Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-05
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRAcEwELL.

| One Of New Yorks professional bool
reviewers, who does column every da!
for his paper, gave entertaining detail
not long ago as to his reading during
the year.
He instanced IS books which he haS
read. Yet he had commented on q
least 800 during the same period. L
the general reader to deduce that HI
wrote reviews of some $50 books which
he had not reac?
We wouldn't be surprised.
The trouble with mass reading is thai
1t makes for haste, and haste is no
productive Of the best in intellectual
matters.
Hence we have stood, and still stand
foursquare against the borrowing o.
books, either from friends or libraries
and for the purchase Of them.
The chief gain comes to the smaller
number of books which one will read
If he has to buy them cut of his owr
pocketbook.
The fewer he pu: ~..asoS, everything
else being equal, the better choice III
will make.
The better choi,e he makes the more
pleasure and profit he will get out Of
the books he reads. One could wish
little emphasis placed upon the profit
end of reading, unless mental and spir-
itual gain may be called profit.
-here sometimes seems almost tot
much stress put on what one gets out
of book. We would like to see the
methods and ways OF the bushes;
counter left out of the relation of reader
and books.
Let the publishers handle those es-
sential details, but leave the reader free
to read his books as he pleases, with
out being forced to render any account
of them to any one except Lim-clf ano
to nothing except his own soul.
- 4
If one has ready access to a great
number of books. the tempta ton to read
at them" is irresistible 1t is another
case of easy come, easy go. Anything
into which one puts nothing will be
given an inferior tinge in the very
mind which is trying to get something
out of it.
The physi act of purchase requires
that the reader first put something very
personal into a given book--a bit of his
pocket nerve" as 1t is called. If you
think that this Is not very tangible
nerve, after all, list to the diners ir
any lunch room at noon.
Nearly all of them are talking about
money or some phase of activity leading
up to It's individu~l collection. Stamps
and antiques may b, interesting forms
Of collecting, but they become essen.
tally minor when compared with this
sort of collection.
And whatever one may say against
the counting house-and surely there /:
great deal which may be said-it must
be admitted that money furnishes the
solid basis for civilized living, and that
every man hastens to get out of the
class of those lacking 1t as quickly a.
he can.
Therefore, when q reader buys q book
he puts something quite solid into it
He thereby makes psychological ster
toward 1t. That Is what counts. The
purchase puts him in a receptive mood
He, great fellow, has condescended to dc
this thing. He will look carefully to be
sure that he gets his moneys worth.
In any event, he will find that the
psychological approach to his book has
been good. We heard an instructive in
stance the other day. A man had free
access to the most beautiful book writ
ten in recent years. He had read three
chapters and had turned 1t over to his
wife with the comment, "See If YOU
can make anything out Of this" Yet
ne was no mean Judge of such things
All that had happened to him was that