THROUGH LIBRARY WINDOWS 3 



mastery of books, and out of book-mastery is 

 character building. Reading is mental travel- 

 ling out over new lands, among new people, 

 amid diversified changes full of interest and 

 teaching, with companionable characters, hav- 

 ing rare opportunities for observation. It is 

 observation that impresses memory and stimu- 

 lates reason and invigorates judgment and 

 enriches understanding, and these work in us 

 all that culture means. 



In our library all reading material has the 

 right of way; desks and chairs are a necessity 

 and fill a space, but the petted cases fairly 

 groan, overburdened with ever-increasing vol- 

 umes; yet they are so adjusted and related by 

 taste and space as to give an air of ease and 

 comfort. One can always do better work when 

 in sympathy with one's environment. So many 

 libraries have every convenience and yet are 

 pulseless and irresponsive, they do not appeal 

 to you in any kindly way, they do not inspire 

 mental or spiritual longings. To work in them 

 at your best would be quite an impossibility. 

 You may not be able to tell just what the diffi- 

 culty is, but you sense it; it may be on the wrong 

 side of the house, it may be the set way in 

 which things are related, or, possibly, the paper 

 or curtains or carpet or chairs or all combined. 



