Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-17
A QUIET CORNER
1.-THE Odd.TelIOws' Library iB which
Reporter Enseonced Himself,
and What He Saw.
Fondness ef the Young Girls for Ro'
maRee-steady Increase In the
Nunber OF VISITOR.

The number Of visitors to the O1t-Fel-
lows Library has b=en constantly incrf asing,
and fully thirty-five called there Yesterday
TO read in the library OF to borrow book 10
peruse at home. 81 have noticed that more
boys visit the library How than ever before"
remarked the lady librarian yesterday.
MANY of them are not more than twelve
years of age. / believe ! may truly say IL at
the largest per cent OF visitors are youths oil
from eleven to nineteen years oil age"
A QUIET CORNER.
An APPEAL reporter WHO teok a Reai IN
quiet corner for an hour or two last week
was pleasantly eutertained. The boys are
solid readers Books Of travel, history and
biography form 5lmost the whole Of thelr
reading. Nearly every one who taxa
book away introduces several others who, IN
their turn, swell the list OF regular visitors.
Over on one side are the works alluded 10,
and on the other side are the Tomspces. They
sre the alteration OF the schOol giTls. They
come in during the evening IN be7ies, and
absolutely devoUr the shelves 10 search OF
something that looks opeD-worky, full OF dIs-
logue and exclamation points. FROM MS
quiet nook the other day the reporter oo-
served a blooming young girl with light,
tsree books from the shelf and lay them
upon ths tsbie. Oae of them Sas bound In
blue and geld, another in crimson and the
third wac ragged, but gilt title which
cleaned from the duet with which II was
bsgrimed. made it plain why it had been Sc
lected. fhe name was Why He Louea Her.
The question with the young lady was 10 de-
eide between the three. Fret she would
pick up one and open 1t, lay 1t softly down
and peep between the leaves OF q secoud.
Finally the crimson bound volume
was laid aside and struggle
took place in her mind ss to which of The
remaining two sue would choose. The old
weather-beaten book was once replaced on
the shelf but taken down again, and doing II
up affectionately in a piece Of paper the
| biue-eyed darling registered and departed
| but not without casting Wishiui glance
back at the treasures she had left Oi bali
| a dozen Young ladies who visited the library
within an hour, five 10 sde straight Tor the
| shelves where the novels are kept. Inc
choice wss never quickly made, but there
| was plainly a longing 10 lake three or lour
| which is against The rules. One OF the girl;
was OF very
DIFFERENT MOLD.
Without any waste Of time she found the
page in the catal que which, contained tbs
| list of works on popular science, selected
| one with excellent taste, signed Tor 1t arc
| departed. The reporter was inclined at tirs
| to believe her 10 be teacher, bat learned
| that. go far from that, she was not yet ;
graduate. but was hard student, and coulC
write or speak with intelligence upon va
riety of subjects. Yet she was mild ant
| amiable in her disposition, modest and an
assuming, aud quite iavorite among youns
| gentlemen OF her station-youDg men en-
| pIoyed ~ mechanics, who delighted to basl
| in the sunshine OF her smile and the light 0
| her intelligence The secret OF ihis lsy il
the fact that her conVersSiIon was not q
| books tsemselvee, not string Of quotation
| from favorits sulbors, but she used what sin
learned to polish and enrich her Owl
thoughts, and expressed them in name
easily understood.
| FEW YOUNG MEN
over nineteen years OF age visited the ii
| brary, None were seen during the evening
| spoken of, ard it ia said that the whole mum
| her in q month 10 not mere than four or five
A number OF The boys who get books icon
the library ara cash boys or youths who ar
! employed 10 lawyer Offices, and not a fe'
apprentices. The great mass OF young Amer
| leans may read blood and-thunder stories
| though il is certain none of them draw thei
| auuply OF literature from the library bu
| from the news-stands, where the most sen5a
tioual side of pictorial papers is displayed Il
| the public gaze. The yellow back novel ha
| gone out of use and hve-ceat library on ih'
| siyle of the SEASIDE has been put ID iheI
stead. One of The youngsters whom toe re
porter noticed was a bright, rosy fsced littl
| fellow, who seemed 10 be brimiul of life, bu
had plenty of intelligence with it.. He knew
| the way to the shsli et history anC
travel, AID going straight 10 1t began
| counting over the titles until h.
struck SCOTS History of Napoleon. he mex
pulled down volume Of Travels IN Turkey
| and after some hesitation selected the latter
He was SO anxious to get into it that ii
| opened it and bryan reading while tn
| librarian was making the entry OF the NUN
Der and title OF the volume in book KEEP
for the purpose.
| OTHER POINTS.
"Are the books you loan usually returnec
promptly?" inquired the reporter OF Mrs
| Adams, the librarian "Yes," was the reply
'There is rule making it a Enable ofiens
TO keep book longer than two weeks. Mos
| of the books taken out are we'll cared for
too, though few are very careless. The,
| do not sem to remember that the library con
| fers q favor upon them by loanlDg book
| out from the manner III WHICH tuty hi-tISe-
them one would rather believe they wen
under the impression they were doing tn
library a kindness to read one OF it
| books. OF course We are glad an
really anxious to nave the public psroniz
the library, and in almost all instances thu
kindness extended has been appreciated. w
do not care, however, 10 impress sense o
obligation upon any one quite The COZ
| trary."
"Do all your visitors registerW
"By no means. | always insist upou il
but there ia reluctance - do go that / can
not understand. To-day have had at ieas
thirty five visitors, and, as goa See, only si1
have regisLered. All Who borrow books mus
sign for them, of course, and in that way
can tell exactly how many are loaned in
day, but great msny come in and read al
hour or two, and thsn leave. Some of thes'
register, but he maj ority do not"
THE LIBRARY
Is in much better condition now than il ha
been for some tins past. The books are al
indexed, Numbered and we'll placed. Th'
public seem to be taking greater interest i,
it than ever before, AMI the number o
books loaned is constantly increasing. Their
il variety enough for the general ran o
readers, though in many respects the librar!
is disappointing. 1t might we'll be com
| pared TO set of encyclopedias from which
| one or two volumes are missing.
a1-....-e.,e.--.Ss.Z