South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-13

a lifelong dealer In blank DOCKS
and stationery, declares that the
sale of diaries for other than com
mercial and professional uses, is
steadily declining year by year. One
hardly known whether 10 shed
tear at this evidence of lessening
literary ambition and lofty purpose
toward self-improvement on the
part of the general public, or to
congratulate ones fellow beings upon
escape from a task which it was al
most certain would never be COM
pleted
If nothing else of profit could be
found in a collection of a thousand
diaries kept during the era of the
diary's greatest popularity, the eX-
animation would be interesting as
showing the degree of perseverance
manifested by their various owners.
The beginning of a diary has been,
l think, most often part of that gem
eraI New Year reformation towards
furtherance Of which Egotism
/ takes the hand of shrinking Duty,
and draws her along for few weeks
or months. The desire to stick TO
good resolutions, is perhaps not un-
naturally accompanied by a desire
to record in some precious volume of
ones very own. the struggle in
volved in so doing-the temptations
accountered and possibly the vic
/ tories won.
1 am referring now TO diaries be-
gun by persons of either sex among
whom is no outlook nor anticipation
of any change during the year from
the humdrum condition in which
they live. With nothing in the was
of travel to record; with scarcely
any chance of forming new or in
teresting acQuaintances; with the
hours of each day allotted to the
self same tasks what is one TO, put
in ones diary beyond the chronieling
of ones trials. hopes, aspirations
and envies, except, of course, al
ways the condition OF the weather
from day TO day.
The ordinary and average person
cannot possibly have the opportuni
ties o. which the esteemed Mr.. Sam
ueI Pepys so awaited himself as q
make his name almost synonymous
with the word diary" Fields 81
rich in material as the court o
Charles III. are not within the reacl
of every one who has the price of ;
blank book and quill pen. nor woul'
Mr.. Pepys. were he alive today. hav
quite the monopoly in his own par
ticular line easily give him a rui
for his money.
And this reference 10 newspaper
leads me 20 declare the belief tina
they, in conjunction with our per
fected weather bureau, are largel,
responsible for the decline in tn
custom of keeping a diary"
In Memory's eye are at least hal
dozen elderly residents Of tn
village in which my youth was spent
who were reputed to regard tn
writing up" Of their diaries eacl
: evening as a necessary part Of tn
ceremony OF preparing for RES
What would I not give for a elanc
at the volume kept by one Of thes
old men. a Presbyterian elder who's
face always reminded me OF
squash: from whom the extractio
Of a pleasant word would have bee
the equivalent Of a surgical opera
ton and who was never known {
smile except on one occasion. whe
, the lighthouse keeper ran out q
, oil and tried to make a barrel q
, hard cider take its place. or cours'
: he. like tho rest, kept a daily rec
ord OF the weather, but he mus
have written something else IN hi
hilary. and the wonder as 20 whs
o that could have been. has never lei
: me in all these years.
Perhaps there did not exist /
other parts of the country toward
the close OF the Civil war such
general habit OF keeping. or at lea
: beginning. diaries as was 20 I
= found in that particular part {
New ENGLAND from which hail. bl