Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-06

Those who are genuinely interested
| in books will find their increasing
stocks of volumes through the years
constitute a genuine housing problem.
One may outgrow certain books. but
that is no reason for discarding them
They must be retained, If for no other
reason than to bring pleasant memo
| ries.
What is more pleasant than the con-
temptation of pleasures past involved IN
great works of art? They have been
read. but they exist, none the less. and
their very presence Is pleasing ano
helpful.
They help measure the growth OF
/ the booklover. Here, for instance, Is a
set of books which no longer interests
him, but he will keep them, just the
same, for they are an old love.
He would not throw them out simply
because their appeal has passed for him
now. He can recall the time when he
spent hours and hours happily In their
perusal.
Now, like some faithful old horse,
they browse in their place on the
shelves, secure in their right to so
much room.
It is their due.
X X \ X
An actual problem is created by their
presence, nevertheless. It is not every
booklover who is fortunate enough to
have plenty of room for the purposes OF
expansion. He neither has the wall
space for cases nor, alas, the cases!
The ever-increaSing number OF books
with which he surrounds himself brings
I'D pressingly the need for more room.
The physical limits of most living
rooms and Railways tell the average
booklover lust how many formal cases,
whether sectional or of the swinging
door type, he may have; the number
and size of other pieces OF furniture,
too, have a great deal to do with 1t. To
literally line the walls with such cases,
to the exclusion of radio set secretary,
or whatnot, would be to achieve some
thing not In line with modern dictates
of interior decoration.
sidering the book-housing prcblem OF
the rich man who may have library,
where built-in bookcases may run from
floor to ceiling, but simply the average
problem of the average home, where
the members of the family-or at least
one or two members-believe in pur-
chasing and owning books.
In such a home the books will In
crease from year to year, and though
some may be disposed OF from time to
time. since no one is free from making
purchasing mistakes now and then, the
total will grow larger from year to year.
more or less quickly in proportion to
the genuine interest the members have
in books.
There has been too great a niggardli-
ness on the part of many in respect to
books; many persons will think nothing
at all of spending $40 and more on a
couple of tickets to musical show who
yet would regard themselves as hor-
ribly extravagant to spend like amount
on books at one time. We speak again
of the so-called average man, who nee
essarily must keep careful watch on his
expenditures. Yet thousands of such
men will spend many dollars on amuse-
ments which vanish when enjoyed, who
will frown nightly over the prospect OF
spending so much-or so little-as S.
on new biography, q big. splendid
book which never could have been pur-
chased for any less.
y X X
We believe in leaving filled cases OF
books alone-that is, when once a for
NAL bookcase is full, preferably with
ones choicest and favorite volumes. 1t
should be allowed to remain so. Thus