Gleanings from a Literary Life, 1838-1880

"The contents of this volume have been gleaned from a wide field. They have been selected from a much larger number of miscellaneous papers, and are here brought together as having some unity of purpose, devoted as they are to the exposition and defence of doctrines which seem to me of priceless interest and importance. They were not meant to set forth novel opinions, or any mode of thought or system of belief here first propounded, but to guard and inculcate some of the old and familiar truths which are the best portion of the heritage which we have received from former generations. They express the earnest and persistent convictions of the writer upon topics of great moment, which still so far occupy the minds of all thoughtful persons as to appear foremost among what may be called the burning questions of the day. Literature is not in its highest vocation when it is cultivated merely for its own sake, but only when used as a means of promoting other and nobler ends than those of a purely literary character"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).