Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-08

One Of the happiest discoveries made
by Jones after he went on . budget
was that he had rs good books at
home In his cases as he could buy In
the stores.
Here he had been extending his purse
in an effort to keep up with the new
books" which were ever hopelessly
ahead Of him. when all the time he
had plenty Of unread books in the home
library.
Great presses, roaring madly in the
cities, ceaselessly poured books by the
hundreds upon the counters Of the
stores, where Jones tried to sort the
wheat from the chan.
It was q thanlklesS task. but Jones
liked books, and he did not suffer under
the curious form Of infertority complex
which makes a man willing to pay -
for o musical comedy seat, but I'M
willing to spend even So for new
book.
surely this can be nothing more nor
less than an inferiority complex. 1t is
probably true, as some one has said.
that most men Of today, no matter
how we'll OF they are In worldly goods,
regard as luxurieS the articles which
their ancestors 50 regarded.
It must never be forgotten that at
one time In this country books were
the sure mark Of education and some
attainment of prosperity, just as at q
later period the man In comfortable
circumstances was marked by the horse
and buggy.
It is not generally known that at the
inception of the country fairs in Amer
lea the prizes were books and SubScrip-
tons to newspapers. In some ways
those times must be held to have been
the high-water mark Of honor to books.
What II q thousand times 90 many
books are sold, circulated and read to-
day? That shows nothing but an In
crease In numbers, and size does not
necessarily mean anything except
quantity.
Most people today would be insulted.
almost, If they were to receive q good
book" as a prize. It isn't even done
at bridge parties. Yet there are any
number of the worlds best books to be
secured at less money than the most
trivial Of prizes"
Our friend Jones, cutting down on
his expenditures for books, made the
as good flsh In his own little private
sea as roamsd the grand preserves Of
the book shops.
Here he had been 1amenting the
fact that he could not buy himself .
copy Of Harold Lambs fine new book
on the Crusaders, when all the time he
had at home q magnificent set Of Ed
ward Gibbons Decline and Fall Of
the Roman Empire" which he had
been intending to read for many years.
In those six hearty volumes, he was
history OF the CruSadeS as one might
wish. The debt Of Lamb to the old his
torian is large. Jones was glad now Of
his omnivorous reading appetite. He
had read this fellow Harold Lamb years
ago when he wrote only for Adventure
Magazine. Then he specialized In
stories Of the great Chinese deserts
Some Of Jones' friends Sneered at his
tastes, but he knew that Lamb wrote
well. Now at last he has attained the
dignity of being selected as the book
of-the-month." Well, time brings all
things, they say.
Here, in Gibbon, he found all that
any sane man ought to want to know
about the Crusades, and about hun
dred other matters Of vast interest
ranging over more than a thousand
years of. Importance. A bit dull in spots
Of course, but how can so long o work
help that now and then? He recalled
his Prescott, whose works on the con-
quests Of Mexico and Peru he had read
In his youth and still had in his cases
He would read them again, instead OF
buying new works which might or might
not be worth real money.
Prescott. too, was dull in spots, but
50 were the inimitable sea and forest
stories of Cooper, but after you got into
them they were great. Yes, they were
great, they are great, despite their dull
pages. Dull days are q part Of life, so
why not Of books? Sometimes one may
be glad for the tireSome pages Of books