The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1910-04-20

~ LEON told me the other day that
Y being of mind to own sets of
Balzac and Shakespeare, neither of
which he happened to have in his
bachelor apartments, he dropped a
line to well-known publisher and the
next day the delivery wagon stopped
at his door, the books were handed
out, the man took them in, and that
was the end of it. Oh, no, not quite
the end; when he settles his bills for
the quarter he will pay for his books.
Now l dare say that Cleon will get
some good from his books because he
is really fond of reading when it
doesn't interfere with his golf. And
he purchased handsome editions, fresh
from the binders, spick-span and
flawless, with never dogs ear or a
crease in the leather. But he had no
fun out of the buying. He saw an adj
vertisement, he sent in an order and
almost by magic the books were on
his table. Yet think of the price he
pays for them! Two hundred good
dollars.
Yesterday I had some money to
Don't think for moment that money
that buys shoes and sacks and sheet
ings and socks is money spent. If
that were the case, could be said to
spend money every day of my life,
for my children will walk on their
feet and they demand protection from
the elements no matter how high
may be the price of cloth. No, the
money l had yesterday was gift to
be actually spent as foolishly as
might devise.
Like CleOn, I too wanted books, for
your circulating library is only tenn
porary assuager of literary hunger
and one book owned is worth three
taken out" But $40 will not carr!
one as far as will two hundred unless
care is taken and discrimination is
used. So went, not to store where
they deal in books fresh from the
mint, but to shop devoted primarily
to the cause of dry goods, where they
were having hurt book" sale and
if you will believe me the very first
of Shakespeare that looked hurt be-
yond any book physicians aid. Limp
leather bindings that abused their
prerogative; the box in which they
were budding together slit and
cracked and broken. How often hands
had seized those coverings! They
looked as if they had been the wade
mecum" of book lover for score
of years. And my Shakespeare at
home is all crowded into one volume,
so that THE Tempest" RACES about
the ears of "The Two Gentlemen of
Verona" and Hamlet" with scant
regard for royal rights, treads on the
toes of poor king Lear"
opened one of the volumes and
found to my surprise that the pages
were immaculate. Not word had
been read! There were Shakespeare
wit and poetry and splendor and mel
ody and humanity untouched by any
save cursory eye. l asked the
maiden, who temporarily divorced
from the ribbon and lace counter, was
giving her attention to the world Of
letters, what the set was worth.
Give dollars" was the answer
that fell on my hungry ears. And
had seen the same set advertised fol
fifteen! Twelve green-backed vol
umes there were, and they might be
mine for five greenbacks. Never
leaped sword from scabbard sooner
than leaped my money from it,
pocket. l looked over my shoulder
fearing that some other book lovel
would grab the box of books away
NJ oi ny
ined them carefully as a mother does
her boy when he comes crying int
the house after a fall and l foun(
that they looked more hurt than the.
were. They were really more fright
ened than hurt. Incessant paving b!
unfriendly hands is an awful Ordea
to which to subject book full O
kindly instincts, as all of Shake
speare's books always are. But the.
had fallen on friendly hands at las
and hereafter they shall be handled
with the respect due their contents
And right here let me thank tn
kind people that treated Shakespear
so cavalierly. This may sound in
consistent; but are not my thank
due those who caused the bard to dc
preciate two-thirds in money value?
I can see them, typical shoppers
out for bargains in scrim and Ham
burg edgings, making hurried visi
to the book counter in hope of gel
ting complete and unabridged set O
Mary J. Holiness works. And the
stumbled on Shakespeare. OF cours
they had heard of him before. Chea
shoppers are not so ignorant as yo
imagine, lofty reader. They had ofte
heard of him before, but they SUI
posed that writing plays for Herr
Irving to produce kept him too bus
to do anything in the book line. Cur
GUS to see what sort of books he ha
written, they tumbled them out G
the box and tested the limpness c
the covers until these verdant leatf