Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-18

How positive, he told US, those boy
hood comments werel
Yet they were strangely correct, ne
went on, considering the lack OF ex-
perience OF their author at that period
Of his life.
He plainly showed, in talking about
that boy Of the past, that he felt rather
proud of him today.
Only few OF those scrubbed CONF
ments would be changed today, and
most of these changes would b merely
in the form of lessened CO on
upon matters of which there y Isally
no proof, after ALL
1t will be realized that most book
lovers who insist on inscribing interest
ing bits of data on the front blank
pages of their books also will be in
terested in making comments on the
contents Of the books themselves.
Yet this is a habit which somehow
seems to lessen as the years go by.
A young reader is great deal more
likely to put positive agreements, or
disagreements, down in black and white.
as he reads along. than an older man
or woman who may have arrived at
what has been called the age Of dis
cretion.
The battle for truth goes on, just
the same as ever, but 1t must be waged
by the young bloods. That Is the way
some OF the oldsters feel, at any rate.
4
Another interesting thing which may
be done with books Is to make them
into a sort OF extended and informal
picture gallery.
Almost every one has scores of snap
shots which ordinarily are permitted to
lie around loose or to huddle together
in an album where each picture, in a
sense, detracts from every other picture
What to do with the snapshots of the
years, is real problem for many, espe-
cially those who really would like to
preserve them.
1t seems peculiarly appropriate, there
fore, to paste one photo on a front
blank page of book, especially where
that volume has some connection or
other with the person in the picture.
This method of handling random
snapshots gives a small picture an in
dividuality which it cannot possess
when 1t is one of heap.
Ordinarily, one Of the most unsatis-
factory experiences is In looking
through an album, where half a dozen
pictures on page call for inspection
at once, each detracting from the
other.
If ones average snapshots are getting
in each others way, all the time, one
becomes used to them, and they lose
all the yividneSS which they possessed
when first taken
When they are put, one by one. into
ones book, and those books not re-
ferred to every day, or every week, by
any means, such snapshots become
finds, when run into in selecting a book
from the case.
One is thinking Of the book, not about
the possibility OF discovering an old
snapshot in it, when he takes the vol
ume out of the bookcase.
The sight Of the picture, therefore,
comes as complete surprise, In most
cases, and the reader may spend some
moments contemplating II, almost as II
he had never seen 1t before.
Proper inscriptions in a book, COM
ments on margins and small photo
graphs pasted in, or even slipped be-
tween the pages-these are three ways
of increasing the interest and personal
value Of ones book treasures.
1t should not be necessary to state
that this sort of work should be done
With the greatest neatness. Those who
love books enough to own their own will
see to this. Many booklovers have dis
covered these methods for themselves,
but to those who may have overlooked
them, we recommend them as pleasant
ways Of adding immensely to the pleas
ure one gets from reading.