Search for Good Sense

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. On the Other hand, a life grows lifeless if too short. For vividness depends on detail. The brevity of an encyclopaedia can reduce to prosaic boredom even a Casar or an Alexander. Therefore there is often much to be said, I think, for a happy mean — a length of 60 — 120 pages, which attempts to omit nothing that is really vital, and to include nothing that is not; which can leave a unified impression, but not lay a staggering load upon the memory. (a supreme success at this, to my mind, is sainte-beuve.1)