need　not　prevent　you　from　making　yourself　familiar　with　the　construction
  of　the　orchestra　to　which　you　listen　a　couple　of　nights　a　week　during　a
  couple　of　months！　　As　things　are；　you　probably　think　of　the　orchestra　as　a
  heterogeneous　mass　of　instruments　producing　a　confused　agreeable　mass
  of　sound。　　You　do　not　listen　for　details　because　you　have　never　trained
  your　ears　to　listen　to　details。
  If　you　were　asked　to　name　the　instruments　which　play　the　great　theme　at
  the　beginning　of　the　C　minor　symphony　you　could　not　name　them　for　your
  life's　sake。　　Yet　you　admire　the　C　minor　symphony。　　It　has　thrilled　you。　　It
  will　thrill　you　again。　　You　have　even　talked　about　it；　in　an　expansive　mood；
  to　that　ladyyou　know　whom　I　mean。　　And　all　you　can　positively　state
  about　the　C　minor　symphony　is　that　Beethoven　composed　it　and　that　it　is
  a　〃jolly　fine　thing。〃
  Now；　if　you　have　read；　say；　Mr。　Krehbiel's　〃How　to　Listen　to　Music〃　（which
  can　be　got　at　any　bookseller's　for　less　than　the　price　of　a　stall　at　the　Alhambra；
  and　which　contains　photographs　of　all　the　orchestral　instruments　and　plans　of
  the　arrangement　of　orchestras）　you　would　next　go　to　a　promenade　concert　with
  an　astonishing　intensification　of　interest　in　it。　　Instead　of　a　confused　mass；　the
  orchestra　would　appear　to　you　as　what　it　isa　marvellously　balanced　organism
  whose　various　groups　of　members　each　have　a　different　and　an　indispensable
  function。　　You　would　spy　out　the　instruments；　and　listen　for　their　respective
  sounds。　　You　would　know　the　gulf　that　separates　a　French　horn　from　an　English
  horn；　and　you　would　perceive　why　a　player　of　the　hautboy　gets　higher　wages
  than　a　fiddler；　though　the　fiddle　is　the　more　difficult　instrument。　　You　would
  *live*　at　a　promenade　concert；　whereas　previously　you　had　merely　existed
  there　in　a　state　of　beatific　coma；　like　a　baby　gazing　at　a　bright　object。
  The　foundations　of　a　genuine；　systematic　knowledge　of　music　might　be　laid。
  You　might　specialise　your　inquiries　either　on　a　particular　form　of　music　（such
  as　the　symphony）；　or　on　the　works　of　a　particular　composer。　　At　the　end　of　a
  year　of　forty…eight　weeks　of　three　brief　evenings　each；　combined　with　a　study
  of　programmes　and　attendances　at　concerts　chosen　out　of　your　increasing
  knowledge；　you　would　really　know　something　about　music；　even　though　you
  were　as　far　off　as　ever　from　jangling　〃The　Maiden's　Prayer〃　on　the　piano。
  〃But　I　hate　music！〃　you　say。　　My　dear　sir；　I　respect　you。
  What　applies　to　music　applies　to　the　other　arts。　　I　might　mention　Mr。　Clermont
  Witt's　〃How　to　Look　at　Pictures；〃　or　Mr。　Russell　Sturgis's　〃How　to　Judge
  Architecture；〃　as　beginnings　（merely　beginnings）　of　systematic　vitalising
  knowledge　in　other　arts；　the　materials　for　whose　study　abound　in　London。
  〃I　hate　all　the　arts！〃　you　say。　　My　dear　sir；　I　respect　you　more　and　more。
  I　will　deal　with　your　case　next；　before　coming　to　literature。
  X
  NOTHING　IN　LIFE　IS　HUMDRUM
  Art　is　a　great　thing。　　But　it　is　not　the　greatest。　　The　most　important　of　all
  perceptions　is　the　continual　perception　of　cause　and　effect…in　other　words；
  the　perception　of　the　continuous　development　of　the　universe…in　still　other
  words；　the　perception　of　the　course　of　evolution。　　When　one　has　thoroughly
  got　imbued　into　one's　head　the　leading　truth　that　nothing　happens　without　a
  cause；　one　grows　not　only　large…minded；　but　large…hearted。
  It　is　hard　to　have　one's　watch　stolen；　but　one　reflects　that　the　thief　of　the
  watch　became　a　thief　from　causes　of　heredity　and　environment　which　are
  as　interesting　as　they　are　scientifically　comprehensible；　and　one　buys
  another　watch；　if　not　with　joy；　at　any　rate　with　a　philosophy　that　makes
  bitterness　impossible。　　One　loses；　in　the　study　of　cause　and　effect；　that
  absurd　air　which　so　many　people　have　of　being　always　shocked　and　pained
  by　the　curiousness　of　life。　　Such　people　live　amid　human　nature　as　if　human
  nature　were　a　foreign　country　full　of　awful　foreign　customs。　But；　having
  reached　maturity；　one　ought　surely　to　be　ashamed　of　being　a　stranger　in　a
  strange　land！
  The　study　of　cause　and　effect；　while　it　lessens　the　painfulness　of　life；　adds
  to　life's　picturesqueness。　　The　man　to　whom　evolution　is　but　a　name　looks
  at　the　sea　as　a　grandiose；　monotonous　spectacle；　which　he　can　witness　in
  August　for　three　shillings　third…class　return。　　The　man　who　is　imbued　with
  the　idea　of　development；　of　continuous　cause　and　effect；　perceives　in　the
