Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-29

We were privileged recently to look
at some very interesting charts or
graphs kept by one of Washingtons
bookdealers who Is also booklover,
incidentally. This is not always nor
necessarily the case OF course.
These graphs showed the number OF
volumes published year by year in each
of the great departments OF human
knowledge. They showed. above every
thing else, that Solomon was right
when he said "Of the making Of many
| books there Is no end
, The comparison of the number OF
books Of one class with those in an
| other, and of the years orc with the
other, with the rise and fall of popular
| interest in the classes, took second place
with us in relation to the supreme
fact brought out, that there are far
| too many new books put out every year
| for any one human being to keep up
| with
This does not prcSuppoSe that no ono
shall try. or that many will not get a
| great kick" out of the attempt. Nest
of those who do. however, will contne
| themselves to what is vaguely termed
general literature" and to fiction.
| Each year sees certain works rom
other classes. notably psychology. biog-
| raphy and history in the past five
years. make their way into the lists of
| the years best sellers"
Thus one may feel that the organi-
cations which specialize In selecting
the best" of the new books for read
erS, which services are the result Of
movements about two years old, are af-
fording genuine help to their patro rs.
and are aiding the general diffusion of
culture.
Mere reading. either of classic" or
new books (which may or may not be-
,ome classics. does not necessarily make
for culture, in the real sense OF a much
abused word. Perhaps hodge -podge
is better than no reading at all. but
nothing will take the place of an in
tcllgent selection. based upon some
sort of personal plan of attack.
X X y; X
Reading must be personal to be its
most delightful best. To purchase a
copy of Trader Horn" because some
friend has boosted it to you In glow
ing terms is one thing; but to buy It
yourself because you are drawn to it of
your own free will is distinctly better.
He who reads by rote will never
MIC" VIC iltlbItS vi It'tl Ilt
will read in comfortable sort of way
perhaps. and. it may be. this system
will suit his personality better than any
other II so, let him stick to it, and
may God bless him.
The generality Of readers. however
will find it necessary to make some
compromise between the great books
of the past and the new works which
pour from the printing presses of the
world year by year.
First, let us consider the old books.
Most mature readers have got be-
You'd the point where the praises and
structures Of their high school and col
lcge days mean anything TO them. not
that such criticism was not good. but
that they have come to the place where
the dignity Of the individual selection
means infinitely more.
We had an Eng. Lit" teacher at
college who hated. deSpised and de.
tested the novels of Charles Dickens
but that did not at that time. nor
has 1t since. swayed us from an ale
glance to that great Victorian.
We do not care one jot whether his
characters are mere caricatures or not
or whether he never managed TO draw
an English gentlemans portrait. 1t Is
really nothing in our young life that
he failed miscrably 10 depict the soul
Of a human being
We are not at all convinced that the
soul OF human being can be put on