The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-17
WHAT PEOPLE READ.
Books That Find Favor in Pop
ular Eyes.
MODERN ERoTic LITERATURE.
Standard Works I'm Poor Demaud-Wise
Plans for the City Library-How
Public Taste Runs.

Lord Bacon, in Shakespeare's time, said
that reading maketh a full man." and
the statement has become an axiom.
While il is true that reading produces full
ness it is an open question whether such
reading as is at present done produces the
quality which the great essayist intended
to describe in his terse sentence. This is
emphaticalIy an age of prolific reading
matter. Books, magazines and newspa-
pers have been so reduced in cost that
they have come within the reach of all
men. Public and circulating libraries
have been instituted and conducted so
that no man who is not too lazy TO walk
or too silly to ask need suffer mental hum
ger. To find out what sort of reading Is
being INDUCED in in Seattle. reporter
yesterday, and for several days past, went
the rounds, dropping in at the library.
reading rooms and public book stores,
conversing with all sorts and conditions
of men and women upon the subject OF
books, authors and current literature.
More persons visit the city library rooms
in the Occidental block than any other
public reading place in Seattle. The read
ing-room of the municipal library has been
open now just l42 days, and during that
time visitors and readers have averaged
80 daily, so that since April the number
of readers in the city library has been,
upon low estimate, 21,3OO At present
the city library consists only of reading
room, supplemented by number of refer
ence books, consisting of magazines, en-
cyclopedias and histories. Eight thou
sand books have been ordered and special
agent in the East is purchasing them on
order for the library commission. Those
who have charge of providing and looking
after the city's reading stock are Eben
Smith. Mrs. A. B. Stewart, Mrs. j. G..
Haines. Mr.. r. c. Washburn and
Mr. E. Aver. For some time the city
had an income of 5000 per month
at the disposal of the commission, but
this sum has fallen to about 81 900, and
the purchases will be necessarily extended
over longer period of time. The idea of
the library commission eventually is to
have in Seattle a peoples palace, which
will consist of fine building, stocked
with good books and elevating works of
art, which shall contain a weIl-collected
museum. and will have connected with it
a complete industrial school for the free
training of all who desire to be advantaged
thereby. This is no mere idle dream. 1t
will come to pass within five years, if able
heads and patriotic hearts count for any
thing in shaping the literary and artistic
destiny of community.
'We have a good attendance here, as
you see" said Librarian Smoke, pointing
to the tables, where sat many interested
readers. The remark was very true. All
over the room men of various ages stood
and sat or moved about quietly, reading
the books, newspapers and magazines
spread out before them and frequently
arising to procure reference book from
the various shelves. The patrons vary.
In the morning different set visits the
room: at noon the visitors are yet another
class, and so in the afternoon and evening,
the throng varies, but still the quiet.
studious air of the place remains.
at is a very hard thing" continued Mr..
Snokes"to give clearly defined idea of
what people read. 1t might be summed
up briefly by saying that the majority of
the people are reading the newspapers and
magazines. Here in our place that is
about all our patrons can do, for our
library books are not here. This news
paper and magazine reading, while it keeps
a man pretty well posted on current
topics, does not do much toward specialize
ing the student and fitting him to contest
successfully with the specialists of the age.
Newspapers, l know, print what people
demand to read, but what the people want
is not always the best thing for them. A
great public library should elevate the peo-
pie rather than mold itself to what it
may be deemed the people need" This, of
course, was the scholars view.
Tho navf man aaer hooE vapIar
He viewed public reading taste from the
mere standpoint of what would sell. He
had no particular concern as to whether
the people who bought his wares were i'm
proved thereby or not; all he cared for
was the dollars and cents.
What am selling now?" was the be-
ginning of an answer to the query as TO
what people are reading. paper backs.
paper backs" he softly said, land good
thing it is, too. that the people can get the
best books in such cheap forms. Just
think of being able TO get Rider
Haggard, Augusta Evans, Rud-
yard Kipling, lola, Dumas and
Mrs. Southworth's works so cheap.
Rider Haggard's stories, however, don't go
like they did when She came out, and
sell very few of Rudyard Kipling's now
it sduAy LIiufiHuEeG, dS DIS eye Tell upon q
large pile of dust-covered books written by
those once wildly sought for authors. "The
most popular works now" said the book
seller, ''are the French novels, the REYNOLDS
series. and the stories by Albert Ross.
There is very steady demand for Ouida' s
books. Do / ever sell any of Dickens,
Scott's, Bulwer's, Cooper's, Irying's or
Shakespeare's? Once in while yes, but
man can't afford to keep much of stock
on hand. The demand is too light"
The next place visited was cheap cir
culating library. This proprietor has about
1900 cheap book of various authors. The
whole stock cost not a cent over $l25. as
many of the books were far from new or
in good condition. He has about $50 Gus
toners, eacn of whom Is required to pay
an entrance fee of 80 cents, and after that
and 10 cents per volume, according
to the price marked on the book. He said
that calls for books at his place were for
the most realistic books that were written.
The lurid and exciting vas what the peo-