Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-29

| Does not reading. after all, hold up
better than any pleasure in the world?
One may become tired of listening to
music. Golf pales with the Winter
months. base ball goes into eclipse, the
| theater becomes boresome at times.
A good book, however, is always a
good book.
We have never specialized in feeling
sorry for other people in condescend-
ing way. but if we did no doubt we
would feel terribly sorry for the man or
woman who does not enjoy reading.
Books are the all-season sport, the
one and only enjoyment man may go
in for" literally from the cradle to the
grave.
Nor is there any particular qualifica-
ton in this most democratic of indoor
sports. 1t is not necessary for one to
even have money, for the public libraries
make reading accessible to all.
Reading is the most cosmopolitan
amusement in the world We know a
man who sells meat for a living who
specializes in French literature.
We know a Jolly !at lady. the mother
of sons, who is an avid reader of detec-
tive stories. We "7i into a conversation
with her one g. bus and discov-
cred her hobby . the vehicle had
gone two blocks.
We had the pleasure. before we left. Of
convincing her that many good detective
stories were to be found in the maya
zines devoted to such things. Hitherto
she had read her novels only in bound
form.
The literary bacon man probably
knows more about French literature
than any 10 other men in the District
OF Columbia. He has come to the point
in his life where he Graves the honesty
which only the French novel seems to
give. American writers. when they 60
in for chat sort of thing. usually sue
coed only in becoming nasty. The great
French masters. however, put life onto
paper in a way which ultimately ap-
peals to the mature mind Surely they
are not stories for children But when
a man has served breakfast bacon to
the consuming public for certain
number of years he has right to feel
that he wants stronger reading fare
than 0. Henry. The flip quirk which
this American master gave his short
stories is all right. but 1t pales into in
Slgnlf1cance in comparison with some
of the immortal land immoral. if you
wild tales Of the French stylists.
Seeing our friend behind his counter
In his clean white garments, with his
meats stacked up before him. his
chopping block behind him. sophisti-
Gated lady customer would no more
suspect him with being the familiar of
lola and Maupassant and Gauter and
France and the rest than she would OF
spending his evenings at the burlesque
theater. Nor. indeed, would he do the
latter His speciality is the theater Of
the printed page. He knows that no
show on earth is comparable to this
If he bankers for taste of the tinsel
he gets out his copy of Zola's Mana"
and reads there at his ease about those
things which more elemental persons
must taste in real life before they can
understand it.
This is one OF the great merits of
books, that they allow one to vicariously
experience what in real life is often
dangerous as well as highly unpleasant.
A good novelist can make the reader
see better than the reader could see
for himself If he were actually there.
The very amplitude of the book world
makes it impossible for any one man
to know it ALL When one has listened
to Beethoven's symphonies with the
mind and heart he has plumbed the
depth of music. AS far as man can
see today. there will never be greater
music. All musical themes are in es-
sence variations. Writing, however, is
a moving. growing thing, with all the