In this passage from a lecture Ralph Waldo Ermerson gave in 1837, he focuses on the role of books in education from The Americaan Scholar
Books are the best of things, well used; abused, arnong the worst. What is the right use? What is the one end tich all rmeans go to effecr?
They are for nothing but to inspire. I had better rnever see a book than to be arped by its attraction cdean out of y o orbit, and made a sateline
instead of a system. The one thing in the world of value is the active soul,-the soul, free, sovereign, acthve. This every manis entitied to, this erery
man contains within him, although in almost all rmen obstructed, and as yet unborn. The soul active sees absolute truth arnd utters truth, or creates
In this action it is genlus; not the privilege of here and there a favorite, but the sound estate of every man. In its essence itis progressve. The bock
the college, the school of art, the institution of any kind, stop with sorne past utterance of genlus. This is good, say they-let us hold by this. They
pin ne down. They look backward and not forward. But genius always looks forward. The eyes of rmarn are set in his forehead, not in his hindhead
Man hopes. Gernius creates
(frorn "The Arnerican Scholar by Ralph Waldo Emerson)
According to Ermerson, what is a drawback of relying too much on books?
O1. They have a short-lved effect on most scholars.
O2. They purport to be objective and may skew facts.
O3. They do not provide a person with a complete education.
O4. They glorifty past endeavors arnd may stifle future creativity.