The San Francisco call., 1895-12-18
AFTER TEMPTING TONES.
Mayor Sutro Says That Parsons
and Teachers Purloin
Books.
Startling Statements Made at Meet.
ing of the City Hall Com.
miSSionerS.

Mayor Sutro made the startling state
ment yesterday that clergymen and
schoolteachers are the most inveterate
bookthieves known to library superinten-
dents. This announcement came like q
thunderbolt out of clear sky during a
meeting OF the Board of New City Hall
Commissioners, and Auditor Broderick
and City and County Attorney Creswell,
the other members present, sat and lis
tened in a dazed way, while the Mayor
rambled on telling of the cunning ways of
bookthieves and how valuable volumes
often disappeared and could never be
traced because the ones who took them
were believed to be above suspicion.
The Mayors pronunciamento was
brought about by an application from the
trustees OF the Free Library for a private
and secure room where valuable books
could be kept from being purloined. The
application stated that rare and expensive
works often disappeared without any sus-
picious character being seen about the
shelves where they are kept, and that
something must be done to stop the
thieving.
This seemed to startle the Mayor from a
reyerie, for he sat bolt upright in MS chair.
into the depths of which he had sunk in
his customary attitude while the others
were talking.
II consider that such course would be
a great mistake" he said, land more likely
to increase the number of books lost than
to remedy the evil. The place for these
books is in public place where the thieves
cannot escap attention from the employees
of the library. OF course, locked cases
would be necessary, but better that than
fine loss Of valIlahe Volumes
II don't know whether you gentlemen
are aware of it, but it is an absolute fact
that clergymen and schoolteachers are the
worst hookthieves known.
Library superintendents who know
their failing keep more strict watch over
these classes of men than on any other,
and they have opportunities for observa-
ton that are denied those not connected
with Libraries. The reasons for their
proneness to carry away books that do not
belong them are numerous.
"In the first place, they are, in the
majority, lovers of books, and often,
through inability to purchase the book
they are tempted to take them when they
believe themselves to be unobserved.
Another thing is that ministers do not
believe it any sin or crime to steal books
that they do not think are proper reading
for the public.
Next to ministers and teachers, artists
are the greatest annoyance to libraries.
They see rare old engravings in books that
they happen TO want, and have an easy
way of getting them. A string, moistened
in the mouth is laid in the book close to
where the leaves join the cover and the
volume is closed.
within a few moments a gentle tug
will bring the leaf away entire, and only a
close scrutiny will betray the loss the
volume has sustained.
Therefore" resumed the Mayor, "i1
we put them in a private room away from
| the watchful eyes of those paid to look
after them we may be sure of a greater
loss than ever, for it will be easier fol
| these people to carry out their purpose.
| No, let US keep them in plain sight so that
everybody who has right to can keep a
watchful eye on them"
No one seemed to have any comments to
make and the Mayor branched off on his
| library aad told OF some of his literary
| treasures.
We've got the Parliamentary debates
| OF England, 800 or 400 volumes, that be-
| longed 10 Lord Macaulay," he said, "and
we have the lawbooks of England COM
piled by Earl Cairns. We've got books on
papyrus, Aztec books from Mexico-every-
| thing Come and see."
| After the meeting Mayor Sutro stated
that his impression that cIergymen and
| teachers were the most inveterate thieves
had been gained from reading and from
! library experts with whom he had con-
versed about his own collection of literary
| lore