The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-06

not too tired of hearing about the Brit
ish Museum by this time, will tell 1t
| to you. You see, / am very much in
love with this great institution, and one
or my chaperones here, observing 1t,
gave me a letter OF Introduction to the
chief librarian there whom she knows
very well. 1t proved an open sesame
to. me beyond "a doubt, for / was i'm
mediately ushered through the public
libraries to the library proper, where
none but the members OF the library
STAFF and people with tickets and orders
giving them the privilege OF research
there are admitted. The chief is a love-
ly old man, and we had no difficulty in
making each others acquaintance,
upon which he took me In charge and
showed me over his wonderful domain
Of books.
| He began first with the large reading
room, which Is the largest in the world,
and round, like the rotunda Of the capi-
tol at Washington, showing me all the
curiously convenient arrangements
they have for the holding of books, the
lighting Of the cute little dark corners,
the cataloguing, and so forth. But the
thing which interested me most Of all
was an inclosure in this room. where
there WAS a large table with piles Of
books on 1t, at short distance from
each other. These all had markers in
Vulnerable in them, and were, the old
gentleman informed me, kept there
from day to day, without being dis
turbed or moved, for the special use Of
some of the famous authors, savants. or
| . to-, \ ~
are in the habit of coming here very
often for the purpose Of quiet and un-
disturbed research.
Notable BookwOrms.
Walter Besant has his pile of books
here, from which perhaps he Is even
now culling material for future novel.
Mr.. Gladstone often comes here, and
studies by the hour, and many and
many a lecturer in the universities Of
England may be seen at work at this
table, while some of the most ponderous
sermons ever preached in the churches
of London owe their correctness of an
cient anecdote and historical reference
to such hard work at the British Muse
UNI. There were, however. none Of
these notabilities at work when l went
over this hallowed ground, it being too
early in the day for geniuses. who, as
my dear old guide said are lazy lot
He took me outside this reading
room into corridor which runs quite
around it, in a circle, and which is
lined on both sides with books from
the floor way up to the dome. Outside
| of this circular corridor runs another
such, still larger, of course. and so on,
so that the immense reading room,
which is the center, is the smallest and
innermost Of number of consecutive
circles of books. These wheels within
wheels are a wonderful arrangement.
They are five or six stories high, and
the floors and stairs are all of iron
open work, so that the light from the
glass roof shines down through and
suffices for all. from the top to the
ground floor, thus obviating all neces-
sity for windows and doors, which take
up so much room. Book space, my
| guide informed me, is becoming a Sc
rious question at the museum, as there
are now upon its shelves over 100000
volumes, exclusive of catalogues-of
which there are several thousand-and
the space has already become quite in
adequate for the rapidly increasing
number. But / cannot explain this
wonderful bookdom properly, so 1 will
not try, and we will "get on" as the
English have it.
The Original Magma Charta.
He conducted me through the king
and the Grenville libraries also, point
ing out many wonderfully interesting
and delightful things, which had ut
terly escaped me when went through
before by myself. and it was as much
| pleasure to see this dear white-haired
old bookworm, with his pink face fairly
beaming over the old treasures he
showed me, as it was to look at and
enjoy the treasures themselves. Co.
ing from here, he unlocked door after
door, until We were at last In room
which was guarded by an ogre in the
shape Of a very nice young man, to
whom the chief gave a few directions,
at which the aforesaid young man ran
off and brought back bunch of keys
with which he unlocked some cabinets
From one of these he brought forth,
very tenderly and carefully, a strong
box, in which was the parchment to
which every loyal Britisher looks for
his liberties-the Magma Charta.
1t is old and pale and torn, and
scorched by the great fire, through
which 1t passed. but it still has the seal
of old King John upon It, and 1t is care
fully kept here in a beautiful box, and
under glass, while the facsimiies and
photographs OF 1t are allowed to hang
TO-.
without, where the populace may gaze
upon it, but this is the real and only
genuine Runnymede Magma Charta,
which the wise and dogged old barons
forced from their scamp of king long,
long ago, in the early days of English
history. This is next to the Oldest doc
ument in the Kingdom the Doomsday
Book, compiled by William the Con-
queror being the oldest. / could not
see that, however, as 1t Is kept at the
record office here in London, not at the
museum.
An Autograph OF Shakespeare.
The young man, in whose kind care
the old gentleman left me, showed to
me also. with great pride a parchment
on which is one of the three or four au-
thentic signatures now in existence of
William Shakespeare. This young per-
son, too, was a bookworm. and it was
almost as interesting to see the young
man kindling into enthusiasm over the
priceless treasures in his custody, as 1t
was to watch the dear old one who had
just left us. He asked me If had seen
the signature Of her majesty outside in
the Grenville, and he seemed to take
such pride in 1t that / am afraid pre-
tended to great delight in it-which
did not particularly feel-just to
please him.
ran into Niagara one day this week
q nd ca w some of the lovely skaters q nd