Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-29
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEwELL.

| ter than some Of those stories put out
last year.
Better not only in itself, but better
for the reader. Yes, better for the very
reader who, mistakingly, feels that be-
cause thing Is new it must somehow
be better.
Better especially for that sad soul
who feels that he is keeping up with
books" by buying only such volumes as
bear recent imprints. 1t is like keeping
up with the latest popular songs" an
impossible task as any one knows who
listens to the dance orchestras over the
radio.
y X X y
The foolish booklover is a fool only
in relation to the wise. He is far wiser
than the person who buys no books at
all. Yet he is simple In his pristine be-
lief that the satisfaction of being ahead
of somebody else is the only thing that
counts.
Surely that is half, II not three
fourths, of this danger that may be
carried too far-"here is something
, new" The desire to be ain the know"
Is as besetting in bookdom as in sport
dom.
Nor can anything be said of this state
OF mind in itself. The new game, the
game of the day, is the most interesting
game ever played, let he deny it who
will.
To read the new magazines, see the
new plays, sing or play the new songs
read and talk about the new books
we all know these states of mind and
appreciate them for such worth as they
have, but when they are carried too
far, as Mr.. Lippincott says, we have
something else again, and in the latter
IS, danger which threatens both
n lar 0RN@ ia
burden upon both the living and the
dead.
The joke Of the whole matter is that
this America is getting to be SO large
and has gone in so heavily for mass
production OF everything, from automo-
biles to thoughts (Mr. Lippincott saws
we are ION the trot," and he is about
right, that to know anything any more
really means very little.
Ask friend il he saw the Blahville-
Jahville foot ball game and he will an
swer. mo. but saw smithvilie beat
Jonesville." Ask him If he has read
So-and-So in the current number of
Blink'S and the chances are 10 to that
he will not have; that he will have
read very fine article in JinkS Review
instead. Ask fair lady If she likes the
new fox trot, "Sweeter Than Sweet"
She will say, mo; but have you heard
Nal lou BeauGl1uP?" Speak to a
friend about the new novel, 1.-THE Mid
night Bell'; he will have read Iron
Man."
So all along the line you are left with
your little bit of knowledge, trying to
talk to some one who has another bit
OF knowledge. You 60 along side by
side, but you seldom meet. The field is
too large. One would have to put in 10
hours day reading the new, newer and
newest books in order to be sure of nav
ing read the very one that Bill Jones
has read. And, of course, IL you have
not read that one, you have wasted your
time-as far as Jones is concerned.
Then there is the matter of simple
worth. In the field of books it is more
than true that "the fine things of yes
terday may never be surpassed" One
might wish to be as sure of all things
as ne Is OF the certainty that the true
best books of the centuries will never be
excelled. There may be other books.
but these cannot be greater, because the
old stand firmly for what they are
That Is why. above everything else. we
love the classics, let the youngsters sheer
their I'LL. They are as they are for
what they are, and very Time itself
cannot change them. The new books
are very well in their way, but so are
the good old books. Let us never forget
that AOAs0"