The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1892-12-03
THECHARM OF BOOKS
no" LIBRARIES ARE REGARDED sv
ALL KINDS or PEOPLE

A""'e respect for Great
corrections Of Hooks Some Rem.yL.
About Private Libraries.
me average Britpn has respect for n.
orares 10 themselves which, CONSIDERING
10" little he reads. how reluctant he IL n
pend any measurable proportion of his
income ON books and how absolutely he ne.
FUSES TO pay librarians even decent sal
aries' Is one Of the most inexplicable fea-
lures "f his complex character. The i'm
pfessiveness OF library is felt by ciasses
Jar outside the one which passes It's life IN
using books. The ordinary population Of
All ordinary town, though IL will ma, MI
ways vote the. cost Of n free library. il
proud 10 believe that the town library ia +.
good one, regards its increase as something
10 lie recorded with triumph and enter. ,be
rooms In which IL IL kept with a kind of
awe.
IL Is considered a mark VI caste To Nos
'ess u good library, and a house will selI
better because there is room ia IL which
has been devoted To The KEEPING of looks
anal that TO men who would regard n day
spent among books. even in that most en-
loyable Of all amiseuleBts. book SHINING
~ intoierabiy tedious.
We have been told ON good evidence
though We came. ourselves vouch for the
fnet, that this feeling extends 10 those who
cannot read-a class now wing out-and
II Is undonbte'ii, true tina, servants. thouuf,
they viii neglect library to any extent,
aud apparently believe that dust ON book
shelves Is matter In the right place. win
take some trouble not to iniurr b.ols ~
they arr accumulated in any numbers
They respect them. aud will, IL left ia vol.
charge, leave them 10 fnoiier AWAY IN
morr peace and honor than they will leave
furniture
We suppose the true reason is that. n. all
men respect knowledge, Aud especially
knowledge Of which they only ditniy p.,
e.ire the us+. they regard a library as 4,
drposit Of bottled wisdom, by which they
can handy profit indeed, bur which the,
had rather NOT injute or .lisperss. Thai
undoubtedly is the feeling IL that extra
ordinary class. the born librarians. the
men who l.ccone 10y sort II voluntary
selection attendants Ia Iibrari. usually
The worst paid for tie work involved 90
all varieties 81 eirfksAip- aud who. nj
though they rarely Rad, and are still NOR.
raf~ly liitrsalrsrs, have "a sort of worship
oi BOOKS Ia which they will occasionally
confess. They are seldom seeu In London
except occasionally in secondhand hook
shop. but they arr frequently 10 l,e met
With IN uo'ittfl towns. sonnet ines thong
not often. with hn extraordinary knuwi.
edge Of Susi Interest ia photography They
do nos know buoks but they know about
bus.as, they handle them rrterentiy aud
the. grow lrfitntt-i Icy the ili usag- 81 amy
book Ia the shaking of 81 all curye .itiouat
rr-,!renrc "a. Language"
lndts-i, sac are Hut sure whether til.
same ferl.ng "t t-siseI tot looks as books
has ras a great lnnurir~ with the culti
ra;s-i also They know oi course, or would
Know u they thought shout IL. WHERE the
charm 10 - great collection 81 books lies
namely. Hs power. u well consulted, al
transforming the students relation 20 Rny
sirrn subject lie becomes ab-n he has
rs-ad up topic -TsSlly read IL mp. that is
With So oisn mind and n Keen atient ion ~
r~gaTis that topic iirw man. bigger
wts~rr and inofr II = superior than hc WA.
tscfu4~. and this Soturi iues To y dr.rs--
shieh - startling ia his own -,rs. The
depository or containing cask-t Of power
like thai il sur uf respect from the man
who knows of its existence
IL L. a fact which every owner 81 "a library
will cuutirtu that the reluctance To weed
oDe is the grra,~st 81 all obstacles 10 its
collection. 4 private man who loves books
unless exceptionally rich. IL always AS he
adSanct tn lie torineniesi by the difficulty
81 hidlu. ruson foE them, They grow aud
grue. ani the wall space does not grow
anil the shelves do not grow either. and
unless he ry-~oris ,o the unsj~akably dc.
,-s;Ahlr eNps,lient 81 pcsinplicsting the
books on each shrlf-a device which not
only drsi rDys the hack rows. but imIerils
their owners chance Of heaven. the book
wanted l-clng Invariably lost for the time
t~ing. with rcNalts in evil wishes and Ian.
guage--thrrc comes time when lie IL at
his wits rtd
No, one room in ten will allow Of shelves
being ~, at right angles 10 the walls In.
stead 81 along them. though that qusdrt,.
piles b.nk space. aud the collector, with
weary Sisbs. either heaps hooks above each
other or leaves ihsm in packing cases, or
Ia desperate emergencies puts them on the
door All this " nile IL he would only
wresi them there would he plenty Of room.
and the opportunity q. wedding IL almost
limiilrss
We venture To s.,y there ARE not five men
in England possessed 81 5000 books apiece
who not know perfectly well that half their
volumes are lumber. lsooks which they
will never Rad or consult or open for any
purpose Whatsoever. They are the book $
u forgotten periods Of life. the books OF
within. the bnoks Of abandoned studies. or.
more numerous than all. the books aboni
which their owners only thought is n
wonder how the devil they ever got their;
books he can no more account for than lac
could account for the foolishncss OF early
day dreams or for the morscls Of absolute
ly useless knowledge packed away in his
memory.
lie knows perfectly well the lumber
ought to 80 the auctioncer, but he never
scnds II, unless indeed he changes his
house: nor, IL he Is rich enough to keep n
librarian or library clerk, will that in
valuable person send Il, he is indeed In
suited or made lachrymose by the very
suggestion. Master and servant have both
contracted feeling which they would
never defend, a feeling OF respect for the
library as library, and independent some
how Of what L. in IL london Spectator.
John Had Explained.