Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-14

chased of the elder authors and is
more often sold in sets than not.
Nowadays the world Is more sharply
split on Dickens than It used to be
For many years after the death of that
writer his novels were an accepted part
of culture, both in England and the
United States.
Today there has arisen a distinct cult
against all things Victorian, includ-
ing the stories of the master novelist
But it will be discovered that thou
sands of readers do not subscribe to
these tenets, but go right ahead read
ing as they please.
Reading as one pleases is the only
way to read after all. 1t Is well to
listen to the advice of others, but when
one carries it too far he ends by hav-
ing no mind Of his own, as the say
ing is
To have a mind of ones own, in
bookdom, means to read an author be-
They may not tickle the fancy of Bill
Smith or Tom Jones. but that makes
little difference, after all.
X X X X
The open, mind finds good in Dick
enS-alSo it finds little gOod-depend-
ing upon the temperament of the in
dividual reader.
If one is able to find entertainment
in Dickens. a complete set of him
should be the corner stone Of the home
library.
We have been into hundreds Of homes
and always have looked at the book
cases, and have been amazed at the
number of times we discovered sets OF
Dickens.
1t may be a very old set, but there
always was something comfortable
looking about it. These were books
meant to be read and invariably showed
the marks of having been read, too.
Scott Is another author once circu-
lated widely in the form of complete
works" Sir Walter, too, underwent a
period of SANDER and mild utilization,
but that day is happily over, and most
readers, even the sophisticated, are
coming ITO see that there is much good
and beauty in his grand series OF
novels.
We have named noveliSts because
there is some peculiar relationship be-
tween the born story teller and O COM
plete set of his books.
Once q reader gets a good taste of
an author, and likes it, he finds himself
consumed with a hankering for the re-
mainder. This is an appetite which will
only be satisfied by more of the same.
We knew sailor once who made 1t
a point to read the complete works of
some author on every voyage. Thus he
went through Bulwer-Lytton, on an
other voyage Victor Hugo, and on a
third the grand series of the Human
Comedy" of -Balzac.
The one danger which the average
reader runs with a set is to indulge too
heavily Intemperance is intemperance,
even with books. The pure spirit of the
printed word will not save one from
mental indigestion, If he insists on
plunging in without regard to the
eternal laws.
When one bears home fine new set,
therefore, he must make a mental re-
solve not to go at the books too hammer
and tongs There will be plenty of time
for him to finish those books.
Nor, on the other hand, must he per-
NIT them to stand there unopened. 1t
is true that the twenty or more volumes
look very we'll there, in their uniform
bindings, flashing with much gold.
Each book will look better, however,
in the hands of reader, the proper
place for a good book. The set will
look even finer when the gloss is worn
of its units by honest reading.