Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-29
THIS AND THAT
BY >-2ARLES E. TRACEWELL.

! every book store carried many complete
editions, but today some stores have cut
out such sets. They say that people
no longer buy them.
However that may be, the set of
Dickens still holds an honored place on
the shelves of thousan ds and thousa nds
OF homes. The very physical proper
tons of such editions are pleasing.
They have a certain substantially
which bespeaks continuance of pleasure.
Say what one will, there is little
sadness attending the reading Of good
book. At the beginning the reader says
to himself, although perhaps sIbcon-
sciously, When 1 shall have finished
this, will be through with 1t. I'm
dcubtedly will have finished it,"
The very thought casts a shadow of
some slight disappointment over even
the greatest book we would not say
that every reader feels so, but undoubt-
edly many do. We would not say this
feeling is large enough to temper the
true enjoyment Of great book, but
certainly it is enough to leave the hap
piness somewhat impure.
The complete set of some prolific
author comes as near as possible to
ending this dissatisfied state of mind.
AS one contemplates the row of thick
volumes of Dickens, or of Thackeray,
or Scott, and realizes that it will take
weeks-nay, months-to 60 through them,
he becomes reconcileo TO the limita tons
OF genius. Guy de Maupassant fills but
10 medium sized volumes, which may be
read in few delightful weeks. Then
MaupaSsant, at least the first acqua1n-
lance with the French master, il gone,
that f1rst flush of friendship Is forever
ended.
The of book time is the inevitable
relief which the mind seeks after a
close round OF reading, whether of one
author or Of several. Another way to
say 1t is that the brain has in it only
so much concentration-one amount for
me, another for you. 1t Is a well known
fact in school work that frequent di-
versions Of attention are necessary in
order to keep juvenile minds up to the
mark and childhood physiques free
from nervous tensions.
Much the same thing occurs with
adult readers, in the main. No mat
ter how ardent booklover one may be,
the old human frame still exists. The
hands may grow tired of holding books,
the eyes of seeing type. Above all
stands ennui, boredom, the eternal de-
sire of the human being for change. If
1t were not for this desire which lords
would be a common commodity in the
human market
The sad fact is that often those with
everything the heart can desire lack
one thine-chanse, difference. some
thing new. Often this something
new" takes the form OF excitement
novelty, a change from routine. That
is why the call to war strikes a strange
thrill In millions Of hearts, despite the
intellectual knowledge of the horrors
and waste of armed conflict.
Much the same thing, on smaller
scale, occurs TO a booklover who now
and then runs head first into off-book
periods. He cannot escape them, short
of very good luck. and must make the
best Of them. secure in the belief that
his treason of the moment to his dearly
loved volumes will enable him in the
end to return to them with greater love
than ever.
Happily, the off-book periods are
transient IN effect. There comes a day.
there comes happy hour when the
booklover Iistlessly picks up an old vol
ume, or maybe new volume, TO find
that all the old fondness has returned
as if in a flash. Then he sees, not in
glass darklv. but face to face, rejoic-
ing 10 know that the soIace of his
youth will he the pleasure Of his last
years--the love OF good books.