Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-28
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Whether reading a number Of books
| at the same time is right or wrong is
q question.
II one views reading as q solemn
duty, sort Of literary chore, upon
which depends the fate Of souls, nc
doubt such reading is wrong.
| To keep more than one bookish ket-
tie stewing at once shows lack OF
interest in any one to the exclusion
Of others, perhaps.
The traditional attitude toward a
book Is that of the eager student who
| never permits his hands to let 60 oil
1t once he gets his eyes on 1t.
| The supreme praise which some men
can give a book, especially a work ot
| fiction, Is to say that they sat up
until am. to finish 1t.
Yet these standard ways Of looking
at books are by no means the only
ways to read. Those who have got
to a certain point of comradeship will,
gard them as hard taskmaSters.
| X X X x
Good books-and there are no other
| kind, II one selects wisely-impose no
| hardships upon their friends.
Although one may get instruction
from them, he is faced by no pedagoguc
| holding stopwatch.
Books as friends are easy comfort
able as old slippers. There Is smile
on their l1ospitable faces, as they beckon
i to one from their shelves.
This is the antithesis OF reading as
a duty, either to ones self, to posterity
or to futurity. The wise man doe; not
take his reading so solemnly, but per-
mits the gracious smiles OF literature
to peep through.
II one reads because he likes TO read,
because he enjoys his books. he VIII De
inclined to read more than one book ae
a time, in all likelihood.
Instead of selecting one work. and
reading It from the first word to the
last. without deviation, accepting no IN
reference, he will begin one book, start
another before he has finished the nrst
and maybe begin on third before ne
has completed the reading OF the otner
two.
The book he began first he many fin
ish last. or he may never finish any OF
them Now the dangers Of this way OF
reading are many. 1t not only makes
for lack Of stability in personal reading
habits, but 1t may become unfair to the
various authors and their precious
books.
The person who catches himself read
ing IN this faShlOn UnuS III Winc W
check I'D on himself, in order to see
whether mental fatigue Is responsible
for his vagary-at least so 1t may seem
to others.
He must delve into his mind. as far
as possible, and see whether his desul.
tory habits are the result Of intellectual
ennui, or worse.
In some cases readers find. on honest
determination, that their jumping
from one book to another Is simply the
result of lazy mental habits.
Their powers of concentration are
gone. or powerfully shattered. In either
case they find it easier to begin book
than to finish it. The results OF years
of happy reading is so strong upon them
that they cannot give up books, put
thev drive themselves to them, although
thev may resent being told so.
"What!" they would exclain. IN
disnantly. st love books as much as
ever did, and I find 1t just as easy
to finish a book as to begin one.
The roll of their unfinished reading,
however. speaks against them. They are
following the letter of reading when the
spirit has fed
Keepinr more than one book going
at once need not necessarily have bad
effects upon a reader, If he keeps well
in mind these inimical factors. IL Is