Evening star., 1932-04-09

Maybe he does not do it consciously.
but perhaps without thinking about 1t
at all.
Ten new books lie on his table or
tables, waiting for his practiced eye, but
he will have none Of them.
This Is a disposition, or indisposition,
we'll known to those who love books, and
not recognized by those who merely
read them.
The latter form a great tribe. whose
god is, or rather was, a certain dis
tinguished gentleman who prided him
self on reading so many books q day,
so many more --as,... shoals of them
by the mc1Cn and countless volumes
year.
II
| What the booklover likes to think of
as real reading, however, is not done
that way. This does not mean that he
holds anything against him or her who
reads many books within o given space
OF time. There is no greater enjoy
ment than such heavy fare, II one hap
pens to be in the mood and trim for it.
| Not always will the mental and physi-
cal activities of the reader permit such
an uninterrupted diet. If they do not,
he should recognize that the interim is
a necessary part of the reading life,
and not permit himself to be ashamed
| by what he may be inclined at first to
regard as laziness or neglect on his
| part.
What at first blush may look like
lazineSs to the booklover will be resolved
by him into protective instinct of his
mind. to shield it from OVERRIDING This
Is the necessary brake which all activi-
ties Of life necessarily put upon them
[ selves IN thnu Nzyish ~
| tine vigor. Those bookmen who do not
understand this law. and who conse-
1 quently whip themselves into a lather
| of forced activity are in great danger
of killing the goose that lays the gold
en- egg of appreciation.
y
| What most genuine lovers OF books
have found out for themselves is that
| they can snap back into it, any time
they please by no more arduous process
than opening good book and starting
to read 1t.
There is something powerful about a
good book!
It can awaken interest where there is
no interest; cause appreciation to fiow
| like dogs saliva at the sight Of din
ner; make reader suffering from
! apathy as excited as small boy with
/ d iItW OOOk 1IOlil Tic llDTaTy.
What does one react to in such
cases? Is it merely book? In most
cases book is one Of the most engag-
ing demonstrations mankind has Of
organization, applied thought, concen-
trated labor and appreciation.
| The scattering Of energies which goes
on in all branches of life must be mar
rowed down to one channel in writing
and publishing a book. He whose
/ talents such as they are, are diffused
will be among the first to acclaim the
! consecutive steps which go into this
thing we call book.
A book on any subject means that
singleness Of mind which achieves. One
has to have "one-track" mind to
write book, at least for the time
being. Only the good reader knows the
| difficulties of the good writer His
powers of appreciation help him in a
| field in which he may not have had
any personal experience.
Great books carry conviction with
them. In reading a book on a foreign
land where one has never been a good
! reader will know after a few pages or
/ chapters whether he is reading about
the real thing CT not.
y y
The booklover who sometimes finds
! his love for reading in temporary eclipse
will recognize his inability and debate
with himself whether he should permit
! himself to make natural and perhaps
belated return or force the process BY
taking up good book, preferably one
he has never read, and compelling, him
self to start reading it. The book, he
knows, will take care of the rest.
Both these methods have their
virtues In the Springtime, under the
| influence Of balmy air and the call OF
flowers, the booklover may be inclined
to let well enough alone, knowing that
his interest in reading is only at low
tide. AS sure as high tide rolls in again
around the world, so will he return to
! his well beloved books.