Evening star., 1922-12-30
The Library Table
By The Boeklsver

By The Boeklsver
Sometimes my enthusiasm over
reading leads me. in excess Of zeal, to
start talking Of books to unlitsrary
friends. With tndulgsnt smiles they
tell me. half In banter, thinking to
tease. that they read only news
papers and an occasional magaxins
when taking a railway journey. but
never Books. OF course, know they
paint themselves too black: for, At
least. there 10 the oity directory and
tho telephone book. probably also the
dictionary, and hope the Bible. But.
following up their persinage, they
almost claim that books are some
thing apart from life and that the news
paper is the only real thing. after all.
Busy men. they say. have little time
for much outside their favorite even
ing and morning papers. Books are.
they claim, all right for women and
children and literary folks, but mean
little to men Of AFFAIRS.
I half know they say these things
to get me started on my hobby.
Sometimes I rise to the bait and tell
them that. as devoted newspaper
readers, they read many books. at
least at second hand. which are con-
stantly being featured in the news.
once q little group got . rise from
mo. 1 started by asking whether dur.
ing the great war. when we were all
aghast at the ruthlessness Of Ger
many. they did not sec frequent men,
ton OF Nietssche, who furnished the
philosophic basis Of Germanys COM
plex; or of Treitschke. the German
historian. who prophesied world do
minion for Germany; or OF Bernhardi,
the German military strategist. who
preached world power or downfall.
all set forth in books, and. II my
non book reading friends did not read
them At first hand. journalists did and
served them up In diluted form for
their instruction.
Since the war there have been the
great QUESTION: Of rsconstruction and
reparations. I asked my friends
whether they had not seen several
front-pase references to J. NJ. Keynes'
Economic Consequences of the
Peace" and one Of them confessed
that he had got a copy from the
library and read it. Another admit
ted reading Frank Vanderlip's What
Happened to Europe" from seeing
references to it on a certain finan-
cial page. When l mentioned Robert
Lansing's Peace Negotiations" two
others said that they had been so
outraged by the ousting of the secre-
had read this book. A Wilson ad-
mirer in the party spoke up and told
me that he had read serially in the
New York Times Joe Tumulty's
Woodrow Wilson as l Know Him."
but thought the title wrong and sug-
gested that it ought to be called Me
and Woodrow"
When the ice was we'll broken and
the pose Of not reading books was
forgotten these book scorners admit
ted that the. news had led them to
read with interest THE Mirrors of
Downing Street" and It's American
copy. THE Mirrors OF Washington"
One boasted that constant reference
to H. s. Wells Outline Of History"
had led him to read that journalistic
account Of the worlds progress
Another confessed to an attempt,
which proved unsuccessful, to. read
the ex-kaiser's Memoirs" That re-
called to still another the damaging
admissions made in Count Moltke's
Memoirs" only just published IN
German and recently summarized in
the newspapers. One man, who had
lost a son in the war. said that mem
tion in the newspapers of Sir Oliver
Lodges Raymond" purporting to
contain spirit messages from the
scientists dead son, had led him to
read the book. Just before the group
broke up one man spoke Of President
Harding's reference in a speech or
"RisinS Tide Of Color, and Of how
he had made a bee line to a book
store for a copy The little colloQuy
ended by general admission that
books are often red-hot news and the
real Stun, atsef al.
\ \ y !:
That I am not alone in think
ing of books as of vital interest in
everyday affairs Is shown by the fact
that the publishers Of the Literary
Digest, the we'll known weekly news
paper, finding that books required 20
much more space than they could
give in their regular issues. have be-
gun the publication Of a new monthly
Journal called The Literary Digest
International Book Review. The
editor, in the opening number for
December, states 1t to be his purpose
to treat of books from the stand
point of their intrinsic or news value.
For it Is this that counts: It is what
we call the news value Of a book that
must determine whether it Is to be
read only in parts or to be read
wholly and with diligence and atten-
tion.' Putting 1t in other words, it
Is the news value of book that
gives the measure of its vitality. It's
relation to humanity" The first
number starts Off well, with articles
by Sinclair Lewis. Gertrude Atherton,
Christopher Morley and many other
makers Of books.
+ Il +
Sometimes a novel commends itself
to reader for a reason entirely sec
ondary to the main purpose Of the
author in writing it. The author may
have worked out an especially in
genious plot. but many Of his readers
may persist In liking his book rather
hacanse oH a certain cha racfer or