Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

save those who belong to the class Of
pep" praisers.
1t may be necessary to a work of say.
400 pages to begin with q 3O-page
description Of the mountains amid
which the plot Is worked out. Right
here one must concede another point
which is that writer may have q bet
ter idea Of his total plot than the be-
ginning reader.
How is it possible for a reader, pick
ing up a book, to have any legitimate
opinion as to the first chapter or two
until he has read the whole work? The
author has the advantage of him here
He probably dreamed over his story for
weeks and took months to put It on
paper.
There Is not a word which he has
not put his brains into. Yet here comes
the reader, gayly, blithely, grabbing up
the book, opening to the first page
reading hurriedly a few paragraphs
and declaring, Jaw, this thing doesn't
interest me-"
Such course is unfair to an author,
we submit most Of all it is unfair
to a reader.
If he would persevere, he would find
in many instances that the book which
he throws down would turn out to be
one Of the best he has ever read.
Haste makes waste, 1t Is said, and in
nothing is this more true than among
books, whose pleasures and joys are to
be tasted by the grand appetite.
Books do not like finicky tastes.
They rejoice in the omniverous read
er who bolts them whole, without stop
ping to ask himself II the f1rst few
tastes are to his liking.
NFtaV iyn 1ookin0 harS from the end
he discovers that those early first chap
tiers, which seemed so boreSorne to him,
in reality At very well into the pageant
which has been unrolled.
\ y
No reader, then, ought to permit q
few dull paragraphs, or pages to hold
him back.
He should make it q rule to read at
least fourth of a book, or even full
half, before giving it up
If, by that time, he has no JOY In the
contract, then let him lay 1t down, by
all means The chances are, however,
decidedly In favor of the author. He
knew what he was doing, and he knew
that the working out of plot-ard we
have previously showed in this column
how all books have plots, whether nc
ton or not-would engender interest.
The exigencies Of newspaper writing
ana making nave evolved style OF
writing which delights In giving away
the best the news writer has in the very
first paragraph. This Is all right in
news, where so many trivial events, or
events in the making. are clamoring for
the readers attention. We want TO
know what is going on, and we do not
want to wade through Q column to
find out.
This kind Of writing, however, is
neither natural nor necessary In ar
ticles, essays and books, a large part Of
whose worth and inherent interest is
derived from the cumulative effect of
ideas upon ideas. And since this true
and lasting interest, as distinguished
from the first flush, may take many
words to arouse, it must be held that
he who will not read book unless the
first paragraph interests him Is missing
great deal, to put It mildly. He ought
to remind himself that often he Is dis
pleased with new acquaintance, only to
ind them charming people upon better
acquaintance. Books, too, are people,
which we have to try to understand in
order to love. We can no more Judge
them by their first pages than we can
friend by his shabby old felt hat.