Ancient Chinese books-from the earliest bamboo tablets and reed pages to later string-bound paper books-tended to fall apart and lose their pages, or the writing would fade and rub off. Thus, it was essential to treat books carefully, picking them up and setting them down gently, and immediately repairing any damage. If pages were missing, one would immediately rebind the book to prevent further loss. If one does not handle a modern hardcover book gently, even it will fall apart and lose pages, and one will have to buy another copy the next time one wants to read it. If it is out of print, however, that simply won't be possible. Thus, the habit of being organized in one's daily life saves not only time but money. To tell whether people are successful and in control of their own lives, observe to see how organized they are and how carefully they handle things from day to day.  

Abraham Lincoln, known for his love of learning, was born in a poor family and had to work to support his schooling. Since Lincoln could not afford to buy many books, he borrowed most of them from others. As a young boy, he looked up to George Washington, the first President. One day his friend lent him a biography of Washington. He read it over and over, unable to set it down. One night during a huge downpour, the roof of his humble home leaked and the book got wet. After he dried it by the fire, the pages were all wrinkled and the cover was stained. Lincoln thought in despair, "If I return the book to my friend in this shape, people will never lend me another book again!" Then he worked for three days, and used his wages to buy a new copy of the biography of Washington for his friend. His friend approved heartily of Lincoln's deed. After taking the book, he paid Lincoln for it and told him to buy another book with the money. Lincoln was grateful almost to the point of tears. Later, he reverently held the rain-drenched biography of Washington and read it every day, regarding Washington as his teacher. From that anecdote, we see that from his childhood, Lincoln cherished books, studied hard, and was absolutely trustworthy. Thus, he succeeded in completing his studies at last, freed the black slaves, and served as the sixteenth President of the United States. How could all of that have been mere chance or luck?

Books are crystallizations of the wisdom and experiences of those who came before us. Reading broadens our perspective and enables us to adapt others' knowledge for our own use, so that we do things more efficiently. More importantly, we can develop proper concepts and good character through the influence of what we read. The benefits are endless! In every culture, the earlier we go back in history, the harder it was to make books and the more expensive they were. Due to the social and political systems in the past, education was not universal. Thus most poor and lowly families had no access to schooling and no opportunity to improve their lot. However, people can determine their own destinies, and there have also been examples of people who underwent hardships and achieved success, such as Lincoln and the black educator, Booker T. Washington.

In ancient China, there were also many great scholars who overcame the hardship of the dearth of books by determination and intelligence. A line in the Three Character Classic goes, "They wove rushes and shaved bamboo slips. Though they had no books, they pushed themselves to study." That line alludes to Lu Wenshu and Gongsun Hong of the Han dynasty. Lu Wenshu came from a poor family and worked as a shepherd for others. He would copy books borrowed from others onto sheets of dried rushes that he had woven, so that he could read and study them over and over. Thus he became an eminent writer and statesman. Gongsun Hong also came from a poor family. Even at age fifty, he still herded pigs for others to support himself. Wishing to study, he whittled bamboo into slips, shaving off the green skin, then carved the Spring and Autumn Annals onto it from a book he had borrowed. Studying under such difficult circumstances, he eventually became the prime minister. The great writer Ouyang Xiu of the Song dynasty also came from a poor family and lost his father at a young age. His mother, Mrs. Ouyang, taught her son to read by spreading sand on the ground and using a reed as a brush. She gave Ouyang Xiu an excellent primary education. Those are all stories of people who studied hard and succeeded despite the lack of books. Nowadays, with advanced publishing techniques and universal public education, everyone can get a basic education. However, not only are more and more children unappreciative of books, they even skip school to engage in improper activities, wasting their precious youth and becoming parasites and scoundrels of society. What a terrible pity!