Evening star., 1924-10-27

, with its gold top. We assure him
we will be careful with 1t. neither
allowing it to stay out in the rain or
get its back broken by the boorish
hands of the unthinking.
We assure him. furthermore that the
book will be kept out of the reach of
little Jimmie, whose favorite indoor
sport is marking UP the new books that
lie upon the library table.
Jimmy is indiScrminate in his en-
ueivorS. H. makes no difference to him
whether the work is solemn or frivolous,
high brow or low brow. Stubby pencil
clutched in stubby fingers. he can com
pletely fill the margins of an entire book
In a few minutes.
That Jimmy invariably selects a nice.
soft black pencil for this form of art
work speaks well for his artistic ability
in the years to come. OF course, the
owner of the book will have another in
depreciation to put upon IT,
Maybe the little JimmIes of the world
have more to do with the failure to re
turn borrowed books than is commonly
suspected. No amount of gum eraser
can blot out their iniquties. If fond
father does manage to get up enough
courage to bring back the volume he
does so with fear and trembling, and
hurriedly makes his exit before the
owner opens the pages.
i; x 4: X
a borrowed book is like a borrowed
five-doilar bill
No sooner is it borrowed than we feel
II Is ours. In some astounding way we
get the idea, furthermore, that il al
ways has belonged To us
That is the queer part Of il.
1t belongs to somebody else, but
we feel that it is ours, and some
times even go to the extent of put
ting it in our own collection.
L know one man who borrowed n
book. locked it in his book case, and
then swore the book was his. His
wife had 10 sneak the key out of his
pocket in order to finally get the
volume away from him.
That is what the love OF books
will do for IA man,
There have been cases of men so
enamored of books that they have
stole them out OF public libraries.
finally getting so careless in their
pilferine that tho officials discov-
cred their dercliction.
Probably most librarians could re-
count tales of this kind. but it is
hugely to their credit that seldom is
such an individual prosecuted.
Most often these cases are of those
who do not have the money to buy
the books they crave, and yet have an
inner urge for tho personal posses
sion of the great books OF the world.
SO they fall into theft, something
which cannot be condoned, but, in "A
case of this kind, may be excused, and
often is, as stated. Surely, if there is
a crime in the world that can be
forgiven, IL is the theft of books
He is a precious sort of thief, in
deed, who steals good books for the
love Of them. Such a man might
prove real benefactor, in that he
would save us the trouble of loan
ing our books. Either way. we never
expect to see them again.
We feel about our loaned books as
Ben King felt about his $40 We
hereby apologize to his spirit for the
change of a few words in his IF I
should Die Tonight"
II should die tonight
And you should come to N.Y. cold corpse and
say.
Weeping and heartsick DER ny IffeIess clay
II | should die tonight.
And you should come in deepest grief and
And say. Here's that book borrowed long
ago.
might arise in my large white crarat
And say, What's that?''
II should die tonight.
And you should come TO nv cold CORPSE and
Claspng my bier to show the xriet Won feel
say, If | should die tonight,
And you should come 10 me. and there and
then.
Even hint bout returnin' bcoks I once did
lend,
might arise the while
But I'd drop dead again