The morning times., 1896-12-27
HOME FOR AGED BOOKS.
Odd People and Things Seen in
Secondhand Stores.

here and there about the city. Here. from
the lnoldenng volumes on the shelves, or
perhaps scattered in endless confusion on
the floors, rises the spirit OF profound re-
pose, haliowed by a thousand memories
of II Well nigh forgotten past. one feels
:, II sort OF reverentiai awe when once under
the influence OF the bookstore.
Until the nerves become accustomed TO
This atmosphere there is an Involuntary
hesitancy about pressing the creaky latch,
and when finally, half frightened, you are
within, 1T seems possible To hear the flut-
tenng rustic OF ghosts nurI wing to their
dusty noOkS.
Books never grow old. The trouble lies
with the covers, which begin early in life
To become crushed at the corners and un-
slightly, and finally drag with them into
oblivion the sentences they inclose as
fresh and pungent as when just from the
pen.
When finally, the wear and tear of
time has rendered them unfit to grace
the library or the table, the owner seeks
the secondhand man, bargain s struck
ana they are sOoE slowed away in an odd
corner until some prospective purchaser
arrives who wants q book and not q
cover
Thus under the dust on the counters Of
the old shop lie jewels that mark the
lcfticst literary conceptions OF time, and
perhaps OF eternity, banished because in
these days clothes and bindings make men
and books.
The shops of the bookmen are possessed Of
such distinctive features that no extraor-
dinary introduction To tile interior is neces-
sary. Every one is familiar with the gen
orally dust covered wiEiows, filled with u
huge assortment OF volumes, arranged with
out order or system, according TO no topical
or chronological index
The long wooden trays filled with monde
script collection OF Volumes from ancient
Josephus to the little paper bound collection
OF nursery Jingles, and never complete with
out topping piles of thumb marked and dog
cared magazines Of varied ages.
No matter how disrepulab!e the collcc-
ton, and even if the dealer carries books
only as side line TO a stock of general
decrepIdS, so that one must dodge sundry
stoves, pots. pans. and kettles to get To the
book counter at all, yet AT what hour can
not some one be found going slowly or with
haste over the collection, stopping whenever
title strikes the eye, to run through its
pages, possibly. if the book has never
crossed the examiners path, to get some
idea OF its worth from birGSeyc view
or its contents, or, more usually, to greet
again an old friend? The frequenter OF the.
old book stand is himself a type of never
ending interest. one hurls himself upon the
collection and grabs one after another, run
ming their aged, rheumatic leaves between
his fingers in manner most heartcSs,
while another takes each gently from its
resting place, carefully makes his eXani-
nation and as carefully replaces it.
The one is inpeile1 by curiosity, the other
by reverence; The one is deSpised the other
is loved. and one wonders where he learned
10 appreciate the book, and add, by action
at least, a heartfelt amen To that inyoca
tion so well known, Blessings be upon
the head OF Cadmus, the PhOenician, or
whoever it was that first invented books
Inside safely. the first thing to attract
attention is the proprietor, gray, usually,
and griZZled. Ina gination is strained to
figure out what he must know Ihe book
dealer is man of hobbies, and unless one
has time without end disposal yea may
never hope 10 get himaround to your query
until every phase or the hobby is exhaustea-
as well as yourself
Neatness ana order are seemingly incom-
patibie with old book stores and hundreds
Of volumes lie dust covered in odd corners
unknown and forgotten.
They accumulate from many sources.
The arrival OF some marks another step
downward in the story of some life, when
luNuries, comforts and even necessities
are sacrificed IN the qualification Of habit
Many are purchased from the Libraries OF
men who have accumulated books thrOughs
out their lives, to have them fall into the
see In the books only so many dollars, and
the collection adOrnS in Il few month the.
shelves of the highest bidder
Thus among the great mass OF chafC
many extremely valuable volumes find their
way TO secondhand shelves and it is for
these happy occurrences that the so-Callrd
bookworm haunts these stores
The prices paid for valuable books in
some instances have been ridiculous. The
lucky finder, in an offhand, careless surt
OF a way, demands the price of this ur
that and the dealer, who, perhaps. has
never heard of any such volume estimates
lts value by the state of preservation of
the cover. and for song ofeeEtinleS a
search OF years is gratified by the posses
sion of a volume worth its weight, To the
new owner, in gold
Congressman are invariable patrons of
the secondhand man, and hundreds of
them have standing orders with local dealers
To reserve for them books which NAV
come in ON economical and legal topics
AT ieast reservlnS for them an option on
It's purchase. Many have been known To
choose Whole libraries from among the
stock of the old stands, and as a result
or this profitable CUSTOM no books are
seized with such avidity by our old book
men, as those bearing upon topics inter
esting to the lawma ker
The High Schools form another avenue
the past two weeks, every second hand
bookstore in the District has been ran
sacked for forgotten copies Of The Old
Curiosity Shop just now very popular
IN school circles, and So through the wear
every month finds the boys and girls from
the schools, down among the dusty niles
OF books, hunting for odd and cheap vol
umes OF standard English. German, Latin
and French books, and many a blessing IS
showered upon the head of the dealer
who rakes from somewhere or other the
dedslred volume, and sisposes of it way
below the market quotations, which often
stagger the schoolboys purse
The secondhand book man is u necessity,
because he fills Il want
Pictures as well as. books sometimes
come the way of the secondhand man. On
MS walls one may find many famous pieces
ny as Famous artists, well worth tn e trouble.
or an hours examination. There hangs
an oil representation of the Good Si.-
maritan' on the walls of one of these
oook emporlums Ill this city which has a
history. Once il graced the walls Of \
Mexican church, the admiration of the
worshipers, but when Uncle Sans hosts
Invaded the land Of the Aztccs during the
Mexican war solGier Snatchcd the Daint-
ing from the wall, and carried it through
the remainder of the campaign. and hack
To his home, doubled up i'll his knapsack
me picture Is a Work or art, and despite
tne MARKS OF It's Rough usage, still cX-
hibits the work of a master.
Thousands OF stories from real life cJustor
III every book and corner of the old hook,
store, and the dust and cobweb cover many
a tragedy and romance as well, and there is
an indescribahle feeling of sadness when
an old fiy-ieaf is turned over, Disclosing
some tender Christmasti lie message of the
long ago, and a wistful curiosity fills one
KNOW M in ,,
na.