Lesson 59 Collecting
What in particular does a person gain when he or she becomes a serious collector?
People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so. Indeed they
can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know
they owned. Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what
can only be described as clutter. They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards
and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things.
As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of
pphysical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing
away, and sentiment. Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the
past, perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond
their true worth.
Some things are collected deliberatedly in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. Among
these I would list string and brown paper, kept by thrifty people when a parcel ahs been
opened, to save buying these two requisites. Collecting small items can easily become a
mania. I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that
she would like to buy if she had the money. As she is not rich, the chances that she will
ever be able to afford such purchases are remote; but she is never sufficiently strong-minded
to be able to stop the practive. It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such
an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.
Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides
relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one's treasures is alwasys a joy. One
does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home. Whatever
it consists of stamps, records, first editions of books, china, glass, antique furniture,
pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, there is always something to do in connection
with it, from finding the right place for the latest addition, to verifying facts in reference
books. This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which
have some bearing on it. There are also other benefits. One wants to meet like-minded collector,
to get advice, to compare notes, to exchange article, to show off the latest find. So one's circle
of friends grows. Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, possibly
a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, f=or collectors are not confined to any one country.
Over the years, one may well become an authority on one's hobby and will very probably be asked
to give informal talks to little gatherings and then, if successful, to larger audiences. In this
way self-confidence grow, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it.
Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for
boredom.