Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-02-26
w. ID. WALLACH.
THE DUTY OF OWNING BOOKS.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHEF


We form judgments of men from little things
shout their house of which the owner. perhaps,
never thinks. In earlier years, when travel
ing in the West. where tayerns were either
scarce. OF. in some places, unknown, and every
settlers house was a house Of Entertain
ment. it was a matter Of some importance and
some experience to select wisely where YOU
would put up. And we always looked for hOw-
ers Ii there were no trees for shade, no patch
of flowers in the yard, we were suspicious of
the place. But. no matter how rude the cabin
or rough the surrounding. if we saw that the
window held little trough for flowers, and
that some vines twined about strings let down
from the caves, we were confident that there
was some taste and carefulness in the log cabin.
In new country, where people have to tug
foT living. no one will take the trouble to
rear flowers, unless the love of them il pretty
strong-and tAis taste bloSsoming oat of plain
and uncultivated people is, itself like ciump
of hare bells growing out of the seams of a rock
We were seldom misled. 4 patch of flowers
came to signify kind people, clean beds and
good bread.
But, other signs are more significant in other
states of society. Flowers about rich mans
house may signify only that he has good gar
dener, or that he has refined neighbors, and
does what he secs them do.
But men are not accustomed to buy books
unless they want them. IT, on visiting the
reason why he has cheap carpets, and very
plain furniture, to be that he may purchase
books, he rises Mt once i'm my esteem. Books
are not made for furniture. but there is nothing
else that 80 beautifully furnishes a house. The
plainest row of books that cloth or paper ever
covered Is more significant of refinement than
the most elabOratcly carved etagtrc or side
board.
Give Inc a house furnished with books rather
than furniture Both, If you can but books
at any rate, To spend several days in q
friends house, and hunger for something to
read, while you are treading on costly carpets,
and sitting upon luxurious chairs, and sleeping
upon down, Is Is Of one were bribing your body
for the sake Of cheating your mind
Is il not pitiable to see a man growing rich
and beginning to augment the comforts of
home and lsvishing money on Ostentatious up
holsteTy, upon the table, upon every thing but
what the soul needs!
We know of many and many q rich mans
house where il would not be safe to ask for the
commonest English classics. few garish an
nuals on the table, few pictorial monstrosi-
ties, together with the stock religious books of
his persuasion and that j. all No range
Of poets, no eSsayiStS selection Of historians,
ne travels or biOgraphies-no select fctions or
curious legendary lore: but then, the walls
have paper on which cost three dollars a roll
and the floors have carpets that cost four dol
lars a yard Books are the windows through
which the soul looks out. 4 house without
books is like n room without windows No
man has right to bring up his children with
out surrounding them with books, if he has the
means to buy them. Ii is wrong to his fami-
ly- He cheats them Children learn to read
by being in the presence books. The love Of
knowledge comes with reading, and grows
upon IT. And the love of knowledge, in a
young mind. is almost warrant against the
inferior excitement of passions and vices
Let u pity those poor rich men who live
barrenly in great bOokless houses Let us
congratulate the poor that. in our day, books
are - cheap that a man may every year add
hundred volumes to his library for the price of
what his tobacco and his beer would cost him
Among the earliest ambitions to be excited in
clerks, wOrknen, jOurneymen, and. indeed
among all that are struggling up in life from
nothing to something, Is that Of owning, and
constantly adding to. library Of good books
A little library growing larger every year is an
honorable part of young man's history. 1t is
mans duty to have books. A library is not
luxury. but one Of the necessaries of life
". Y. Ledger.