Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-29
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

living beauty of music in every moving
story and in addition containing aspects
of life not to be found in music. Music
is mathematical proposition. in the
last analysis, the very tones being the
result of certain precise number of
vibrations 1t is just the difference
between notes and words. A musical
note Is a musical note, the same the
world around, but a word is different to
every one, and perpetually different to
the same one. A word means one thing
when we are children and something
else when we grow up. Beethovens
little "Minuet" is the same today as
when written and it will never be any
different. but the world has found
better and bigger meanings in the Bible
through the centuries Readers are
still finding good points in Alice in
Wonderland" Victor Hugo's LES Mis-
CRADLES" held by many to be the great
est novel in world literature. extends its
provinces year after year in all lands
Mark Twain is a favorite in Russia
A reader is a reader the world around
Let us all admit that we read for
enjoyment. While one may reasonably
combine improvement and profit with
his pleasure, he would not be in the
position of the man who once said that
he never opened book except for what
he could get out of it. He meant mon
etary profit. If he had admitted enjoy
ment as a part Of his profit, we could
have agreed With him. The plain truth
is that reading is forced upon children
as a necessary concomitant Of growth;
when they become grown they either
give it up, like the man who Solemnly
said that 'he didn't read" or go into
the sport for the pure love of new
mental adventures.
Every book is an adventure in some
thing or other 1t makes no matter
whether love tale. book on political
science or something on color photog-
raphy. each book presents itself to the
reader as a study in the unknown. Be
tween the covers of this book there lies
a mystery, only to be solved in one
Way-the personal inspection, word by
word of the holder. Being read to is
not the same as reading for ones self
Most neWly-married couples try the
loving experiment of reading to each
other, but mostly they give it up. We
know one very prominent bookman
who insists that he enjoys having his
wife read to him, but he is an excep-
ton, If we admit that he is honest, as
no doubt we must. For most people,
however, there is only one way to read
a book, and that is to read it. Truly,
Americans are "eye-minded" No doubt
this largely accounts for the vogue of
the movies. One uses the eyes with a
vengeance at the movies. In a similar
vein the thoughtful will question the
ultimate advantages to the cinema art
of the "talkieS," which unconsciouSly
dilute the hitherto unadulterated vision
of the audience, distracting it by Just
so much, however much that may be,
from complete visual inspection and
realization.
The actual reading of an exciting
story is an interesting process Have
you never, in the midst of a fine tale,
suddenly thought, why, I am reading
book? Then, for a second or two,
the illusion vaniSheS. You are again
holding tangible printed book in your
hands and turning leaves one after
the other. It is return to every
day sanity from the fine decisions of
grandeur and romance into which the
writer has plunged you. You resent it,
as if offended at the temerity of those
hands which clasp covers and indig-
nant at that brain which so suddenly
snapped out of it," You want to go
back again, and do go back again, as
swiftly as possible Usually only a few
pages are required to remove the mum
dane SPELL 1t is like going to sleep:
one never recalls afterWard the exact
moment.