"Of Studies" : Uses and Abuses / Merits and Demerits/ Critical Appreciation

While Montaigne in France was busy in expressing his personal preferences and idiosyncraidiosyncracies
through the medium of reveries which he called 'Essays', Bacon gave evidence of the opposite method. He
subtitles his "Essays" (1625) "Counsels Civil and Moral". These "dispersed meditations" are intended
to promote the 'art of success' in social as well as ethical spheres. Emotion is Bacon's abhorrence and he
keeps sentimentalism at arm's length. His essays are actually an entrepot of aphorisms and Bacon everywhere is
practical and pragmatic to his fingertips. "Of Studies", where Bacon explores the utilities of studies and advises
us to reap a good harvest from it by an illuminative discussion, bears out the point. It is a typical Baconian essay
with an astonishing terseness, freshness of illustrations, logical analysis, highly Latinized vocabulary, worldly
wisdom and Renaissance experiment. [BKSR]

"Studies serve for delight, for ornament and for ability" ---- this is how Bacon, obviously in a
tripartite telegraphic way, unfolds the threefold practical utilities of study. He opines that reading, first of all,
delights the reader. This is the aeesthetic aspect of study. Secondly, one who reads widely can develop an elegant
style of expression. This is what Bacon calls 'ornament'. Thirdly, to read is to gain knowledge and knowledge is
to power. That is to say, a well read man can always deal with the problems of life in a competent and confident
way. This is what is called 'abilty'. He then underscores ability in conducting practical business of life as the
primary aim of education. However, this ability is to be acquired not only from books, but through a close study of
life. [BKSR]

After having studied its uses, Bacon proceeds to explore the abuses of studies. That spending a
disproportionate amount of time over studies is likely to result in lethargy or aversion to work is equally
emphasized by Bacon whom we should call an 'apostle of propriety' : "To spend too much time in
studies is sloth". Like in "The Advancement of Learning", Bacon in "Of Studies", too, makes a
systematic classification of studies and considers different modes to be employed with different kinds of books :
"Some books are to be tested, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and
digested". Here his practical counsel is that while books that lack importance and philosophical depth are to be
read in casual and cursory fashion and those of secondary importance with a little more attention and
concentration. There are few books which are to be read in between the lines and industriously. [BKSR]

Bacon further says that studies do not shape a perfect man without the needed conference and writing :
"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man." What the
essayist implies here is that while reading makes us informed and conversation increases fluency and eloquence,
perfection can only be attained through writing. Finally, Bacon argues that just as different physical ailments call
for different prescriptions, different defects of mind, analogously, are to be cured through the judicious selection
and meticulous analysis of various subjects: "Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics
subtle: natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend." [BKSR]

Thus, Bacon provides a full-proof prescription for every reader to make his reading fruitful and profitable from
all practical points of view. And it is this practical approach that makes Bacon's advices still relevant even to a
modern reader. (575) [BKSR]
 "Of Studies" : Uses and Abuses / Merits and Demerits/ Critical Appreciation
While Michel de Montaigne in France was deeply engrossed in expressing his personal preferences and
idiosyncrasies through his reflective writings referred to as 'Essays,' Sir Francis Bacon took an entirely different
approach. In his work "Essays" published in 1625, Bacon chose the subtitle "Counsels Civil and Moral." This
collection of "dispersed meditations" were deliberately crafted to foster social and ethical success. Bacon
firmly eschews emotion and maintains a significant distance from sentimentalism. His essays serve as
storehouses of succinct aphorisms, and his practical and pragmatic approach permeates through his writing. "Of
Studies," where Bacon delves into the utility of studies and offers guidance on how to make the most of it
through an enlightening discourse, effectively illustrates this point. It exemplifies the quintessential Baconian
essay, characterized by its remarkable brevity, the fresh illustrations, logical analyses, a vocabulary rich in Latin
influence, worldly wisdom, and experimental insights associated with the Renaissance period. [BKSR]

"Studies serve for delight, for ornament and for ability" ---- this is how Bacon, in a tripartite
telegraphic way, unfolds the threefold practical utilities of study. He opines that reading, first of all, delights the
reader. This is the aesthetic aspect of study. Secondly, one who reads widely can develop an elegant style of
expression. This is what Bacon calls 'ornament'. Thirdly, to read is to gain knowledge and knowledge is to power.
In other words, a well read man can always deal with the problems of life in a competent and confident way. This
is what is called 'abilty'. He then underscores ability in conducting practical business of life as the primary aim of
education. However, this ability is to be acquired not reading books, but through a close study of life. [BKSR]

After having studied its uses, Bacon proceeds to explore the abuses of studies. That spending a
disproportionate amount of time over studies is likely to result in lethargy or aversion to work is equally
emphasized by Bacon whom we should call an 'apostle of propriety' : "To spend too much time in
studies is sloth". Like in "The Advancement of Learning", Bacon in "Of Studies", too, makes a
systematic classification of studies and considers different modes to be employed with different kinds of books :
"Some books are to be tested, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and
digested". Here his practical counsel is that while books that lack importance and philosophical depth are to be
read in casual and cursory fashion and those of secondary importance with a little more attention and
concentration. There are few books which are to be read in between the lines and industriously. [BKSR]

Bacon further says that studies do not shape a perfect man without the needed conference and writing :
"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man." What the
essayist implies here is that while reading makes us informed and conversation increases fluency and eloquence,
perfection can only be attained through writing. Finally, Bacon argues that just as different physical ailments call
for different prescriptions, different defects of mind, analogously, are to be cured through the judicious selection
and meticulous analysis of various subjects : "Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics
subtle: natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend." [BKSR]

Thus, Bacon provides a full-proof prescription for every reader to make his reading fruitful and profitable from
all practical points of view. And it is this practical approach that makes Bacon's advices still relevant even to a
modern reader. (585)