The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-10-02
IN FREE READING ROOMS.
QUEER CHARACTERS WHO HAUNT
NEW Works. LIBRARIES.

NEW WORKS. LIBRARIES.
Three That Act Alike. Yet DO Not Know
Each Other-An Old Man who Never
Takes Anything but Anthon's Classical
Dietionary-A Student Of Longevity.
In many public libraries of this city
there are daily to be seen some decidedly
eccentric characters. Their faces are ia
miliar to all the attaches of the place they
frequent, and every occasional visitor has
speculated at one time or other about
them.
In the Mercantile library, foFangtance,
there are three men who spend the entire
day there reading anything and every
thing, and this they have been doing for
years. One is an elderly man and both
the others are middle aged. They are at
the door of the room when it opens in the
morning at 0 o'clock. They take their
seats in the most methodical fashion and
begin. One Of them occasionally goes
down stairs, gets book from the library,
and returning in few moments, settles
himself in his corner with grunt of sat
isfaction and then appears oblivious to
his surroundings for hours.
AT noon, or thereabouts, this trio goes
out to luncheon. Not together, as each
seems to be unaware of the similarity of
the others habits. Sometimes one comes
back In twenty minutes, sometimes in
thirty, but none would presume to re-
main away longer than an hour.
In the afternoon their pastime is again
resumed, and 1t is continued until the
doors close at night, when they go away
reluctantly. =.
When the library made a rule to close
at o'clock Saturday afternoons, these
people and several others protested
against the carly closing movement as
an outrage.
Over at the Aston library there was
formerly peculiar looking German who
wore waxed ringlets and tremendous
necktie. He studied Goethe entirely, and
made notes by the bushelful on dirty
scraps of paper that he picked from the
floor or flshed from his pockets. He has
been missed for some time.
There is one nice looking, white haired
old gentleman who comes to the Cooper
union reading room in the neighborhood
of o'clock every day and calls for ''An-
thons Classical Dictionary" which is n
sort of biography of eminent ancient
characters.
he never asks for anything else, and
when heis seen to enter, the librarian, if
not busy, goes to the case and brings that
work to the desk.
The peculiar thing about this character
is that he has been pursuing this custom
ever since 1885, The reading room was
closed during the extensive alterations to
the building during '95 and SO. When
1t reopened almost the first visitor was
this same white haired old gentleman,
and Mr.. Curtiss, the librarian, could not
repress broad smile as the old gentle
man stepped before his desk and, laying
down his check, said, "How dye do?
Glad you're open again, and then add
ed, unconcernedly, "Anthon's Classical
Dictionary, please"
There is another queer fellow who
comes into the same reading room and
follows the attendants around as they file
newspapers and periodicals. AS soon as
the attendant places one of these in its
proper place the queer individual takes
1t up and rapidly turns and scans the
pages When the next one is placed he
props the first and skins over the second. |
This he does with each and every one |
He seems to have no definite object In |
doing this, as he cares not what the pub.
location may be-
At first the library assistants did not |
know what to make of him, but they are
used to him now and would miss his COM
partnership were he to leave off.
There is a third man who is also a
daily visitor, and he must have informa-
ton enough stored away in his breast to
run the world.
He is probably between IS and 60
years old. He has an air of comfort
about him, and might be taken for
one time workingman who had amassed
competence upon which he proposed |
to live at his ease for the rest of his
days He has been coming to the libra
ry for several years and began his read
ing on volume ! of the American En-
encyclopaedia. That book he called for
every day for goodness knows how long,
and when he had presumably exhausted
Its contents he began on volume 2,
and SO he continued until he came to
the last volume.
Then he began on volume again
and went over the entire ground. 1t is
thought that he has read the Encyclo-
p@dia at least dozen times, and he is
still at it.
Up ut the Mechanics library on West |
Sixteenth street an old man had been
frequent visitor. He was fully S5 years
old and feeble at that. He had mania
for reading books on longevity, and
bored for hours over "Inman's Preser-
walton of Life" collins Secret of Long
Life" and books of the kind.
.'Look at that old man." said the
librarian one day to his assistant. ~
don't think his deep study on the pres
ervation of life will keep him from the
grave much longer. He has been look
ing badly for week or two, and APP
pears to be at the edge of the precipice
now. The prophecy proved correct,
for the next thing heard of the old man
weary world, and the knowledge CLEANED
from Collins or lnman did not suffice to
keep him.
Another character at the Mechanics
library is an old lady who revels in the
most sentimental love stories. Then
there are several misses who draw out
books of the deepest philosophy "just to
show the high taste they have" the man
ct the desk says, and there are number
OF old men who delight In reading tales
Of adventures for boys.
The ubiquitous TRAMP is frequent
caller ut the Mechanics and other free
reading rooms, especially during cold or
rainy weather.
The only peculiar thing about him,
though, is his aversion to reading and
his ability to sleep behind o newspaper
without a CULVER OF the hand. New