Evening star., 1933-07-13

Oliver Wendell Holmes was the first,
as well as the best, Of the writing doc
tors in American literature.
His poetry and essays are best re-
membered by readers brought up in the
traditional school room, but his great
novel, Elsie Venner," gives him surer
claim to fame, in our opinion.
1t is a good story, well intentioned
and planned, and finely executed, an
early example and leader among "psy-
Geological novels"
We thought so many years ago. when
We read 1t for the first time, and We
the result Of discovery at bOokstall.
This find" was nothing much, as
books go. but somehow tickled our fancy
1t was Elsie Venner" in two thin
volumes. printed in English in Berlin,
Germany, which somehow had found
their way to America at last, and ended
up here at 25 cents apiece.
Our chief purpose, in buying it. was
to regale ourSelf, SO We thought, with
some unintentional blunders. such as
one often finds in books set up In
English in foreign lands.
Often these mistakes are purely un-
conscious, thus making them the more
enjoyable. At the least the reader is
likely to find some glorious hyphenation.
1t seems that the division of English
words is great mystery In continental
Europe.
What was our amazement. therefore,
to find no mistake Of any kind whatso-
ever in the whole of these two volumes.
printing with which We were not IA
miliar
One is always learning something.
elsie Venner" is by no means as well
known as it ought TO be. or deserves.
Though naturally enough not mod
ern" in our present usage OF that much
abused word, this excellent piece OF
craftsmanship Is SO exceedingly we'll
handled that all lovers of the novel
ought to be familiar with it.
Yet what is the situation? We in
quired Of more than dozen men who
love books beyond the usual. and dis
covered that not q one Of them had
ever read it.
Only one had even intended to!"
But somehow he had never got round
to It," He always had been going to
read Elsie Venner," he claimed, but
other and newer things had taken its
place.
Our purpose today is not to tell the
story Of this old novel. or to do any
thing bat to urge readers to read it.
Often cne hears reader declare: oh
wish had something to read" when
all the time there are scores OF good
books in his own home. perhaps, unread.
Yet II some one were to mention them
to him. he would declare himself not in
the mood for them.
1t is unfortunate that this thing OF
mood has to enter in as largely as 1t does
in the reading habits Of so many. With
out this queer moodiness, we all might
go on TO read the better things, regard
less of time and chance and publishing
season.
No one has ever decided. after all,
exactly what makes reading appeal,
else nothing but best sellers" in the
best sense would be published.
Every good reader has had the ex-
perience Of falling to read some highly
commended work. only to find that it
made little or no difference after all,
in his life. and, strangely enough, in
his reading life.
There was Charles Morgan's fine
novel. The Fountain" which friends Of
discernment had decided would be Just
the book for him.
He never read it, however. but other
things. ard never felt that he had
missed anything. Perhaps it might bet
ter be phrased. what he had missed"
Ignorance was bliss, truly.