN SANCTUARYCHAPTER IX.AN OPEN-AIR PRISONCHAPTER X.TODOS SANTOS SOLVES THE MYSTERYCHAPTER XI.THE CAPTAIN FOLLOWS HIS SHIPPART II.FREED.CHAPTER I....　

THE FORTY THIEVESIN a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one namedCassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to arich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintainhis wife and children by cutting wood in a neighboringforest and selling it in the town. One day, when AliBaba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback,coming toward him in a cloud of dust. He wasafraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree forsafety. When they came up to him and dismounted, hecounted forty of them. They unbridled their horses andtied them to trees. The finest man among them, whomAli Baba took to be their captain, went a little way among...　

Meditationsby Marcus AureliusCONTENTSINTRODUCTIONFIRST BOOKSECOND BOOKTHIRD BOOKFOURTH BOOKFIFTH BOOKSIXTH BOOKSEVENTH BOOKEIGHTH BOOKNINTH BOOKTENTH BOOKELEVENTH BOOKTWELFTH BOOKAPPENDIXGLOSSARYMeditationsMarcus AureliusIntroductionMARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS was born on April 26, A.D. 121. His real name was M. Annius Verus, and he was sprung of a noble family which claimed descent from Numa, second King of Rome. Thus the most religious of emperors came of the blood of the most pious of early kings. His father, Annius Verus, had held high office in Rome, and his grandfather, of the same name, had been thrice Consul. Both his parents died young, but Marcus held them in loving remembrance. On　

AndersonvilleBy John McElroyANDERSONVILLEA STORY OF REBEL MILITARY PRISONSFIFTEEN MONTHS A GUEST OF THE SO-CALLEDSOUTHERN CONFEDERACYA PRIVATE SOLDIERS EXPERIENCEINRICHMOND, ANDERSONVILLE, SAVANNAH, MILLENBLACKSHEAR AND FLORENCEBY JOHN McELROYLate of Co. L. 16th Ill Cav.1879TO THE HONORABLENOAH H. SWAYNE.JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES,...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENWHAT ONE CAN INVENTby Hans Christian AndersenThere was once a young man who was studying to be a poet. Hewanted to become one by Easter, and to marry, and to live by poetry.To write poems, he knew, only consists in being able to inventsomething; but he could not invent anything. He had been born toolate- everything had been taken up before he came into the world,and everything had been written and told about."Happy people who were born a thousand years ago!" said he. "Itwas an easy matter for them to become immortal. Happy even was he...　

A SIMPLIFIED ALPHABET(This article, written during the autumn of 1899, was aboutthe last writing done by Mark Twain on any impersonal subject.)I have had a kindly feeling, a friendly feeling, a cousinlyfeeling toward Simplified Spelling, from the beginning of themovement three years ago, but nothing more inflamed than that.It seemed to me to merely propose to substitute one inadequacyfor another; a sort of patching and plugging poor old dentalrelics with cement and gold and porcelain paste; what was reallyneeded was a new set of teeth. That is to say, a new ALPHABET.The heart of our trouble is with our foolish alphabet. It...　

Chapter X of Volume II (Chap. 33)MORE than once did Elizabeth in her ramble within the Park, unexpectedly meet Mr. Darcy. She felt all the perverseness of the mischance that should bring him where no one else was brought; and to prevent its ever happening again, took care to inform him at first that it was a favourite haunt of hers. How it could occur a second time, therefore, was very odd! Yet it did, and even a third. It seemed like wilful ill-nature, or a voluntary penance, for on these occasions it was not merely a few formal enquiries and an awkward pause and then away, but he actually thought it necessary to turn back and walk with her. He never said a great deal, nor did she give 　

Little Travels and Roadside Sketchesby William Makepeace ThackerayI. FROM RICHMOND IN SURREY TO BRUSSELS IN BELGIUMII. GHENTBRUGES:Ghent (1840)BrugesIII. WATERLOOLITTLE TRAVELS AND ROADSIDE SKETCHESI.FROM RICHMOND IN SURREY TO BRUSSELS IN BELGIUM. . . I quitted the "Rose Cottage Hotel" at Richmond, one of thecomfortablest, quietest, cheapest, neatest little inns in England,and a thousand times preferable, in my opinion, to the "Star andGarter," whither, if you go alone, a sneering waiter, with his haircurled, frightens you off the premises; and where, if you are bold...　

SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE SCANDAL IN BOHEMIAby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle1To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heardhim mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses andpredominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotionakin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly,were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. Hewas, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machinethat the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himselfin a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save...　

OF THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESSDavid Hume1741NOTHING is more apt to surprize a foreigner, than theextreme liberty, which we enjoy in this country, ofcommunicating whatever we please to the public, and ofopenly censuring every measure, entered into by the king orhis ministers. If the administration resolve upon war, it isaffirmed, that, either wilfully or ignorantly, they mistake...