Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-02

Every good book brings the reader
back to his pristine enjoyment of this
7rcatest of indoor sports. No matter
how critical he may have become, as
the result of much reading. really
good story arouses his enthusiasm.
! Thus the test of every good book
is in the reading thereof. 1t is not
enough to read about books to know
the names Of new titles and authors. to
be conversant with the patter of the
Shops and reviews.
| To be reader. one must read These
truisms need repeating. simply because
there is a tendency nowadays for many
who once enjoyed books to depart sadly
from the paths Of their forefathers.
They had rather listen at their ease
| to the radio. or bestir themselves about
some diversion which calls for a larger
use Of manual dexterity, such as wood
carving
! Yet nothing can be truer than that
theSe persons. once sat down to q
really good story. would be the very
! first to admit the worth of the same
! and to insist. after a little training
along this line that nothing takes the
place of a aood book.
This applies with particular force to
| the novel. and to the printed play
especially il the latter is a good play
we'll done from technical standpoint
There are plays and plays, of course
Some drool along without stirring the
reader. whereas others force one to adj
NIT a decided interest.
| The salient characteristic of good
! book is that it literally forces the read
err to admit afterward that 1t Is a good
! book.
! There is no escaping from the adj
| mission. even If one prides himself on
being hard to please The man Is won
despite himself. His honesty will not
permit him to escape from favorable
| rerdict.
This is all the more amazing. since
often enough reader-any reader
becomes slightly bored with himself
over books. He never becomes tired OF
books. but there Is something in tbs
spirit Of man which cannot tolerate AL
undilute6 dose of anything.
! In such mood, a reader becomes
/ slightly quizzical 1t must not be for
gotten that the book. the good book. as
we call 1t, Is not outside the covers, hut
! inside them. The real book is not the
binding, not the paper. not the type, not
even the words themselves.
The real book Is inside the head o.
the reader!
1t was inside the head Of the writer
! first. that is why he is able to put it
into the mind OF the reader. He work.
this magic by means Of symbols, letters
formed into words, and these words into
sentences.
These words. these sentences, are pic
ture blocks which the writer uses to give
his readers like pictures to his own. Be-
| fore any reader anywhere can get a
kick" out OF narrative, writer
somewhere must have got kick" OF
his own. 1t Is probably true that nc
reader ever gets quite as much thrill
out of fine novel. for instance. as the
writer of the same got in the first place
Dickens wcpt at the death Of little Nell
| Thackersy was stirred to his depth by
some of his own scenes.
! A good story Is good because 1t Is a
! two-person affair something strictly be-
| tween the author end his reader. The
: author builds up his pattern In his own
mind, using invisible building blocks
! later using materials. to wit, words, t.
achieve like pattern in the mind OF
the reader
| Suppose. for instance, young man
! over in France, born of American par
ents, decides to tell the story of sensi-
| tive young girl deprived of love, kept
behind closed doors by an iraScible
| father. He wants to bring home to
! others the revolt in this girls mind and