Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1916-11-08
BOOK LOVERS NIGHT
AT HIGH SCHOOL
Continued from page u

@HA AAA
Continued from page y
One good book read-that does
Mt seem to be much in itself. l
think that it is a great deal. If it
should lead, as hope that it will,
to the regular reading of good
books, it will be one of the best
things that have happened in this
little town for ten years q shan't
go back farther than that; | have
known it we'll during that time
There is so much worthless read
ing nowadays. Books are too
cheap. Circulating libraries are
too we'll supplied with trashy fic-
ton. Bacon said, you will recall,
Some b oks are to be tasted, 9TH
ers to be swallowed land some few
to be chewed and digested." Too
many people are satisfied with
those books which are merely to
be tasted; it is too much of an eff
fort for many people to tackle the
other kinds of books. TO ever
thing there is a season, and a time
to every purpose under the hea-
ven,' said the preacher in Eccles-
tastes. There may be time for
the light reading which most of us
do occasionally; but let us save a
little time every day for the read
ing which stimulates the magma
ton, strengthens the intellect, and
cultivates in it's way the life of
the spirit.
The Days Work
"As | reread recently the stories
Of THE Days Work." | was half
way sorry that l had not suggest
ed some other volume of Kipling's
stories as the first book on the
reading list of the High School
Alumni. If you have not read any
other stories by Kipling, you will
certainly have a wrong, and pos
sibly a poor, impression of this
great short-story writer But ]
am bit consoled when | think thai
your experience would be the same
with any other single volume
which | might have selected No
one collection of his stories shows
you Kipling at his best; the best
of him is scattered throughout his
twenty odd volumes. He is UNI
even; but Homer sometimes mods
He is varied, all embracing in his
choice of subject; but who would
be satisfied with any one group of
his stories? The Days Work may
not appeal very strongly to some
of you; if so, dip into any one of
dozen other volumes, and | am sure
that you will find something to
your liking.
Zone Of the first things that this
volume suggests to me is that the
author is a cosmopolite. If he has
been where he represents the per-
sons of his stories as having been,
we may trace him in England,
America, and India, on English
rivers, on the North Atlantic, and
on far-away seas of the East. He
has seen and known, as had the
aged Ulysses
''cities of men
And manners, climates, govern
ments."
AS matter of fact, Kipling has
experienced life in many parts of
the world.
Born in Bombay in 1865, he
was taken at the age of 5 to Eng
land where he lived for seven
years, returning to India in 1882. !
In 1889 he made tour of the
world, including America. In 1892, |
he married Miss Balestier and set
tied at Brattleboro, Vermo t,
where he lived for years. In the
winter of 1897-1898, he went to
South Africa. In 1899 he made a
brief visit to New York, but since
1898 he has made his home in Eng
land.
While Kipling was in New York,
he was taken critically i'll with
pneumonia. At that time, we'll
known professor of English Liter
azure said in my hearing, we
could spare $50 ordinary men of
letters better than we could spare
Rudyard Kipling.'
His literary product is as va
ried as have been his experiences.
Of his writings in general, l may
say but word. Two of his novels,
at least, "The Light that Failed"
and "Kim," for diverse reasons
will doubtless stand the test of
time. Whether or no we accept
the opinion that prevails in many
uuarters,-that his poetrv ranra-