FEEDING THE MIND

FEEDING THE MIND

BY
LEWIS CARROLL

WITH A PREFATORY NOTE BY
WILLIAM H. DRAPER

LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1907

[All rights reserved]

[Pg v]

NOTE

The history of this little sparkle from the pen of Lewis Carroll may soonbe told. It was in October of the year 1884 that he came on a visit to acertain vicarage in Derbyshire, where he had promised, on the score offriendship, to do what was for him a most unusual favour—to give alecture before a public audience.

The writer well remembers his nervous, highly-strung manner as he stoodbefore the little room full of simple people, few of whom had any idea ofthe world-wide reputation of that shy, slight figure before them.

[Pg vi]When the lecture was over, he handed the manuscript to me, saying: ‘Dowhat you like with it.’

The one for whose sake he did this kindness was not long after called

‘Into the Silent Land.’

So the beautifully-written MS., in his customary violet ink, has beentreasured for more than twenty years, only now and then being read over atChristmastime to a friend or two by the study fire, always to meet withthe same welcome and glad acknowledgment that here was a genuine, thoughlittle flame that could not have belonged to any other source but thatwhich all the world knew in Alice in Wonderland and Through theLooking-Glass.

There may be, perhaps, many others who, gathering round a winter fire,[Pg vii]will be glad to read words, however few, from that bright source, andwhose memories will respond to the fresh touch of that cherished name.

It remains to add but one or two more associations that cling to it andmake the remembrance more vivid still. While Lewis Carroll was staying inthe house, there came to call a certain genial and by no means shy Dean,who, without realizing what he was doing, proceeded, in the presence ofother callers, to make some remark identifying Mr. Dodgson as the authorof his books.

There followed an immense explosion immediately on the visitor’sdeparture, with a pathetic and serious request that, if there were anyrisk of a repetition of the call, due warning might be given, and theretreat secured.

[Pg viii]Probably not many readers of the immortal Alice have ever seen thecurious little whimsical paper called

EIGHT OR NINE WISE WORDS
ABOUT
LETTER-WRITING

which their author had printed and used to sen