The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1893-04-29
AN ENGLISH SOCIETY
WOMEN WHO KEEP INFORMED M CUR
RENT LITERATURE.

An English woman, recently married
to a New York lawyer, with a home in
the suburbs. is trying an interesting ex-
pertinent in the way Of a literary and
book lending society The system she
has adopted has been used in suburban
towns Of England and in many Of the
larger provincial cities for more than
half a century In fact, there is a soci.
ETY. in Rochester, England, which claims
to have had it in continual use for more
than 100 years There is probably 40
system exactly like it, however, in this
part of the world
The main object Of this system is to
supply books to women who have ample
time for reading and are eager to keep
pace with all that is interesting in the
tremendous rush Of contemporaneous
literature A man with even a moderate
income cannot afford to keep shis wife
supplied with new books and magazines
az they come out The cheapest new
novel II it is worth anything, will be
sure TO cost him 30 cents, In nine cases
out Of ten the first price is more likely to
be $3.50 To be sure, almost everything
nowadays ultimately drifts into the
cheap edition, but It is after the book
has ceased to be fresh in the minds of
the public and people have ceased to
talk about it,
Women who live in the country and
in the suburbs have more time for read.
ing than women in cities, and withal
fewer means Of getting anything good
60 rod The earv,a NOM, s~a1str,ae a., Nha
local circulating library have been their
familiar friends from childhood If the
husband subscribes to a circulating
library in town and promises to bring a
new book home with him every night
he Is likely to grow weary soon and for
get all about it. An then when an in
telligent woman reads a good novel she
likes 10 talk to somebody about it. Her
husband hasn't time to read. and the ac.
quaintances she visits have never even
heard of it.
The literary English woman found her
self in this plight, so she interested her
self in forming a club similar to the one
she belonged to at her English home.
The idea is a simple one. Forty or so
persons in town organize book soci-
ETY. That is the name usually given to
them in England 1t has been found
advisable TO have at least 40 members
and not to have more than 90. The
Rochester society has adhered to this
rule despite powerful pressure to in
crease its membership. Applicants for
membership are kept waiting six years
and sometimes more, for admission. A
society No. 9 has naturally been formed
| but the prestige remains with the pioneer
society which meets every week, winter
and summer. in the Old Bull hotel, made
/ famous in the "Pickwick Papers" The
| society hires a room cheerful and com
Portable, which is placed at its disposal
one night each week. The landlord al
lows the members to keep large cup
board in the room in which to store
| books.
These books are in charge Of a secre-
tary. The position is simply an honorary
one, but the members usually make the
secretary who attends to business a very
substantial Christmas present-a piece
of silver or some article of household
furniture perhaps The members deter
mine by ballot what books shall be pur-
chased but 1t devolves upon the secre-
tary 70 buy them He is supposed to get
discount prices from publishers This is
managed without difficulty, and the
publishers generally find it for their own
interest to remember the secretary about
Christmas time The result is that in
prosperous societies the position is
sought after It is worth while to de-
vote some little time to it,
Balloting to determine what new books
shall be bought takes place once each
month. If twenty or more members find
it expedient to purchase some new book
or series Of books issued between ballot
ing meetings-such, for instance, as
Stanley's latest record Of his travels or
new volume of a popular encyclope-
dia-the secretary must get 1t for them
when they present a request in writing.
But the members keep themselves SC
well posted that books of this kind are
usually voted for in advance.
All the money subscribed is not devot-
ed 10 buying new books and magazines
In every society there are few mem.
bers who prefer to read and even reread
Dickens, Thackeray Scott and numer,
GUS other standard writers. The wants
> of these people must be and are provided
, for to a reasonable extent Each mem
Der may draw three books at one time
Z but it is not allowed to keep any book fol
. more than IA days. If it is book which
1 Is in demand. the time is limited to ont
J. week
Every two years the books belonging
$ TO the society are assorted by the secre
{ tary into lots of equal value and arr
5 drawn" by the different members in I
lottery Every member present has tn,
right to draw one number. In this wal
the cupboard" of the society is kept FIRE,
from dead wood" and the individual
members are able to build up a soil,
Il little library at home. Every membe
u eventually gets his money back in books
y As to the cost of running a society .
Il this kind perhaps the best criterion
S, would be the Rochester society. Eacl
4; member pays a shilling at initiation an'
- sixpence a week dues If he gets behinl
% in his dues. he is fined threepence for eacl
Is week. If he neglects it for more than
10 month, his name is dropped. This ha
10 rarely happened in the Rochester sOci
le ETY., although the rules are rigidly IN
n forced. The money collected in this wa
Is has been found ample to run the societ
ID and keep the members abreast Of neN
r. literature,
&c The weekly meetings are largely de
voted to discussion. Two OF three Of th
newest books are usually taken up. III
d. talk is mostly conversational, though th
secretary is supposed to exercise som
control OF the meeting and keep th
llr members from all talking at once.-Ne'
II York Times.
st
t- Spelling Good Story.
" "An ancient Persian king" said Il
tx doctor, "had brought before him tra
as tor TO the throne, who, after brief hea
ne ing, was condemned TO be stfangleu-
.th "Mercy, o kingr cried the unhapl
10 man.
iiin No, responded the king sternl