Evening star., 1932-03-16

There are so many books to read
how does one make a selection?"
SO writes a correspondent, and W,
hasten TO sympathize with him.
How does one, indeed?
Il jilt twenty books whenever I fl
on one" wrote a wise man.
There Is no other way to do 1t.
Only the conceited person can fee
that he has made an infallible selection
OF the worlds best" that he has reaC
everything he ought to read, and lef
nothing good unread.
The best readers of books know tha
there is many good fish left un.
caught in their sea; they realize tha
1t is impossible for any human beins
to read all the worthwhile thing:
printed.
Since this is true, and no one with
for the sake of argument, it remain,
equally fact that wise selection /!
necessary, If one desires to get ever
taste Of the good things stored away
In books.
The basis Of this wise selection mus
be the individual self.
Here is where rugged individualism
comes into its own.
The reader must have enough force
OF character to know what he likes
and enough disregard for mass opinion
to be sure of his own.
If he listens to every windy opinion
which comes his way, offering him free
advice as to which books, old and new
he must read, he will be lost in a sea
deeper than McGinty ever knew.
Self-reliance Is the only methoc
which gives practical results. BY thi,
one would not imply that no advice i,
to be taken at all. Far from it. one
must simply make sure that the advice
Is given by like mind and tempera.
ment. There is nothing surer in thi.
world than that like attracts like-un.
less 1t is that unlike attracts like.
In the matter of reading, however
one Is more likely to come out of thu
woods at the right place IL he listen.
to those fellow human beings, critics
friends, enemies, whose life-likes are
similar to his own.
These hfe-likes, as we call them. ar,
all the thousand and one similaritie.
which have been worked out by human
beings over the centuries. They includ,
the great basic likes revolving around
habits Of living, matters of art. Of
activities, of spiritual sympathies.
These who see eye-to-eye with us
whoever We are, are our real brother.
in this world.
Because people know this, they fiocl
together in congregations, in clubs, ir
gatherings Of all sorts where life-like,
work themselves out.
Even these mutually sympathetic
RrI
split into smaller groups The historian
looking into the cause, finds it to be 9
small one. But those who call II
trivial" do not realize how much heat
and human sympathy went into tn,
matter.
The real irreconcilables Of this world
are those who fight mentally, mo-
physically. Often the opponents on 9
battlefield find time to joke and talk
backward and forward between the
lines. Between them there Is q built.
up, an artificial enmity.
Between true mental enemies ther,
Is never any reconciliation, not even fol
a moment. This comes about becaus,
the mind Of man recognizes the tru,
greatness Of itself, and knows that
whatever 1t regards as error must be
to 1.-THE supreme enemy, with whom
or which there can be no temporizing
Thus it happens that the most bitter
enmity Of all is that Of the intelligence
Upon this foundation have been erectec
the magnificent quarrels of history
The strangest thing is that the fight
for truth goes on just as ma gnificently
when the mind has made a mistake
So long as it thinks it is right, it car
fight.
4 X
This principle must be applied, Il