The New York herald., 1922-11-12
NATOLE FRANCE once confided to
the world at large that the really

~ the world at large tnat the really
best book he ever read had been
absorbed surrepttiously in school hours
between the covers of a textbook-but that
he discreetly refrained from reading that
book again in later years. We have all
been guilty of similar misplaced enthusi-
asms, have thrilled to the pinnacle OF
youthful fervor over the mock heroes OF
some pinchbeck hero. the tribulations OF
some tinsel heroine, and cherished the illu-
sion that here was really the best book
ever written. until years later. less wise
than Anatole France, we made the mis-
take of trying to reread it. The first ani
best criterion of the really great books OF
youth is that they must stand the test OF
being reread with the eyes of mature ex-
perience, and while still affording some
thing of the old time thrill to that side
Of each and every one of us that remains
incurably young, they must also have ar
ultimate something to give. in the way OF
artistry or latent meaning. which eludeG
the grasp of childhood.
Probably most of Jus have received g
shock of enlightenment when we have tried
to meet the needs Of the younger genera.
tion by passing on to it certain favorite
books of our own day. One veteran dealer
I'm children's books confesses to the annua
experience, along in December. of having
number of middle aged customers enthu
siastically demanding certain six-volume
sets of Juvenile fiction by authors whose
names were household words in the early
seventies; and along in January these
game middle aged men are pretty sure tt
come back. sheepishly asking if they car
exchange those books for something else
81 guess l made a mistake the boys won'
read them" Slowly but surely the law o.
survival of the fittest works in book lanC
as ineXorably as elsewhere. Those OF u.
who follow the pleasant practice of reading
aloud to children get our disilusions with
more poignant directness. We have un
earthed, perhaps the very book that W.
ourselves clamored to have read over an6
over again in our own childhood; we may
even. in glow of solicitation have boasteC
of the wonders that it holds in store. AND
suddenly. even before our critical young
audience has had time to show its bore
dom. we have begun to feel rather foolisf
at hearing our own voices utter sucf
paltry stuff One unmistakable HALLMARK
of a true childhood classic is that it car
be read by children and grownups to
gether without sounding silly to either
The mere fact that we remember a bool
through a score of years is no test at all
1t is the kind of memory. the defnitenes.
of detail that counts. Perhaps your owl
boyhood days go back to~that pre-Hent,
period when Horatio Alger and Oliver Opti'
and Harry Castlemon were at their zenith
"Ben the Baggage Smasher."' "The Starr,
Flag" THE SpOrtsman's Club in the Sad
die were books that held you breathles
until the last page was turned. But be
yond the title. do you remember anything
of them to-day? Isn't it all just a pleasan
impression and a blur? Elijah Kellogg
less popular in his day, was made of stur
der stuff. His Elm Island Series" lef
imprints on the memory that refuse t,
fade. There was a Gargantuan qualit!
about his hero, Lion Ben. One remember
especially one prodisious fight of his. sin
gle handed against six burly pirates. armed
to the teeth who had invaded his island
home: and when the fight was over th
pirates who were not corpses envied thos
who were. and the pirate chief himself wa
wedged nightly in the chimneyplace wher
Lion Ben had flung him down the full
length of the room. Mayne Reid is anothe
author of those faroff times who come
very near to deserving a place in the bes
book class. At his worst he turned ou