  sea　an　element　which　in　the　day…before…yesterday　of　geology　was　vapour；
  which　yesterday　was　boiling；　and　which　to…morrow　will　inevitably　be　ice。
  He　perceives　that　a　liquid　is　merely　something　on　its　way　to　be　solid；　and
  he　is　penetrated　by　a　sense　of　the　tremendous；　changeful　picturesqueness　of
  life。　　Nothing　will　afford　a　more　durable　satisfaction　than　the　constantly
  cultivated　appreciation　of　this。　　It　is　the　end　of　all　science。
  Cause　and　effect　are　to　be　found　everywhere。　　Rents　went　up　in　Shepherd's
  Bush。　　It　was　painful　and　shocking　that　rents　should　go　up　in　Shepherd's
  Bush。　　But　to　a　certain　point　we　are　all　scientific　students　of　cause　and　effect；
  and　there　was　not　a　clerk　lunching　at　a　Lyons　Restaurant　who　did　not　scienti…
  fically　put　two　and　two　together　and　see　in　the　（once）　Two…penny　Tube　the
  cause　of　an　excessive　demand　for　wigwams　in　Shepherd's　Bush；　and　in　the
  excessive　demand　for　wigwams　the　cause　of　the　increase　in　the　price　of
  wigwams。
  〃Simple！〃　you　say；　disdainfully。　　Everything…the　whole　complex　movement
  of　the　universe…is　as　simple　as　that…when　you　can　sufficiently　put　two　and
  two　together。　　And；　my　dear　sir；　perhaps　you　happen　to　be　an　estate　agent's
  clerk；　and　you　hate　the　arts；　and　you　want　to　foster　your　immortal　soul；　and
  you　can't　be　interested　in　your　business　because　it's　so　humdrum。
  Nothing　is　humdrum。
  The　tremendous；　changeful　picturesqueness　of　life　is　marvellously　shown
  in　an　estate　agent's　office。　　What！　　There　was　a　block　of　traffic　in　Oxford
  Street；　to　avoid　the　block　people　actually　began　to　travel　under　the　cellars
  and　drains；　and　the　result　was　a　rise　of　rents　in　Shepherd's　Bush！　　And　you
  say　that　isn't　picturesque！　　Suppose　you　were　to　study；　in　this　spirit；　the
  property　question　in　London　for　an　hour　and　a　half　every　other　evening。
  Would　it　not　give　zest　to　your　business；　and　transform　your　whole　life？
  You　would　arrive　at　more　difficult　problems。　　And　you　would　be　able　to
  tell　us　why；　as　the　natural　result　of　cause　and　effect；　the　longest　straight
  street　in　London　is　about　a　yard　and　a　half　in　length；　while　the　longest
  absolutely　straight　street　in　Paris　extends　for　miles。　　I　think　you　will
  admit　that　in　an　estate　agent's　clerk　I　have　not　chosen　an　example　that
  specially　favours　my　theories。
  You　are　a　bank　clerk；　and　you　have　not　read　that　breathless　romance
  （disguised　as　a　scientific　study）；　Walter　Bagehot's　〃Lombard　Street〃？
  Ah；　my　dear　sir；　if　you　had　begun　with　that；　and　followed　it　up　for　ninety
  minutes　every　other　evening；　how　enthralling　your　business　would　be　to
  you；　and　how　much　more　clearly　you　would　understand　human　nature。
  You　are　〃penned　in　town；〃　but　you　love　excursions　to　the　country　and
  the　observation　of　wild　life…certainly　a　heart…enlarging　diversion。　　Why
  don't　you　walk　out　of　your　house　door；　in　your　slippers；　to　the　nearest
  gas　lamp　of　a　night　with　a　butterfly　net；　and　observe　the　wild　life　of
  common　and　rare　moths　that　is　beating　about　it；　and　co…ordinate　the
  knowledge　thus　obtained　and　build　a　superstructure　on　it；　and　at　last
  get　to　know　something　about　something？
  You　need　not　be　devoted　to　the　arts；　not　to　literature；　in　order　to　live　fully。
  The　whole　field　of　daily　habit　and　scene　is　waiting　to　satisfy　that　curiosity
  which　means　life；　and　the　satisfaction　of　which　means　an　understanding　heart。
  I　promised　to　deal　with　your　case；　O　man　who　hates　art　and　literature；　and
  I　have　dealt　with　it。　　I　now　come　to　the　case　of　the　person；　happily　very
  common；　who　does　〃like　reading。〃
  XI
  SERIOUS　READING
  Novels　are　excluded　from　〃serious　reading；〃　so　that　the　man　who；　bent　on
  self…improvement；　has　been　deciding　to　devote　ninety　minutes　three　times
  a　week　to　a　complete　study　of　the　works　of　Charles　Dickens　will　be　well
  advised　to　alter　his　plans。　　The　reason　is　not　that　novels　are　not　serious
  some　of　the　great　literature　of　the　world　is　in　the　form　of　prose　fiction
  the　reason　is　that　bad　novels　ought　not　to　be　read；　and　that　good　novels
  never　demand　any　appreciable　mental　application　on　the　part　of　the　reader。
  It　is　only　the　bad　parts　of　Meredith's　novels　that　are　difficult。　　A　good　novel
  rushes　you　forward　like　a　skiff　down　a　stream；　and　you　arrive　at　the　end；
  perhaps　breathless；　but　unexhausted。　　The　best　novels　involve　the　least
  strain。　　Now　in　the　cultivation　of　the　mind　one　of　the　most　important　factors
  is　precisely　the　feeling　of　strain；　of　difficulty；　of　a　task　which　one　part　of　you
  is　anx