, 1886-01-29
LIBRARY HABITUES.
THE PEcuLlARiTlEs IN READING
TASTE AS NOTED IN CITIES.
From Light Literature to Metaphysics
A Decidedly Erratic Reader-A Mot
ley crowd-The Greatest Call for
Ffction-TraveIs.

% stand near the delivery window Of the
public school library and watch the man
ner Of different persons as they approach
and to listen to the names of the books
they ask for. A lad OF IS approaches the
desk and asks for "Pilgrim's Progress
Then comes the young lady of 10, who,
with II cooling voice, asks for one OF Mrs.
Holmes works. A consumptive looking,
whose cerebral development is evidently
the opposite OF remarkable, asks with a
most important air to be furnished with
Sir William Hamilton's Metaphysics
The old-timer quietly and unostenta-
tiously fills out the blank with the name
OF the book he wants and w%ithdraws to
the reading-room.
A DECIDEDLY ERRATIc READER
One visitor of the library has been put
down by its employees as peculiar" He
is a decidedly erratic reader, and gener-
ally gets an encyclopedia and n novel Mt
the same time. Then he proceeds TO the
reading-room, where he skips from the
one to the other, as though trying to read
them both Mt the same time. He will very
often put the novel within the cyclopedia
md go to the newspaper files, put the
books on the paper before him and go
through the same tactics. He comes to
the library about four times a week. There
was some doubt at first whether he should
be supplied with books differing so much
from each other. but as the least interior
ence has the effect of exciting him and
causing him TO speak boisterously loud,
he is now allowed to have his own way.
The most interesting time of the day te
visit the library Is between 2;30 and o p
m. At $50 the girls from the branch higl
school escape from the thralldom of the
class room and troop into the library.
4 80 -. - Ill. -. 49,. As-1IA-f-
schools drop in and the scene perceptibly
brightens under the sunlight OF pretty
faces and twinkling eyes. They are not
Sweet girl graduates" as yet, but they are
sweet enough to be such.
THE largest attendance said Mr.. Spa
mer, the librarian, "is bstween the hours
of 3 and 0 in the afternoon. The class OF
people that come at that time generally
frequent the reading room, and are, as a
rule, generally a motley crowd. Between
II o'clock and noon, there is always a
large attendance of ladies and gentlemen
to take advantage Of the lunch hour to
change their books. A large number of
ladies' come in between the hours Of 3 and
8 p. m. Three days in the week we have
what we term a matinee crowd-that is,
the people come down town early and
visit the library before attending the
tbA ~ @sOO IA nv NUN Atth
school children troop in and, changing
their books, also take advantage Of the
reference to prepare their lessons for the
morrow. The heaviest days are Satur-
day and Monday, Friday making n good
third. On these days the clerks are taxed
10 their utmost.
THE HIGHER MIDDLE CLASS.
"The class Of people that p%atronizes the
public library might be called the higher
middle class. An occasional literary tramp
drops in on us and surprises us at times
by the extent of his knowledge on liter
AIRY topics. A number of people who evil
IDENTIFY nave no place to go in the cold
weather, come here to get a book, and en-
JOY the comfort OF a warm room. An
other class Of visitors whom we call
regulars make frantic efforts to lunch
on their wienerwurst and keep up their
literary performance at the same time.
We permit no lunching in the rooms, and
keep n sharp lookout to prevent it. 1t is
amusing, however, TO watch the 'regu-
lars attempt their feat.
"The class of literature for which there
Is the greatest call, is OF course fiction.
Ben Hur,' Wallace's book, is the book OF
the hour; Dickens and Bulwer about
divide the honors of being most in demand,
with n slight preponderance in favor of
Dickens, perhaps. Thackeray is less
called for, but makes n good third, and
George Eliot's' works are always out.
Thu demand for American novelists is
steady. Charles Egbert Craddock' is
more read han any other author at
present, the local interest connected with
her name having a good deal to do with
the demand. Travels come after fiction
and then scientific works. Travels in the
Arctic regions always AVE n peculiar
fascination for readers, while Stanley's
books are also very much read. Norden-
skeld comes in for no small amount OF
patronage. French translations ARE very
popular, and the call for books in the
French language is increasing. Zolal no
indeed we don't keep any Of Zola's novels
on hand. II would not do.
"The lady visitors n W a very decided
leaning toward TRANSACTIONS OF German
novelists, especially those by Mrs. Writer.
Marlitt is the favorite, OF course. We re-
gard this ms a very healthy sign, as the
German novel is essentially n domestic
one. Therefore we look upon this sign rs
favorable and cater to this demand to the
full extent OF our resources. As to girls,
they generally begin by reading all Of
Louisa Allcott's books and then drift on
to Mrs Holmes st. Louis Chronicle.