View source for Perfect Manhood and the Way to Attain It. Sympathy with all Aspects of Life

''Perfect Manhood and the Way to Attain It'' is a compilation of letters by various people including [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] first published in [[The New York Herald]] on 7 june 1891. The Conan Doyle's letter was titled ''Sympathy with all Aspects of Life''.

The compilation started with: ''"New and distinguished contributors to the Herald's great symposium portray their views on an all absorbing subject. Ideal men and women. Words of wisdom to the young American from some of the wisest and most thoughtful people now living. Human nature's best qualities. Clergymen, anthropologists, philosophers, poets, generals, novelists and eminent women tell us how to improve ourselves mentally and physically. Be better, more noble, more brave."''

Below only shows the Conan Doyle letter:


== Sympathy with all Aspects of Life ==
[[File:New-York-Herald-1891-06-07-p13-sympathy-aspects-life.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[The New York Herald]]  (7 june 1891, p.13)]]

A. Conan Doyle, M. D., the well known novelist, writes from London:—

I should be proud to join in your symposium on so important a matter, but I do so with diffidence, for in the only case in which I have been intimately associated with the development of a young man I have not felt so satisfied with the result as to feel encouraged to advise others. Speaking generally, it seems to me to be an aphorism that the best form of culture must always be the broadest form of culture, the culture which does not confine itself to this or that narrow groove or clique, but leads to a wide knowledge of, and sympathy with, all aspects of life. The ideal state of culture would be one in which the mind would embrace the whole universe, as far as we are capable of understanding it, and would respond to every change, be it in science, in art, in politics or any other department of human knowledge or experience. Life is too short, no doubt, to enable a man to get in contact at all points with the facts of existence, but there lies the ideal, and the greater the catholicity of sympathy the higher the culture.

To attain a higher development in the future we must improve our whole scheme of education, and surely there is much room for such improvement.

I remain, dear sir, very truly yours,

[Signature: A. Conan Doyle MD.]






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Special thanks to Mattias Boström and Matt Laffey, authors of [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherlock-Holmes-and-Conan-Doyle-in-the-Newspapers/1525399057735061 Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers].
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* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:Complete Works|Back to Complete Works]]
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