[88] The "Federalist" was a series of essays by Hamilton, Jay, and Madison, in favor of the Federal Constitution, and is the best and deepest book on the science of government that the world contains. (Amer., 1788.)
[89] Bryce on the American Commonwealth is a splendid book, a complete, critical, philosophic work, an era-making book, and should be read by every American who wishes to know how our institutions appear to a genial, cultured, broad-minded foreigner. Mr. Bryce has the chair of Political Economy in Oxford, and is a member of Parliament. His chief criticism of our great republic is that it is hard to fix responsibility for lawlessness under our institutions, which is always an encouragement to wrongdoers. His book should be read with De Tocqueville. (Eng., 19th cent.)
[90] Montesquieu's "Spirit of Laws" is a profound analysis of law in relation to government, customs, climate, religion, and commerce. It is the greatest book of the 18th century. Read with it Bagehot's "Physics and Politics."
[91] Mill's "Logic" and "Political Economy" are simply necessities to any, even moderately, thorough preparation for civilized life in America. (Eng., 19th cent.)
[92] Read Bain on the "Emotions and the Will," "Mind and Body," etc. (Eng., 19th cent.)
[93] Herbert Spencer is the foremost name in the philosophic literature of the world. He is the Shakspeare of science. He has a grander grasp of knowledge, and more perfect conscious correspondence with the external universe, than any other human being who ever looked wonderingly out into the starry depths; and his few errors flow from an over-anxiety to exert his splendid power of making beautiful generalizations. Read his "First Principles," "Data of Ethics," "Education," and "Classification of the Sciences," at any rate; and if possible, all he has written. Plato and Spencer are brothers. Plato would have done what Spencer has, had he lived in the 19th century.
[94] Darwin's "Origin of Species" stands in history by the side of Newton's "Principia." The thought of both has to a great extent become the common inheritance of the race; and it is perhaps sufficient for the general reader to refer to a good account of the book and its arguments, such as may be found in the "Encyclopædia Britannica." (Eng., 19th cent.)
[95] Read Herschel and Proctor in Astronomy, to broaden and deepen the mind with the grand and beautiful conceptions of this most poetic of the sciences. Proctor's books are more fascinating than any fiction. (Eng., 19th cent.)