Editor’s Note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Lloyd Newell on The Tabernacle Choir, which airs every Sunday on Temple Square. It was recorded at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. This will be given on Sunday, January 29th.
Books have been central to civilization for centuries. And nowhere is the precious legacy of books more evident than at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, in one of his most impressive libraries in the world.
Of particular note is the so-called “Long Room”. His two-story room, over 65 meters long, contains over 200,000 of Trinity’s oldest books. Among them is the Book of Kells, his four Gospel manuscripts of the New Testament, created by a monk over 1,200 years ago.
The library has been in operation for almost 300 years, since 1732. Originally, the Long Room was only his ground floor, but eventually the room was expanded and this dramatic barrel-vaulted ceiling was constructed to make room for his rapidly growing collection. . This was necessary because since 1801 the library has had the right to free copies of all books published in England and Ireland.
Looking at Trinity College’s magnificent library, one can’t help but wonder about the place of the book in the modern world. The book’s place in history is undeniable, but given the ease and popularity of internet searches and viral social media videos, is there room or reason to read books in our lives? Are you destined to become
It’s true that watching a short video clip or reading a short social media post is faster and easier than flipping page after page of a book. But the effort and patience it takes to read a book is priceless. Whether it’s an e-book or the old-fashioned paper-and-leather variety, books invite us to slow down in this hectic world. , is richly rewarding with the thrill of peering into the minds of the world’s greatest thinkers.
One of these great thinkers was the philosopher and poet Henry David Thoreau. In “Walden” he wrote:
Libraries exist because we still believe that this treasure, this heritage, is worth preserving not only for its historical value but also for its current value. Today is a good day to open a book.
Tuning…
Music & the Spoken Word broadcasts are available on KSL-TV, KSL Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirectTV, SiriusXM Radio (Ch. 143), the tabernaclechoir.org and youtube. increase. com/TheTavernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (requires skills enabled). The program will be broadcast live at 9:30 am on Sundays at many of these outlets. Check out airing information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedule.