Evening star., 1924-10-11


cd 1t up In the dictionary
A great book-a great hook-buk II
lies unopened and unread in the IL
braries, great ]. and small. of the
world. I know only one, man who
ever pretended to read 1t, aald he WAS
interested chiefly In the los-e scenes
between Adam and Eve.
n one wants blank versa let him
turn to Shakespeare. WHOSE works
probably were written byh Bacon.
Take those great lines:
Farewell! a long farewell, to, all my
greatness!
have ventured
Like little wanton boys that swim on
bladders,
This many Summers in a sea Of glory,
But far beyond my depth: my Thigh
blown pride
At length broke under me and now
has left me,
Weary and old with service, TO the
OF rude stream that must forever
hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, ]
hate ye.
The true glory of the light that
! never was on land and tsea shines
through those Ines. They arc as ap-
plfcabIe today as they were when
written. Their cadence has. majesty
not to be overthrown.
DantH's "Divine COMEDY" is an
! other great book that nobody-ell-
hardly any one.-rcada today. This
statement Is made in the face OF the
fact that there are Dante societies
and memorials.
Eut did you ever see anybody sit
ting around reading the book:
Then there is Josephus' History
! of the Jews" a remarkably fat vol
ume, stuffed with thousands of
! words. Most men have made a re-
solve to read Josephus. he sounds
| interesting.
The taking and sacking or Jeru-
salem by the Romans is pictured
therein, IF / rcmemh her rightly, IN IN
| rnite detail, 80 that undoubtedly the
| reader gets picture that outdoes
even modern movie.
! But--a3 the after-dN timer speaker
says who il not going ao speak any
more-nobody has read It. / nave
an associate who has a cousin who
knows man who has read Josephus.
| Maybe former Secretary Daniels
has. because he is named after him.
J caryles History OF the French
( Revolution" Is another masterpiece
| few have read.
| How many have read Spensers
''Faery Queen" Yet. this is truly a
! nne thing. Spenser was known in
| his own day as the poets poet" be-
| cause Of hts delicate fancy and SKIN
with words.
| Placed in large type on 4 big page
| Spenser is a treat-hut how many I'm :
! bibc at that fount? Not many.
kant's 'Critique OF Pure Reason"
! is a book that thousands have re-
solved to read. Similarly. th~ro are
many philosophicalty inclined men
who have determined TO 80 Though
! Spirozas Ethics" in which he dem
! onstrates in EeometricaI toT5nuia
( the truths OF honesty, purity and
4 other virtues.
! Yet no doubt one could count all
] the persons in Washington on two
/ lands-or four. anyway--uho have
read either of these books clear
/ through
The reader may add 10 this lis. as
suits his fancy. only taking care to
I put in II great books which he hon.
| estly thinks no one reads. In the
used.
One may happen to have read a
book himself, Of course. and. there
! fore. feel that others have read It.
too, whereas probably no Is unique
Honestly. l believe that ! am the
only person In Washington VINO has
read Spinoza's "Ethics" Will be
! glad TO be told l am wrong
| On tho other hand, one may no,
| have read book. whereas others
have read it. Les Miserabies" was
suggested for this list, tsIt un-
doubtedly II has been and isa widely
read.
| Such a list as this is interesting
and info rm ative. not because dt may
or may not be accurate. but because
| il makes one think about Erea,
! thing-greaI books.