Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-28
Green Covers and Brown.
A STORY OF " THE DESERTED VILLAGE" Pl
SHNTKD IN A LITTLE GREEN-COVERED YOLUM

sTohf OF 80 THE DESERTED VILLAGE" PRE-
SENTED IN LITTLE GREEN-COvERED VOLUME.
When was very small boy, was rummag
Ing one day In q closet In my mothers house
ana came upon little book with bright green
covers. thought that must be a treasure In
oeed; Ior there We're not many books In the
mouse OF any kind, and there were none at al
that would be specially attractive to a child
rms seemed tO-be just about the right size for q
pretty.
Speaking Of covers, learned better than tc
Judge OF a book from its outside, by a severe les
son which came few years later lady visit
ing at our house asked me what schoo. at.
tended, who was the teacher, and what were
my studies. In answer to the last question
mentioned, among other things, philosophy
"What philosophy do you study" said She
Now 1t happened that the particular. book
which used had been covered with brown
paper to keep it neat, and this. Of course, con,
myself to look so l gave the lady the only
description In my power. by answering "BroWn.
covered" The family were greatly amused at
my simplicity, and nave not yet heard the last
ophy;; - w. ,oo,. - .,o ,,t,o o,oon noos :,
had been attracted by the outside, what was
seemed to me that no subject could be so ro-
mantle for )ok as 1.-The Deserted Village, ~
and no name so beautiful for an author as Oliver
Goldsmith
1 sat down on the floor and turned over the
leaves, but was disappointed. 1t was poetry
had an idea that poetry was always very diff
flcult to understand, and l took it for granted
that it would be great folly for little boy to
attempt it. So did not even try to read a
single line, but promised myself that when
IgIew up and was learned enough to under
stand poetry / would read that little green
hook.
1 did not know then, what have learned
among the simplest things In the language.
most easily cOmprehended and longest remem-
bered. This very poem is case In point.
e ana had %ae read great
sitting In my office, the little greea-coyered
copy came to my mind. wrote home to have
the old house searched for it, but it could not
moved to far western state, and to my great
joy she found It among the things she had car
ried to her new home. and sent It to me-
when 6ctte my @ glance inside Of
little book had been printed and published in
that very Office five years before l was born,
and by the gentleman who had occupied before
me the chair In which l was sitting.
The little green covers are sadly faded aud
the leaves are yellow with time; but it is the
most highly priced OF any volume on my shelf
poem, and the memory Of its author will be for
ever green. He was born about three years be-
fore Washington and has been dead almost a
century; but the number of his readers has
never diminished HewaS very much laughed
at and ridiculed for his personal Oddities and
MS Ire was unhappy and unsatisfactory; but
he did a great deal to make other people happy.
He would give away his money, his dinner, or
his clothes whenever he saw anybody in dts.
tress, and he wrote some OF the most enjoyable
books that ever were printed. One reason why
l like him Is because he didn't write long
tedious things, that you have to sit up<ever SO
many nights to read through, and forget the
beginning before you reach the end.
II you open your geography at the map OF
Ireland and put the point OF your pencil exactly
In the centre OF that island, it will not be TAI
from the scene OF "The Deserted Village .
r
TO grow up first. The poem calls the
village "Auburn;" but its true name was
Z. Bissoy;" and 1t was the place where the poet
lived In childhood.-[R ossiter johnson, in St