Evening star., 1934-01-19

, side the value Of the words and the
effects they evoke. This impression Is
due to the understanding, Of even the
most unliterary sort of person. that O.
good book contains some amount, at
least, OF the aspiration and hope Of the
race.
Sometimes 1t seems as If the more
ignorant human being Is, actually,
not in any snobbish sense. the more
sure he is to credit books with q power
almost outside themselves. In this he
Is merely giving vent to the belief of all
persons that q good book Is very much
worthwhile.
And If worthwhile, such q book de-
serves the best home display the owner
can give It, Properly kept, 1t will al
ways be ready to lend It's unspoken and
unread sympathy to the beholder,
whether he see it constantly or occa-
sionally.
For this purpose, then. as well as for
others. the living room Is best.
~ ~
II this room is cut up by doors and
! windows so that only a comparatively
few Of the owners books can be kept
in 1t, where shall the remainder, at
least some, Of his collection be housed?
We suggest the dining room.
Too long has this great room been
reserved for its primary function.
There is no reason in the world in
the modern home, with its truly classic
simplicity, why the dining room can
not be used as . book room, too.
In fact, 1t Is so being used in many
homes, just as 1t often Is made an in
tegral part OF the living room ITSELF
The movement to make the dining room
"hvable" began long time ago. Even
IN the days shortly after the Spanish
American War many housewives kept
potted plants in the big bay window,
and drew up chairs or had a window
seat built in for the use of readers and
loungers 1T large.
A tendency is being noted nowadays
to dispense with some Of the orthodox
dining furniture and substitute
in its place bookcases in which to house
ones overflow volumes. Why not?
There Is no reason why one should do
nothing but eat in a dining room. 1t
Is room, after all. and nothing but
room, a place set aside for many
years for the business of eating, but
one which. by that very nature, is hu-
manitys room.
If it Is humanity,s room. it is q room
"NSAA AA1AA q bOOho Aluy WCl IColuC.
We would hold the library as the best
place for books, the living room the
second best and the dining room third
best. A cabinet of some sort might
be sacrificed for a bookcase. Prefer
ably 1t would be OF low type, in order
not to strike too harshly against the
feelings Of those who regard a dining
room solely as place in which to con-
sumo food.
One can picture In the minds eve.
however. a dining room, preferably
| somewhat darkish, in which bookcases
ran from floor to ceiling These, filled,
would be perfect background for the
finest linen, silver, flowers
What more subtle compliment could
one pay eating. as a habit, than to
place 1t among books-reading as a
habit?
The feeding of the body and the
mind, the feeding of the mind and the
body. because each reacts upon the
other
Railways often house books effective
ly, and might be used more than they
are for such a good purpose. If the
living room and the dining room, above
all, are well filled with books, the real
atmosphere OF the genuine booklover
will be created. yet without ostentation,
for it will shine out in a hundred little
ways which no faker could think Of,
much less achieve by taking thought