Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-02
| Mr.. JOBSOh ON LITERATURE

Mrs. Jobson," remarked Mr.. Jobson on<
evening couple of weeks ago. throwing
down his evening paper and getting focus
on the large. well-filled bookcase in a cor
ner OF the sitting room, "how long has II
been since you've turned the key in that
ornamental, giass-paneled library of ours
and extracted book therefrom?"
WELL" Mrs. Jobson started to reply, 81
| don't have so much time as"
No, interrupted MIR. Jobson. II believe
you do have to put a towel over your head
and dust couple of rooms every couple o.
weeks. Occasionally, too, l believe you
change the tides around, and I've also seen
you water the palms now and then. It's
outrageous, of course the way you have
to slave. But don't you think it would be
a pretty good scheme for you to just dip
| into the standard works with which have
stocked that library. once in a great while,
and get your mind off things that are cut
| on the bias. criss-eross, both ends from the
| mlddie, and so on? In short. do you think
| you be damaging yourself any If you'd
Just crowd down your natural inherent
d1staste for 1T and try to get on ordinary
| speaking terms with good literature?
why, have read all of the books in that
| case! exclaimed Mrs. Jobson. Il read
nearly all of them when L was girl at
| school, and
| That's all right too" put in Mr. Jobson
| but you seem to forget that thereve been
| quite lot. of Presidents of the United
| states since you were girl at school.
Il don't suppose any of us are growing
any younger interjected Mrs. Jobson,
| drily. 49,.
| 'Jabs like that aren't exactly called for,
| Mrs Jobson." said Mr.. Jobson, severely.
THE point that I'm trying to make is that
the punky pin-headed literature that l see
distributed all over this house-on all the
chairs, tables, mantelpieces, piano stools,
l In mi act I,
| MRS Jobson-in every room in the shack
| be kind enough not to interrupt me, Mrs.
JobSon-the point that I'm trying to make
| stick Is that the species of op-pickers' lit
| erature to which you are addicted isn't cal
| culated to stock your mind with the right
| kind of-er-stock. The hectc-hush. Lam
hereto Embellishments honor-with me-
| life pipe dreams in yeler-kivered book form
upon which you feed, morning, noon and
! night, are warping your views, Mrs. job
son. You may not be aware of it yourself,
! but the fact is perfectly obvious to me.
Now I've determined to devote an hour or
so every evening to reading aloud choice
| passages from the high grade works I've
| collected in that bookcase. In doing this
you may consider that I'm looking to our
| mutual improVeme and not simply at
| tempting to wean you away from the stuff
that you seem to-"
It'll be delightful to have you read
| aloud, interposed Mrs. Jobson, amiably.
| It's so soothing and instructive to be
read to-
| Mr.. Jobson looked up at her suspiciously,
but she was immersed in her lace work,
| and he didn't catch the twinkle in her eye
| TIL just begin to soothe and instruct
| then said Mr.. Jobson. rising and opening
| the bookcase. by reading chapter or
SO from this.er-yes, Ruskins Seven
Lamps of Architecture How'd that suit
your
Il was very fond Of Ruskin as a GIRL"
replied Mr.. Jobson
Yes. and so was I very fond of pate de
| foie gras as boy, said Mr. Jobson. Its
| been-er-a pretty wide stretch of years
; since I've tackied this Ruskin proposition
for me: Mrs. Jobson. and if you'll just
count those STITCHES under your breath for
a few moments, I'll go ahead
1t was a pretty warm evening, but Mr..
with determination. He read like read
ing clerk of parliamentary body. At
the end of fifteen minutes he was a bit
hoarse, and he had to put his hand over his
mouth a number of times to cover I'D his
huge yawns.g When he caught Mrs Job
son yawning. however, ne dropped the book
into his lap and regarded her fixedly
Il suppose that the hour that i have
spent at this has been exceedingly fatiguing
to you, Mrs Jobson, but
why, you've only been reading fifteen
minutes. said Mrs. Jobson
Very fatiguing to YOU" went on Mr.
Jobson. Ignoring her Interruption. 'but
| you'll get USED to 1t in time. I couldn't
expect you to take to, anything that re-
| quires the USE of intellect with any great
amount of enthusiasm, but In doing it
with a purpose, and were going to have
these little mental exercises every evening
for an indefinite period
Then Mr. Jobson put Ruskin back into
the bookcase and figured up the grocery
book for the rest of the sitting.
The next evening Mr. Jobson picked out
Macauiays essay on Warren Hastings and
began to read it at the rate of 300 words a
minute. He yawned prodigiously before
he'd been at it for ten minutes and at tha
he
all out as they say of weary racers
That winds up our hour" said Mr. job
son, putting away the book of course,
all these folks we're reading about have
been dead and gone for a long while but
It's almighty absorbing to get a line ON
EN- at the hands Of a man who knew how
to do it. Find 1t stimulating. Mrs Joh
SOM"
Intensely So said Mrs Jobson, and
once again Mr.. Jobson found her bending
over her needIework and failed To catcS
the twinkle in her eye.
Then Mr. Jobsen picked up one of the 10
cent magazines and looked over the mic
lures therein for the remainder of the
sitting
He didn't appear to want to get hack to
Warren Hastings the next evening but
| took up Cariyles essay on Burns. The Car
| lylean style. with its huge figures and
craggy Germanisms got him to suffering
and spluttering considerably and he gave
| it up at the end of fifteen minutes. with
| the remark that he, for one, had had a
nlSHiy nOuf I. The next
evening he pulled out the first volume of
| Irving's Conquest Of Granada" but the
| Spanish and Moorish names stumped him
| so badly before he had waded through two
pages that he abandoned the book for
| volume l Of The Decline and Fall of the
| Roman Empire" Here he stacked nm
| against difficu!ties"in pronunciation that
| caused him to look up suddenly a
| number of times to see if Mrs. lob
| son was laughing in her sleeve, but he
| didn't catch her After two pages of
THE Decline and Fall'' he smacked his
| lips approximately and told Mrs. Jobson
| how he loved the study Of antique peopIes
| The next evening Mr.. Jobson sort of hung
| back and delayed the reading. but. no,
ticing an expectant expression on Mrs
| Jobson's countenance. he got out the big
Dore-illustrated Paradise Lost and be-
gan to reel it off like a man yelling into a
megaphone for wages. After five minutes
| of this he looked up in time to catch Mrs.
| Jobson covering her mouth to conceal a
yawn. He had been waiting for that
chance. He closed up the book with a
| bang. picked his hat off the rack and went
! around to the corner news and book store
| Ten minutes later he returned and dumped
nine paper-covered novels into Mrs. Job
| sons lap.
What aref these" inquired Mrs. Job
| son with surprised expression
your limit Mrs. Jobson," he replied.