The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1905-05-06
ART OF READING NOT EASY
Nan Who Can Note Contents Of PsEe
at a Glance Art Very
Few.

have been written in comment
upon an anonymous paper which
appears in the current number OF
one of the great monthly maya.
zines, which gives an outline OF
the reading of President Roose-
Welt since he came to the office OF
chief executive. The writer re-
veals that he gained his infOrma'
ton from an intimate friend OF
the president, and, from what is
well known of the taste OF MI
Roosevelt and of his OmnivOrous
capacity, it may be assumed that
the almost appalling list OF books
is quite correct, says the Balti'
more American.
The range is from the great his
tories to books of travel and adj
venture; from Homer and Dante
and Shakespeare and others of the
immOrtals TO the gentle and fetch
ing lyrics of Bliss Carman; from
Balzac and Thackeray and Dick
ems and James and HOwells to
"Mrs. Wigs of the Cabbage
Patch" and, before and above all
this, to keep informed of the
worlds movements from a vol
luminous reading of the newspa-
pers and to have an eye open for
budding genius by closely scan
ming the popular magazines. In
all the list amounts to hundreds
of volumes, and it is assumed by
writer's who find amusement in
the article that one who so gOur-
mandizes his literature must nee
essarily have a very bad case of
intellectual Indigestion.
Such critics clearly have not
learned the rudiments of the art
of reading. Who that has once
read the great epic, dramatic and
lyric poets ever thinks of reading
every word of them a second
time? Even as the mighty Homer
nodded, so all the other mighty
Cnes at times dropped into driyel,
He who has learned the art of
reading harks back to his old fla
vOrites at frequent intervals to
take another sip from the classic
fountain, but he does not dip so
deep as to reach the i%nconsequen-
tial sediment which would roll the
draught. Little of that which is
called "literature" in this day is
: worth one reading, but that per
, son who wishes to keep up will
the vast and growing procession
of books must at least scan the
mass lest some gem escape.
1t has often been written of Mr.
A. r. Spoiford, for a generation
the librarian of the library Of
congress, that he knew the con
tents of every one of the volumes
of that vast, cOngIOmerate noun
tain of writing which is now
housed almost beyond its deserv
ing. His method was to scan. anC
I by long practice he could read d
page at a glance, and ifthere was
' one sentence worth attention il
would catch his eve. That is the
art of the professional book re
I viewer. 1t is the art of every read
D er who desires to have a universal
knowledge Of the best there is il
books, that he shall frequently re
s turn to the pearls of great pric,
0 IN the volumes which have ESCAPED
i eternal oblivion, and of the mas,
of current production that he
shall be able by intuition to know
e what is worthy of a moment,
halt by sweeping the eye over the
nimble pages.
That is the habit of all men ant
b women who wish to have the bes.
of the past and to keep in toucl
n with the present, and it is doubt
less the habit of the president
d therefore, what may seem to BE-
e a sort of desultOry and %unproAta
g bic wholesale consumption, will
n danger of distressing surfeit, i,
but the exercise of an art which
has been learned and which i,
practiced by a myriad of readers
Where Mouth Organs Come From.
n The principal factories of tb,
% mouth organ, or harmOnica, as /
70 Is perhaps, more correctl,
a termed, are at Tro%ssingen, in tn,
Black forest Tbo.o