Certain Personal Matters - The Writing of Essays

Certain Personal Matters - The Parkes Museum

In which an elusive museum of hygiene nestled in a forgotten London street is revealed through a whimsical exploration of its dusty exhibits, from hermetically sealed foods to sanitary apparatus and models. The narrative observes with gentle wit the quietude and peculiarity of this peculiar institution, hinting at its instructive charm and the curious neglect it suffers from the bustling city beyond.

Certain Personal Matters - The Writing of Essays

In which the art of essay writing is revealed as a delightfully simple and informal pastime, dependent chiefly on the choice of pen, ink, and paper, and the writer's cheerful ease rather than rigid subjects or style. There is a charming encouragement to embrace spontaneity, wit, and brevity, concluding that a lively and well-stopped essay is the truest form of literary pleasure.

Certain Personal Matters - The Extinction of Man

In which the author contemplates the fragile tenure of mankind upon the earth, drawing comparisons with extinct dominant species of the past and considering the vast, untamed domains—such as the sea—that elude human control. He posits the possibility that future competitors, whether monstrous crustaceans, formidable cephalopods, or swarming ants, alongside unseen diseases, might one day challenge humanity’s supremacy, admonishing against complacency in the face of such prospects.

Certain Personal Matters - Of a Book Unwritten

In which a scholarly meditation contemplates the vast unwritten volumes of human evolution and destiny, envisioning future men with diminished bodies, enlarged brains, and altered physiologies adapted to wit and machinery rather than physical toil. This sober and speculative forecast, drawn from contemporary scientific thought, traces a path from present-day habits to a final, solitary existence where humanity survives as great intelligences beneath a frozen earth, highlighting the subtle transformation of man’s physical and spiritual nature over the slow passage of ages.

Certain Personal Matters - For Freedom of Spelling

In which the author reflects upon the curious rigidity of English orthography, musing on its origins, social significance, and the curious moral weight it has acquired, while proposing that spelling might be better regarded as an art subject to the whims of personal tenderness and expression. He gently advocates for a liberating freedom in spelling, encouraging a playful and affectionate approach that could enrich language if only it dared to escape the strict conventions imposed by tradition and printers.