Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-18
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. rRAcEWELL.

A most interesting and unusual diary
NAV he kept in many volumes, If one
is interested enough IN DOCKS 70 WANT
to own ones own.
So much Is necessary, OF course. IL
is scarcely possible to write in borrowed
books. and writing Is rather essential In
keeping a diary.
II will be a diary Of moods. The way
II il done IS this: Always write your
name. and date. In your new books. II
in another city or country, put that
down.
II with a friend, note that down.
Put in any small comment that the
time and place brings forth. II the
hoolr has been discovered In back
street shop At the seashore, make
note of it. 49,.
In this way. in the course OF time,
ones books will harbor a Large amount
OF interesting data.
We were privileged recently to look
over the home library OF much-traV-
eled Washingtonian.
He had treated his books IN this tasn-
ion for many years, and glances at the
first pages revealed much interesting
matter.
And If these formerly blank pages
before the title pages, intrigued wan
dering fancy, it can be imagined thai
they meant a great deal more to ther
owner
This gentleman had the advantage
of being a large traveller. This TACT, OF
course. added an immense amount OF
interest to his library.
He had books purchased in London,
Paris. Berlin, Budapest, and many other
european cities. Some of these were In
English, more of them in the languages
peculiar to their places OF printing.
He always found it easy to purchase
something by Mark Twain, he said, al
| most any place he went.
Several OF the books were ms own
favorites among classic European
authors.
He read the languages indifferently,
| hut that did not keep him from enjoy
! ing the books 1t was pleasure mere
| " to contemplate them, he asserted,
Now. one has to be genuine DOCK
lover. to appreciate that, but 1t Is true
enough, as far as 1t goes. ANY one wno
| has enioyed Emile Zols's "L'Assommoir
/ in an English translation would appre-
ciate being the owner of copy OF 1t
| in the original French, even If he could
not read 1t.
The WashingtonianIs copy served as
| well as any book he has for the pur-
poses of notation. When he opens the
! covers and looks into the volume, the
| first thing that strikes his eye is the
name Of the hotel in Paris where he
stayed.
It was his first experience with q
French hotel. and those who have trav-
! eled the most say that there Is nc
other which looms quite as large in
memory.
1t must not be thought that this book
lover purchased books merely for the
pleasure of writing in them. With him
| it was an entirely unconscious process
until he had been doing 1t for many
years.
Thus he had the advantage, perhaps
of those who, hearing of his idea, might
attempt to emulate it. It seems to come
natural to some bookloverS, and 1t Is
| these who get the most out of the habit
II one becomes too conscious about
It, the entries will tend TO become
slightly artificial That, however, is the
risk any one must run in any matter OF
| interest to humanity.
The gentleman about whose books we
have written began his entries in his
boyhood books, and was fortunate
enough TO keep most OF them after
maturity. He often spends en- hour OF
so running over the pages Of these old
books to catch the queer writing Of the
boy that was.