Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-11
IN PRAISE OF BOOKS
BY MRS. EpMuNp aossE.

BY MRS. EDMUND GoSsE.
The world of books! That most complete
Of all beautiful worlds. The great variety
and the fullness of IT. containing every
thing Of which the mind OF man can con-
oeive.
The world of books. How wide a range
o. subjects It comprises, and what dense
crowd OF characters II contains! Why
every one who was any one I'm those olden
times is to be found there. with their por-
traits drawn from life by their admiring
or their hating feuOw-citizens; the makers
OF those portraits. too forming part of that
great throng. Then, besides all these real
and historical figures. there are the hosts
of people OF the imagination, the BRAIN
children of the poets; many of whom stand
out wildly from the crowd OF their more
human surroundings. These children of
the Imagination are often simple and low
able creatures and many Of them are strik-
irgly beautiful. Several of the gods and
goddesses are to be recognized there among
the bookish mass. where they are still smil-
Ing at and bewitching the people who read
about them. There are even few fairies
and watersprites left, lowering about these
groups; they have. however, already be
come a little bit faded and out of fashion
those. more especially, which are OF Ger
man tAIdClitD.
Not a few Of the book characters resem-
bile the variable stars; their light wrinkles
and hickers and then, after shining bright
ly and steadily for time, it suddenly fiuc-
tcates and dies entirely away. Then there
are those most tantalizing of all books, the
many lost books OF the world. among which
are the earlier volumes of the Sybiliine
books. Of course; and the Book Of Adam
On which were recorded the domestic sor-
rows and trials of Adam and his wife dur
ing their lower-their earthly existence.
That Book of the Assumption Of Moses,
too lost fer centuries; of which q frag
ment, the work Of palimpsest of the sixth
century. was discovered some forty years
ago Akin to these-as being among the
lost books. but following them how long
after.-is that mysterious first edition OF
Sheridan's school for Scandal" There
are held doubts. however, by some writers,
not only whether that first edition was ever
printed. but whether 1t was ever complete
~ finished by its author.
In any case. much praise should be sung
OF these long-lost books, OF which such
lasting and vivid impressions remain; as
surfing us of their former greatness and
strength, which has outlasted the rage of
drss the destruction Of war, tempest and
man
Among the crowds of books how perfect
are those creations of the great minds of
past times: how most cunningly did their
authors fashion their figures. and with how
exceeding a beauty have they endowed
them. Their artifcers, PygmaliOn-wise,
have inspired them with the very sem
blauce of life Such are Petrach's Laura
and the Beatrice Of Dante--and. more mod
err. and human. that other Beatrice. who
teascd her Benedict so uutiringly. Then
there are those sad sOuls-real once, but
this world long ages ago leaving trails or
light behind them; of whom the eChoing
legend of strange denials and of martyr
dOms still fingers in the mind of man. Per
haps II is hardly wise to Conjure up the
dead spirits of poor books-for they team
up in their myriads. jostling their invOl<ers,
and threatening to carry us back alto
Rether into the bygone times.