Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-07
FORWARD BEST OF BOOKS
TO SOLDIERS IN FRANCE
Trashy Stuff Has It's Value, but Bet
ter Class OF Reading Mat
ter Is Desired.
LITERARY STANDARD is HIGH
Scrious-MiDdcd Men in Trenches
Have Fondncss for Philosophy Of
Pinto and Fiction OF Dickens.
Also Like Sea Tales.
ny GEORGE II. SELDEs.

III riOtttIG II. SIis1JCS.
WITH TIE AMERICAN ARMY IN
RANCE. August G.-Wc have an army
~ reading men. Books. magazines.
"wsrapers mat arrive IN tho rear
~ deHourcd At least are worn to pieces
~ the hand chat turns the leaves and
passes the remains TO the next reader.
our men read everything. Blu. that
thing. The supply has not been album
dhnt hitherto. and in some sectors
eEcryth!n. is welcome, SO long rs IL
IS printed matter. and even copy
OF the Congressional Record furnish
ed some amusement 20 a group or Of
tcers who were favored by this kind
remembrance from their Senator.
1t may stili be too early in the game
TO judge the wishes OF the American
army, hut there are certain tendencies
in taste. and az these agree 10 some
extent with the tendencies Of the Ca
madam and British troops. certain corr
clus!oas are possible. The first IS that
the American as soldier prefers an
other sort OF reading matter that he
has changed or wandered from his
civilian tastes
For example. adventure. Tho war
siorica that delighted him as civilian
who wanted strong meat" IN hts ilc-
ton now sound false. artificial. tame,
and The only Kind OF adventure ne
cares for now IS that cHtravaGant ad
ntttedly fantastic detective story. or
tale If an unknown land. where there
IS no attempt TO camouf'ase the IN
possible and Improbable with the
clothes OF reality.
AMERICAN SOLDIER Is LIKE
ENGIISU-SPI:hI<iNG ALLIES
IN this respect. tire American sol
der Is likc his English speaking allies.
for there never vas man more dis
sppo!ntetly amused or cCnt"riptuous
than the Canadian or British soldier
who had spent his money OF a po2u-
lar wa- play or n popular war aovcl.
Trashy stun has its value. tor III
dvrout nights there is no thinkin. over
what one reads, and all that is de-
Inandcd Is that the interest be KEEP. In
the printed page i Is much bet
TO send lot OF 10-cent shocters 20
uni, OF men In line shan the inaudlin
sick!y sentimental love stories that
make up the bulk o: the magazine and
booksellers wares. Our men have no
tine for that sort OF reading at all
On The other hand II - quite no
,iccabIe that there IS demand FOR
real literature There are thousands
of men at ;he front who have never
had the time or opportunity 10 read
good books. and some no doubt "hc
did have the time when they grew
older. bu, preferred not to be sHHn
reading what they should have read
when they went 70 high schooi
have picked ont among tie books on
a table IN n room frequeatcd BY tie
.-.en OF an artillery un!t three volumes
ii Dickens, Don ouiSote." Eaoe!a's'
.rhe Three Muskctecrs" and o:hcr
,ranslauons OF French novels. "Fia;o's
Republic" and one OF the earlier works
.. Joseph Conrad. Every VolaHe
slowed signs of usage.
Let the people ut home who give
hooks TO the American Library rs
ISOLATION for shipment 20 the front
Or send books TO their men mere. re-
member that there Is prona.!?
greater demand for better BOOKS IN
frauce thau among he same hummer
Q. men anywhere IN the United states.
10 give only trashy novels which have
oasscd out OF style with the season
ana for which one has no more use
is not DONG service TO the so!dieFs
l.
.eason for such matter, no mad race
-. nopularity for 4 book which soon
disappears forever and real value in
hooks gets = better appreciation than
anywhere else
FIGHTERS ON land LIKE
THRILLING TALES OF SEA
our army likes tales Of the sea and
that is not at all surprising. for sure
Is no one Is more sick or more tired
Of the Lard than those who live not
on but in il. -.len who founder
about IN Lorraine mud. but still have
enough hunor LEFT in them 10 style
themselves marines" are given TO
thinking frequently about the clean
quick life their comrades Of the fleet
are leading.
AT a divisional headquarters mess
the other day there was a conversa-
ton about boots. about sea books
and about Conrad. This author. Pole
nv birth, British by naturalization,
and universal by his genius. had
many friends among the officers. and
not one OF them had been 4 pupil OF
Professor Copeland. OF Harvard. or
second former pupil OF the first. AMI
both missionaries for Conrad. The
cheers either know Conrad from
.Aimayers Folly to The Shadow
Line" or did not know him at all.
captain declared Conrad the
..rca,cst living author. Then why
,.yen't heard OF him?" lieutenant
.elnunGcd There was an argument,
~; it al! wound up with the remark:
We'll then. they ought to send that
IND Of book to us instead OF the best
sellers"
,sr.CILE SOT EIEERAL WITH
DETTER-CLASS MAGAZINES
Several times 1 have heard discus
SONS about magazines. Thousands
&c arriving, bEt apparently the
,-adcrs of the better class OF pcriodi-
ais arc not as liberal with their old
comics. Yet the fact is that those
Magazines which the men and women
Who do not read them call high
brow" and which the readers call clear,
lean sane thinking, we'll written
Magazines. will find even Il better APP
l-cciation in certain parts of the front
man the hundreds OF thousands OF