The Ordway new era., 1906-05-18

Books-Treat Your Books with Re-
spect-They May Be of Value to
You for Reference in the Future
When You Least Expect It.
BY MARGARET l.. SANGSTER.
am about to confess to you. Dor
othy. little weakness of mine. ri
cannot endure II book that is covered
either with loose paper protection.
or tightly fitting extra garb OF any
fabric whatever. When new book
comes into my hands the first thing
do, unless l expect to lend 1t, Is 10
throw away the pretty outside cover
ing, which in these days publish ,rs
put on new books. II | think that l
shall have occasion to lend the book
| after awhile to friend, or to
girl neighbor. or perhaps to one of yon.
to whom am writing, take pains 10
preserve the portable cover and / slip
1t on before the book leaves my posses
| sion.
Let me whisper to you that very
Few people love their books as / love
mine. and that very few people care
for them as l do. | enjoy the beauty
OF fair type, fine paper. and choice
Illustrations. and have n great regard
for a beautiful binding. | never hold
book in hands that are soiled. or
leave 1t face downward and open on
chair or table, or hand II over to a
| child that 1t may keep the child quiet.
l have lent books before now to
very dear friends, and have had
them returned in such a condition OF
loosened leaves. spotted pages. stained
bindings and degenerate condition gem
orally, that l have at once thrown them
into the fire and bought others. One
may really wish to share the pleasure
| a book gives her with some one she
is fond OF, and still may hesitate II she
is aware that her friend has never
learned to treat book with respect
fof its worth, and regard for its cost.
| Take your school books. for instance,
Dorothy. They are really charming
books. From the mechanical point
OF view a good many people have IN
vested time, thought. learning and
skill. in their making. In the first
place the author spent laborious
months and years in mastering she
subject OF the school textbooks. and
he toiled over 1t that he might con-
dense great deal Of Information into
concrete and compact statement, max
ing 1t so simple. SO lucid and so clear.
that the beginner in science or lite-a-
ture could comprehend 1t in n caily
| task.
You may fancy that 1t is easy to
write definitions and formulas and
rules. In reality. nothing in litera-
ture is SO hard. More brains and more
conscience and more labor go into tne
production of standard school book
than into the writing OF an ethic poem
or n three-volumed novel.
saw Rosamond in fit OF vexation
toss her arithmetic across the room,
to the detriment OF the poor book,
and felt n queer little throb OF pity
for the man who had made that arith-
metic. A set Of reading books into
which have gone specimens OF the best
English literature. culled from many
fields, is a treasure well worth school
girls incest care.
Cover your book, II you like. II It
is the custom in your school and 'he
teachers insist on your doing so. but
use the books SO well that II they are
i not covered they may be passed oil to
other classes or to younger children,
without having suffered harm.
Besides the authors who are the
creators. so to speak, OF our books,
there are the publishers and the print
ers and the paper-makers and the art
lists and the people who finally sell the
books. all Of whom have their separate
fingers In the pie. before 1t is ready to
slip into your hands.
When a book is your own. where do
you keep 1t?
hope II you have your own room
that one portion of its furnishings In
cludes book shelf. When you have
done with book, put 1t in its place.
There are girls who never have a
place for anything; one of them once
paid me visit. and from the moment
she crossed my threshold until the day
she kissed me good-by and went mer-
rily away, chaos followed in her track.
She left her things all over the house,
and kept her room looking as II H.
had been swept by cyclone. and as
for books, she had not the faintest no.
ton OF their dignity. finally took
the precaution Of hiding away one
or two OF these that most priced, lest
Estelle should ruin them altogether be-
fore she departed. do hope that you
have been better started on the road
than had been the fortune of this poor
child, who was dear Notwithstanding
her needless ways.