The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-07-21

For the average man is this rot
worth considering. Not all Of lie
could afford even a trip to Chicago
were we to go just down and back
But few dollars spent for books OF
travel would bring those things to us.
| And those books one can buy at a
small cost would bring the points of
interest of Chicago before us in a
more thorough manner than the dc-
tual trip would itself.
Someone may argue that we nave
not taken into account the actual trip.
Very we'll, do. Experts have compiled
and are compiling more books of
! travel along the routes we should
take. One can purchase these books
cheaply compared with railroad iares
and see more within the pages than
he should ever see from a railway
train, or car either, for that matter.
Dry reading, should say not. One
would not have to buy an encycioped-
| ia. There are numerous books of a
literary character that give these
facts And literary books are diffused
with the personality Of the writer,
the most interesting thing in the
world.
For instance, if you would like to
get an idea of the great cattle ranches
of the early west read Badger Clark s
collection Of poems, "Sun and Saddle
Leather" These poems portray the
spirit of the cattle range from every
angle They range from anecdotes full
of the keenest humor to pathos Of a
cowboy who has lost his pal.
Abraham Lincoln, the statesman,
and by far the greatest man of his
day, gained his knowledge of the
world through books. He was too
poor to travel but he could buy and
borrow books.
This brings me to the theme of
this rambling essay: Books bring the |
whole world, past and present, before |
one.
Before the invention of printing a |
man might spend life time Of travel ,
and not know as much about the
world as the average high school grad
uate of today.
Books have made man citizen OF
the wide world. History, literature,
science and invention, and all the
many phases of mans activities in
every realm, are at, the disposal OF
the person with a well chosen library.
Narrow provincilism was blasted
by the art of printing. With store
house of knowledge available man
knocked down the barriers that had
limited his horizon and
became acquainted with not only the
modern world but the past world.
History is perhaps the mos5 en-
tightening subject in books. In it
one is not only surrounded by the
here and now of the universe but with
he yesterday of mans life as we'll
from the pages Of history man emerg~
IS in the obscure remote ages of the
past and travels down the long road
If progress to the present day.
History is concerned chiefly with
nan and his conquest Of nature. Man
'epresents the apex of animal life.
Through history one can watch man
,radually evolve from a crude being,
whose only thought was to exist, to
he complex organism he now is, i'm
'ued with the desire to dominate all
lature.
History links up the past and pres
mt and points to the future. Great
zen and nations rise and fall in his
Dry. Thoughts and deeds of men ev-
r change. Moralities, societies and
eligions progress through an ever
hanging panorama, and all indicate
le trend of mans climb to superior
y.
But history does not give ALL One
lust turn to literature. History
nerishes and preserves the facts; lit
nature portrays and guards the feel
lgs Of men of certain periods, and
fter all man has been largely ruled
Y his finer feelings.
If one wants to get an idea of the
ceilings of men during the age of
rivalry in England he turns to TeEy-
m In his poems of King Arthurs
,und table he feels himself relncar- -
ated in the days when knighthood
as in flower"