The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-08-21
EucInics of Books.

Providence Journal: Acquaintance
With the contents of books is no doubt
he most important thing in education,
tut the degree of culture to which IL
person can pretend is demonstrated
quite as often by his treatment of
books i'll their material aspect. There
ire fairly well informed persons whom
none of the barbnrities practiced by
publishers can distress. Muddy type
md poor paper. scanty margins, edges
ut sur lie vif, hideous bindings
these things are to them mere unes-
sential details. Nor, if they " 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 up a book casually
without niuring it in some way. Any
book seller can tell woeful tales of
ON of his customers in this respect.
They are, despite all the learning they
nlay have, the enemies of books. He
who lends to them unwittingly regrets
the rash impulse of generosity. And
the worst of it is. that they are beyond
salvation. For unless one is instructed
early in life in the care of books he re-
mains a hopeless Philis1ine 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-car Il leaf.
\ manual which has recently been
published on the are of the private
library contains so much useful infor-
nation that it is distressing to think
IF it as thrown away. The real book
over, h nan who has reached a point
Of culture which distinguishes be-
+\,,nan tnStn md ,,,1fr, ,tt a. -, M, ,,,,,-
lfacture of books, will not need to be
told that leaves must be cut with Il
proper knife, preferably of ivory, and
>ut through to the corners that not
he title page, but the blank fly leaf, is
the place for the owners name; tina
books must not be left lying open face
5ownwards; that they are not card
racks, crumb baskets or receptacles for
flowers and dead leaves; tina they
should not be busted by slapping them
together; that they should be kept on
shelves, not left lying on tables. But
one who does not know all this by in
stinct is a well-nigh impossible CON
'ert. Perhaps a life time of labor with
such a II may result in better mind
and true repentance i'll his children.
Growing up in n bookish atmosphere
Is almost essential to a right apprccia-
ton of books. Whoever saw Il library
furnished wholesale with new editions
in new buildings that had the distinct
i've charm such a library ought to
have? A collection so made carries an
air of i'll breeding on its face. 1t is
difficult to feel the respect due to
books in its presence.
"If you are in the habit of lending
books,'' says the author of this pam
phlet, d not mark them. These two
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
unseltish and he wishes others to share
his Joy in it. At the same time he can
not contemplate its passage through
strange hands without Il shudder. He
has friends, he knows, with whom his
treasure will be safe. But what of
those whose carelessness he cannot
foresee? We nave not patience with
those who say that a book should not
be lent. If such Il rule were followed
out, half the pleasure of possession
would vanish. At the same time it is
u pleasure that is mixed with many
perilous chances. Yet the least oblig-
ing wne of books are often those
who have no real love for them OF
knowledge how to use thcm-the kind
of people who write on margins and
disfigure title pages with a rubber
stamp. 1t is of little consequence,
really, whether such persons any
books at all.