Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-13

never miss what we have until
lt has gone.
We take books for granted,
I'LL the glory. tragedy, hlunor.
,sadnes and adventure. which
books contain, all the compon-
Aonship and the inspiration all
the new paths they open for US.
the new places. the new scenes.
The new people. the new ex-
titement Of discovery. the wis
dom. the golden thoughts, the
laughter.
A book Is a passport to the
world. and it is only when We
lose that passport that We dis
cover that we are homeless, that
the world Of men is closed to
us, that we are bound and
exiled. with no place to 60, and
that We have lost touch with
our fellows.
There are some who sey
that 1t is much worse to be
hungry and homeless and UNI
wanted than it is not to have
books. / disagree. ! have
been hungry, homeless and un-
wanted, and I filled all the
barren space with the books !
borrowed and ! was consoled
and inspired. and ] was given
courage.
Few Books at Start
For years the only books I
possessed were Shakespeare. an
ancient copy Of Thoreau, Quo
Vadis" and Jean Christophe."
I read and reread them liter
ally hundreds of times, in a
place where there we're no
books at all and nothing to
read.
y still have those old books;
/ wouldn't part with them for
anything, for ! cannot forget
what it means not to have
books, the loneliness, the empti-
hess, the shut dark places.
The first terrifying experience
Of not having books--that is,
being unable to read them
occurred when I was IA years
old. I had been wandering in
some woods and a thorn tree
whipped at me and injured my
right eye. For two weeks
hereafter. ! was forbidden to
feAd until my eye healed. 4
There was music in our home.
hut music is only part Of the
Wofld. / could walk on the
streets, but the street was only
atiny section Of living. could
talK with others. but talk does.
not convey a mans real
thohghtS. For a few days ! had
to live in a darkened room.
and to this day darkness means
teffor to me and emptiness. a.
PLACE without thought or being.
Couldn't Get Enough
When / was iinaIly permitted
"a read I fell on books as a
Starving man falls on food and
/. I could not get enough of them.
and I still cant, for without
books there is a spiritual dark
ness.
a home without a library is
not a home at all. The library
does not have to be a special
room. For many, many years
my only library was three
wooden shelves I put up myself
ii d rented room. And once
my library consisted only of
suitcase.
Music and pictures, friends
ard entertainment, are only
part of living. But books are all
6f Living, for in them are music,
pictures, friends and entertain
naeilt. A book contains all the
arts within its pages, and all
the artists. 1t contains the
tlloughts of the ages: the most
modern is only an echo of books
Written hundreds, even thou
sands of years ago. 1t is mans
greatest monument--the book.
The written word is mans
fchleSt invention. A people
without an alphabet and books !
are. q people without civiliza-
ton. They remain at the primi-
tive level of beasts. "A man who
does not read" said Plato, is
q creature who is not fully a |
n u"
Three years ago ] had an
other accident to my eye and
was forbidden to read. / tried
listening to the radio, both
plays and music. ! tried visiting
with friends. And, was not
only bored but was terrified
! began to visualize a world
without books for me and the
thought was uncomfortable.
Infection Clears Up
: So. against my doctors or
derS / resumed reading and it'll
did not matter to me any long
SrRhether or not I was injur-
ing my affected eye. My very
ten&eness at not being able to
fead was hurting my eye worse
than reading and the infection
cleared up quickly.
sAll material things could be
TAKEN from me and they would
matter very little so long as
had my library. and so long as
] could travel the long and fas-
cinating world open to man
kind only through books.
I have lost much of my hear
ing, but ] hardly miss it, for !
have only to start to read to
hear voices clearly and song
and laughter and anguish. To
psraphrase the Bible. Heard
things are good, but the UNI
heard are sweeter."
Take a book in your hand.
You will walk ways you never
walked before. see people un-
known to you but who echo
your most secret thoughts, love