The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-01-10

THE EVERYDAY MAN DAN GET
ALONG WITH $500 VOLUMES.

only Those Books That Have Been Read
Are rruiy Own sd--vhat May D. Accom-
piishea in As Years--n Hooks Bcnrine Upon
Hobby.
Nine Intelligent men ont Of ten, ~
asked how many books They would care
60 have in q private library, would
probably put the number well up toward
five Thousand. Yet that number is
vastly in excess of most mems need.
Books are much like food. The man
who does not deal in them needs no
more than he can easily gest The
man who has a library OF even three
thousand books, exclusive of reference
books, Is not likely to know his own
library But one can hardly be said TO
possess q library that be has not read
The real lover OF books will for the most
part care to have in his house only tDose
books that are as familiar to him rs the
faces of his friends. He should be able
to glance over his "hOok utensils with
the knowledge that every one is his by
virtue OF intellectual mastery. It is not
necessary that he should have read
every word OF every book, hut it Is nee
essary that he should BE familiar with
the spirit Of each, and that lie should
have thoroughly mastered the contents
OF many.
Measured by these rules the size OF a
private library dwindles to a number far
below that likely to he fixed by most r
sons Of whom an opinion on the subject
might be asked. II a man begins the
collection OF a library at twenty-five
years OF age. and sets before himself the
ownership OF $500 books worth having
and worth reading, he will find that he
has laid out almost lifetime5 reading.
IL it be supposed that before beginning
his collection be has read three hundred
volumes worthy OF permanent niaee In
his library. there will be still 2,200 vol
umes to be read between the age Of
twenty-five and the coming OF Of that
time wherein no man can read. II he be
allowed forty-ilve years Of reading. he
must average nearly fifty books a yea.
almost one week. Perhaps this does
not seem 50 formidable to the men and
women who devour Il ty Summer novels
in season. Indeed, it is not formida-
BILE to any habitual re ider OF oven seri-
GUS books, but the library In question Is
not only to be read, but TO be mastered.
A lad Of sixteen boasted that he had read
all OF Shakespeare in a single Winter.
and doubtless he did SO but the srown
man does not count a play OF Shakes
peare read until he has gone over it at
least dozen times, and after that.
scenes and passages are left for further
study.
Every man that has the ambition TO
own a considerable library probably has
also some intellectual hobby, some sub
iect upon which he wishes to mike him
self especially we'll informed II so. he
must keep a corner in his library for
books bearing upon this subject. These
books might figure among his 200 as
technical. Then II he read French or
German or the ancient classics, or all of
them, he must make room FOR such books
in the or ginal tongues. IL he read only
English, yot be determined to mako him
self q fairly cultivated student litera-
ture, he must have some Of these books
in translation. II English boots strictly
proper to literature he must include the
poets, the best novels OF the best novel
lists, the essayists; three or four stand
ard historians, besides smaller historical
works, some political economy; some
physical science; a fair share OF biogra-
ply and theology; three or four writer's
representing the great sci ools OF moral
philosophy something on art some vol
umes Of travel, and many miscellaneous
books not easily classified under any of
these heads. Probably no two men would
pick out exactly the same $500 books.
for mans library must, in measure.
express his character and tastes, If it is
TO be what library should be-a source
of daily intellectual inspiration. o.
course, such library as is under con-
sideratlon would have no room for tech
nical books save on the owners hobby.
Neither could 1t contain complete sets
OF many writer's. 1t would have room
for only the best books by the best
authors, and by reason of theprocess of
continual reading, it would probaly be
no two years the same.