Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-09

Many people labor under a mistaken
idea as to what a home library ought
70 contain.
They divide books into two classes
those which they will want to keep"
and those which they will not want to
keep" Unfortunately, they often make
utility the sole criterion.
The natural result of this is that
they are willing to purchase volumes
which they believe to be in the first
classification, but are seldom seen buy
ing books which they lump of into the
second.
Too often they draw a sharp line be-
tween unitarian books and the other
sort, preferring books Of reference to
those artistic, cultural or whatnot.
This Is very easy idea to get, and
one as easy to lose, once one stops to
think the matter over bit. If one
is to Judge literature by the same yard
stick which he applies to automobiles,
there may be much injustice done
books.
No doubt to some minds this pro-
cedure seems eminently workable and
satisfactory. and, If so, no one else has
any right to make a. protest. Nine out
of ten such persons, however, can be
made to see the error Of their thoughts
in regard to what should Dc included
in the home bookshelves.
It Is not difficult to convince them
that the home library ought to be cul-
tural rather than unitarian. The USE
full book, so called, has its place. but
no greater than the interesting book,
the beautiful book, the inspiring book.
The book man wants to keep ought
to be the book he likes. That is the
corner stone of the home collection. II
he likes book, 1t makes no difference
whether he will ever read it again or
not. 1t gave him Joy once; let it re-
pose in peace as silent testimonial
to inner happiness.
The book the home collector should
want to get rid of Is the book which
has not held his interest, which does
not suit, his taste, which strikes him
in intent. In other words, the book
he does not want. Why he does not
want it is his private reason.
Utility, as the measure OF a book,
would limit the home library to works
of reference. Such books have their
proper place. No one would say word
against them. They do not constitute
the foundation of home collection. as
some think. They are part of 1t. that
is ala poor part. II their presence
strikes the keynote of the remainder.
In a busy age, such as the present,
this is a real danger. Spectacular sue
cess holds the center Of the stage and
utility in various lines accounts for
such success. The thing that works is
the thing that succeeds; in every walk
of life the successful man Is the prac-
teal man. Even artists have to be
practical enough to meet the wants OF
the people with their wares OF the
imagination.
In the field of the home book col
lection the likes and dislikes of the
builder take precedence over the use
or lack of use of the books. The ques-
ton is not whether one will read the
book again, but whether he liked 1t
when he did read it. Upon this foun-
dalton, and upon no other, will the
home library amount to anything. The
library built so, with love, not use, as
its foundation, is the happy library, the
one that endures.
X X
Only books that mean something to
the owner should be kept, but this does
not mean that they must be utilitarian.
What if one never opens their covers
again? 1t makes no difference. What
does make a difference is whether the
owner got something out of them in
the first place, in any one of the many
ways of giving which books possess.
Their gift often is spiritual, often one
of smiles, often one of excitement, or
tears perhaps.