Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-08-21
IN OF Books.
CONTINUED next week.)

Providence Journal: Acquaintance
With the contents Of books is no doubt
he most important thing in education,
Jut the degree of culture 10 which a
lerson can pretend is demonstrated
quite as often by his treatment of
books in their material aspect. There
ire fairly well informed persons whom
none of the barbarities practiced by
publishers can distress. Muddy type
and poor paper. scanty margins, edges
ut sur le vif, hideous bindings
these things are TO them mere mes
sential details. Nor, if they own vol
nmes of an outward merit, worthy of
the inward, do they treat them with
The courtesy which is their due. They
Fan not even take mp a book casually
without injuring il in some way. Any
book seller can tell wOeful tales Of
some of his customers in this respect.
They are, despite all the learning they
may have, the enemies of books. He
who lends to them unwittingly regrets
the rash impulse of generosity. And
the worst of il is, that they are beyond
salvation. For unless n is instructed
early in life i'm the care Of books he re-
mains a hopeless Philistine TO the end
Of his days. The old savage instinct
is sure to break out. In moments of
primeval impulse he may break "A bind
ing or dog-ear n leaf.
\ manual which has recently been
published on the care of the private
library contains so much useful infor'
nation that il is distressing to think
Of it as thrown away. The real book
over, the man who has reached a point
Of culture which distinguishes be
tween taste and vulgarity in the man
Ifacture of books. will not need to be
told that leaves must be cut with q
proper knife, preferably of ivory, anc
Mt through TO the corners; that no
he title page. but the blank fly leaf, Is
the place for the owners name; that
books must not be left lying open face
downwards; that they are not card
rackS, crumb baskets or receptacles fol
flowers and dead leaves; that they
should not be busted by slapping then
together; that they should be kept on
shelves, not left lying on tables. Blu
one who does not know all this by in
stinct is a well-nigh impossible con
gert. Perhaps a life time of labor wit
such "a n may result in better mind
md true repentance in his children
Growing up in a bookish atmosphere
Is almost essential 10 a right apprecia
ton of books. Whoever saw a librar'
furnished wholesale with new edition.
in new buildings that had the distinct
i've charm such a library ought e
have? A collection so made carries al
air of i'll breeding or its face. IL i:
difficult to feel the respect due Il
books in its presence.
IF YOU are in the habit of lending
books" says the author of this pam
phlet, "do not mark them. These tive
habits together constitute an act OF
discretion" Here the true book lover
Is in a hard position. He likes TO lend
books; the more he thinks of the book
the better he likes TO lend it; for he is
unselfish and he wishes others to share
his JOY in il. At the same time he can
not contemplate its passage through
strange hands without a shudder. Tie
has friends. he knows, with whom his
treasure will be safe. But what OF
those whose carelessness he cannot
foresee? We have o patience witt
those who say that a book should no
be lent. If such n rule were followed
out. half the pleasure of possession
would vanish. At the same time it is
a pleasure that is mixed with many
perilous chances. Yet the least oblig'
ing owners of books are often those
who have no real love for them oil
knowledge how TO use them-the KIND
of people who write OF margins anc
disigure title pages with n rubber
stamp. 1t is of little consequence
really, whether such persons own any
books ut all.