Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-09

To write a great book is one thing;
to furnish the book with great
preface ia another. Perhaps the num-
Der of men who have written grea [
hooks Is far larger than those who
have indited fine forewords.
Montague. mans author il there
ever was one. managed to preface his
essays with great preface. entitled
The Author to the Reader" one that
remains today model of its kind.
Reader. 10 here well-meaning
book" So the preface begins. and con
tinues: 1T does. al the first entrance,
forewarn thee. that in centriving the
anne, | have proposed unto myself
no other than q familiar and private
end: | have no respect or considera
ti0n st all, either to your service. or
to my glory: my forces are not capa-
bile of any such design"
How difYerent-and hetter-all this
than the stock preface. INDUCED in
by a. million authors pining to help
mankind, that '1f the author can move
one single reader by what he has
written, his writing shall not have
been in vain" etc.
Montague continues: Il have
vowed the same to the particular
commodity Of my kipsfolks and
friends: to the end. that losing me
(which they are likely to do ere long,
they may therein find some lineaments
Of my conditions and honors. and by
that means reserve more whole, and
more lively foster the knowledge and
acquaintance they have had Of me.
Had my intention been to fore.
stall and purchase the world 3
opinion and favor, would surely have
adorned myself more quantity, or kept
rs,A ~ rob
Then comes that almost unique
statement. hardly to he duplicated
until Walt Whitman, in America, cen
turtles later, wrote his Song Of My
SELF:
II desire therein to he delineated III
mine own genuine. simple and Ordi-
nary fashion. without contention. art
or study; for it is myself I portray
1t is myself I portray.
There one has the secret Of the
essays-why men ike them why
women do not. Montague Is much
too frank for the ladies. He calls
things by their names. and never at
tempts to cover up the weaknesses
of mankind. He balances one thought
against another, until it Is hard to
make out what he believes, and for
good reason, for he did not know
himself.
But to return to the preface: MY
imperfecttOns shall therein be reao
to the life, and my natural form dis
cerned, so far forth as public reVer-
ence has permitted me. For II my
fortune had been to have lived I'M
der the sweet liberty of Natures nrs'
and interrupted laws, l assure thee
l would most willingly have por-
trayed myself fully and naked.
Thus. gentel reader, PsHself am
the groundwork of my book: 1t Is
then no reason you should employ
YOUR time about so frivilous and
vain a Subject. Therefore. farewell.
A great preface. we submit. and only
TO be outdone by the several scores
of ESSAYS which follow-essays which
FOR 800 years have been the favorite
reading of most men of discernment
Not avery man, of course. will like
Montaiene. he is essentially such
critic Of life. so open minded, so eager
In his search for the truth. and YET
hardly finding it. 1T is mysei1 por-
tray" he said-and it was; therefore
If the modern reader cannot enter
into his lines of speculation with MIN
he ia likely to be sadly at loss over
Montague.
Upon the young and enthusiastic
Nontaisne has a. depressing erect,
says A. r. Waller. who writes the In
PRODUCTION to the Everyman edltlon o.
F'lorio's translation. Not for then
is his continual balancing, this weigh