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235
The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft
·
George Gissing
62
With
these
pages
before
one's
eyes,
must
one
not
needs
believe
that
things
of
the
mind
are
a
prime
concern
of
our
day?
Who
are
the
purchasers
of
these
volumes
ever
pouring
from
the
press?
How
is
it
possible
for
so
great
a
commerce
to
flourish
save
as
a
consequence
of
national
eagerness
in
this
intellectual
domain?
Surely
one
must
take
for
granted
that
throughout
the
land,
in
town
and
country,
private
libraries
are
growing
apace;
that
by
the
people
at
large
a
great
deal
of
time
is
devoted
to
reading;
that
literary
ambition
is
one
of
the
commonest
spurs
to
effort?
It
is
the
truth.
All
this
may
be
said
of
contemporary
England.
But
is
it
enough
to
set
one's
mind
at
ease
regarding
the
outlook
of
our
civilization?
Two
things
must
be
remembered.
However
considerable
this
literary
traffic,
regarded
by
itself,
it
is
relatively
of
small
extent.
And,
in
the
second
place,
literary
activity
is
by
no
means
an
invariable
proof
of
that
mental
attitude
which
marks
the
truly
civilized
man.
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