The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-31 00:00:00

71111 CIRCULATING LIBRARIES

We might be justified in ascribing the institution
of three-volumed novels to an arbitrary pecoliarity in the
national tuts, if we did not know that it was euetained by
another Maumee at least quits as powerful, end miquestien-
ably more active in its epistle's. We allude to the reel
patron. of novels—the Peculating libraries. To suppee that
novels are so; pitted st lely by a maniacal infatuation on the
part of their readers would be a mad ultimate ; they owe
their very *sirenes mainly to the caterers for the nobles
entertainmest, whim modesty alone p to them from
taking their legitimate plus before the world em the lilacs-
suss of this department of literature.
The Prot:wish:* of the circulating library is a sagacious
l'bporeirtaTiorfofbbisuniaseesteranaetruire, dna. kinniostwr.rethe foibles
to eanardefweellawk.
He knows wherein the priacipil scarce of his profit lies, sad
keeps a vigilant eye upon it. le boat ones a philosopher end
a man of bnoinem. Tee novelist himself is sot • better judge
of character—especially female character; and, teem p micro
with the circulating librarian, may be said to be absolutely
ids f the caulk power of his ewe vocation. He
would often, if left to himself, obey the impalas of a tempt•
lag subject, and produce a short story, is preierenoe to a
long a aaaaa ive ; but the librarian won't let him. The libra-
rian won't sewerage short Omits. The librarian wool
have them at any pries. He will have nothing to do with
them "if be lit on it;" and with pod num. • leer
put of his income, particularly la coutry lamas and sub-
urbia localities le derived from the practice of hiring out
new weeks at est mush a volume. Now it is clear that If
sew works of laden were limited to single volumes, the
traffic of the libraries would be eat short at one-third if its
usual mount. Three volumes are iedispenseble to him.
They are the " meaas whereby he lima" The natation of
qaalii does set enter late his ealeslaticies, which are
based, notes the sttiostioss of the work, of whisk he heaves
neat to seeing, and sans less, but upon the human is-
entity ammo to Revel raiders in genera!, who having
eau began, must persevere. Curiosity is fate in women;
and the librarian is fully aware of the feet. He has col-
lected freer hie upetisees this Optima math, that whe-
ther a newel he geed as bed, wise or foolish, you, Lydia
Lsagnisk the Mewed representative of your sec in
this istimeating peitticielar, having read one 6054110, will
aerer he seatent till you have read the ether two.
He 9446 before him a you f
proureatione whieh will
ells you to the fulfilment of that desperate ash!. Yemeni.
Yea must amertaia whether Angelica la married to Chit-
tieback or Jenkins. You are not quite cartels erre it WY
wrote that *reel areaymens letter, sad you meet find it
ant. Yon 'reader whether that saturable renames who
sever spoke a civil word to Amanda, tut huffed bar, lihe a
great bear, all throughout, is really in love with her. Yon
have your suspaions o• the eebj et, and could not endure
to see her menaced to suck a popinjay as hit Beverly But-
tonhole, who thinks of nobody but himself, and goes miu-
lag about like a feel se be is. Yea would rather a thou-
mad dam she married the bear. Thee, surely the wicked-
nem of the 'salute, stepmother, and her confederate the
lawyer, who, you are quite sere, has made away with the
old gentleman's will, must be punished in the esa. These
are problem. which it is nitesseery, foe your peso. of mind
sad high erase of jostler, ehosid be satiefactimily solved.
Not that you think much of the work, which, to tell the
truth, you have a very indifferent opinion of, after all. You
think that the author doesn't know a bit about women;
that the portrait of Herpes% is preposterous; that there
saver was each a woman as Lady Browshill ; and you don't I
believe that any men would be so absurdly meguanimous as
to propose far a proud beauty suddenly reduced t. poverty,
who had twins iejellinel kis be her prosperity. You don't
mesa to say gut tine is mot tea cleverness in the book—
of mores there ha se you woeld't read bet the author is
lamentably iguana of +seam.
ibis is tie liesdades upon which the librarian builds.
Tetollinnedi be Is sat a the most practical of ones, hie
feesiaelles, eMIwM bs W slways regarded as a rock, will
tautest ewe of Ohm dsys to be mothball better than is
tildmend whim\ 11 umenelly Paul( him. Teen Is a
term fie uemmlbsures and meted Wends, r,
there is for Was% SOUP of lament, sad honr-gles es.
The dyneety et the eiemlurig library Bevel will be as-
=tolemminsil, at se yen distant peeled• by the level-
the sellesed. The sevelndsit obi* has been fat
ems tide geleg forward ibreegb the indsibtigable spas,
of the uewaeundcee'e stands, is rapidly umbenainiu the old
library system. The Flying Stature*, ie no longer a myth ;
ha is a terrible literary republican • his kern is as eagles
whore blest is beard far and wide, ind his keels are winged
with steam. The hews of thipeyerg le mot in half so meth
duster from the Komuthe and plasmas es the house of the
Mediu library from Smith and Som.—Fraser'. Mepresine
(Jane).