Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-29

| There will come season in the life
of the most inveterate reader when
books grow tiresome.
The extent of this period will vary
| from a few days or weeks to several
months, or even years, depending
partly on health. business and indi-
vidual temperament, as we'll as many
other factors.
One may feel assured that IL the
reading disposition is there, the off,
book period will not be a permanent,
but only temporary affair.
Sometimes 1t seems as If the thing
| Is fixed. The former reader. who never
failed to get delight in picking up a
book, now finds that the best Of them
, bore him.
Often there is no accounting for the
| vagary. Perhaps the heat OF Summer
may have something to do with it.
much in the same way that the rabid
radio fan" finds himself disinclined
to turn on the set on hot night
There is a disposition on the part of
some readers to feel that Eight read
ing" is nee SSary for dog days, as If
there were some connection between the
heated physical body and the interior
mind.
Light Summer reading" was long
held to he. a kind of iced words. easily
ened patient. During recent years,
much of this idea has gone the way
of many of the elder thoughts about
men and books.
With the coming OF biography into its
own, much OF the hokum about light
Summer reading" has gone. probably
never to return. There are no seasonal
effects in books: what changes Is the
mind OF the reader.
This change comes about because
good books require the mind to remain
slightly on the stretch. In other words.
reading is not such easy, effortless
work as it. has sometimes been pictured.
The exercise OF the mind which Is
required even in the reading OF the
better class of fiction is no slight mat
ter. The unfortunate part of it all is
that the mind is tickle. Desiring relief
from one occupation, 1t tends to turn
to another.
Tt is this turning period which may
be called the of book time. Then even
the rabid reader is filled with disin-
clination to pick up book. This Is the
physical aspect of the matter. One is
content TO see the good books reposing
on their shelves.
There Is a certain soothing quality
in the knowledge that they are there
waiting for the reader. There is nice
familiarity about their titles. authors
names, bindings, which pleases with
out requiring exertion.
Particularly becoming seem the vol
umes purchased, but not read. These
are books put on ice, as it. were. against
the day when the mind. awakening out
of its anti-book Slumbers, suddenly
calls for food.
When the mind comes to itself. It
will want something worthy of it, and
the reader, standing outside of himself:
Is pleased to think that his intellectual
refrigerator is full OF such good things.
Yes, the mind will be pleased at his
forethought. The mind will draw up
to table, tuck it's napkin under its chin,
and begin to hammer on its plate with
fork and knife held impolitely with
blade and tines up.
The undisciplined mind, at best an
unruly personality. will begin to ham
mer and beat upon its china plate,
threatening to smash things TO smith
Greens unless we bring 1t instantly
nice hot plate Of mental stew.
y x
The mind, like tired child, tends TO
fall asleep after a too heavy meal 81
any one author Perhaps this accounts
for the slight disrepute which today A.
tends sets" Of authors. Ten years ago