The Columbus journal., 1886-03-17
o As FURNITURE.

BOOKS As FURNITURE.
Thsy Are Admir.bls AdJuncts - he
Home Properties.
Surveyed only from the point of view
Of their utility a. home furniture,
books have o recognized value. In the
mind of the average purchaser, there il
usually IN apologetic residuum after
the accomplishment Of hts purchase.
Carrying his coveted volume home. he
casts about for reasons, apologize and
sufficient, which shall lead wife and
daughters to condone this unwonted
extravaganza. II the book be bound,
1t assumes q more definitely rcbuking
shape, and he knows that the rigid
economy which accepts resignedly tho
acquisition of . new novel in paper
will be suspicious, if not outraged. at
the greater permanence and cost Of
binding.
It is amusing to hear tho excuses
made by book buyers with reference to
tho indulgence of their taste for litera-
ture. They were on the train and
something was needed to bcguile tho
tedium of the journey, or a birthday
anniversary was about to recmr, and .
book WAS not only cheap. but might be
read by several in the household be-
sides its pOssessor, or-and let it be
confessed that the last is the most fire.
quently assigned reason-the book was
offered at a bargain some cents below
its advertised price. To the multitude
any article offered on sale at ninety
nine cents appears fabulously cheap in
comparison with its neighboring arti-
Gle at one dollar. Ladies ingenuously
own their preference for saving the Odd
cents, and the bazar which holds the
trump card is the n which offers the
number of wares for seventy. OF eighty
or ninety-nine cents.
Seriously, there is nothing so mex
pensive, it's real value, its perennial in
terest and its external charm all
weighed against its cash price, rs q
book and bound book. We do not UNI
derestimate the convenience of cheap.
issues in paper, but their only use after
they have been read is to lend or to
give away. They are simply rubbish
and impeachment in the eyes of the neat
housekecpcr, and justly so. Far better
these than nom still, in these days of
luxurious Typography, exquisite illus
trations and daintily-perfcct binding. a
well-bOund book is n thing of beauty
and a joy forever. In itself it is a min
iature SIT gallery. 1t helps you in the
entertaining of guests. 1t offers a theme
for conversation. It tends to the fos-
tering of refinement in the children. 1t
diffuses around il an atmosphere as
distinctly ~elevating. if the book be good
and bad books should never be ad-
mitted into the home-as the air of
health which blows cheerily from the
mountains or the sea. 1t drives emu
away; it stimulates to activity. Any
teacher will testify to the fact that his
most intelligent pupils are the bookish
.pupils-thc girls and boys who are ac-
customed to handling books and living
in their good company.
But, conceding all this, admitting
that the everlasting borrowing of books
is as much a mistake in manners as
should be the borrowing of coats, OF
vests, or gowns, or gloves, we present
an argument which shall irrcsistibly
appeal to tta frugal mind.
Books furnish. They furnish In the
and bric-a-brac do. After you have
possessed yourself of the bare necessi-
ties, the carpets and chairs, and tables
and Sedsteads, and when you begin to
think of adornment and decoration,
every penny you expend in books is an
investment which will return you large
interest. Furnish a house in the ex-
IRENE of the upholstcrer's art, without
regard to the money spent, emitting
books, and your house shall resemble a
statue waiting for the soul. The backs
of books on the shelves, books on the
comfortable. books tempting hand and
eye, IS the caller in the parlor awaits
the advent of the hostess, are all useful
in filling up what we may style the
properties of the home. You may make
a mistake in buying silver or glass.
Your other furniture may find itself in
the wake of a departing fashion; your
pictures may be inharmonious. or You
may pay toO much for them in proper
ton to the merit, but the modest book,
costing comparatively little, we'll worth,
if it cost much, the price of sew
eral desserts and of two or three pounds
of candy. will. merely as furniture, re-
ward you by its vindication of your
taste and its quality of inherent vitality.
Therefore good matcr-familias encour
ago the household book buyer.-Honse
Journal.