The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-10
HER POINT OF VIEW.

a great deal OF superhuous comment
has been made on all sides regarding
the library book question. 1t is really
a stupendous task for any one person
or any one faction, or any one society,
religious or otherwise to satisfactorily
settle what is good for all the world to
read. There are SINE souls so envel-
oped in an impalpable armor of un-
conscious purity that bad book would
have no power to penetrate that inner
security. There are others so suscept-
ible to this most insidious danger that
for them, the Bible, Shakespeare and
even the fairy tales of childhood should
be thoroughly expurgated. There are
people who read books with the sole
hope of finding something sua estive
to satisfy q sensual taste. but the av-
erage reader of ordinary intelligence
reads simply to be amused and the
style of literature he selects CONVEYS
no practical idea to his mind as to
whether the theology is sound, whether
Christian science or the strongest Pres
byterian doctrine influences the author
in the written sentiments. To him, or
generally speaking, to her" the book
Is a good or bad according as 1t ends
in the triumph of the hero over all his
enemies and the happy marriage of
the heroine, or i'm the tragic death of
the chief characters. In the latter case
she is rather prone to designate it to
her friends as perfectly horrid
book"
Scranton is a fair representation of
the world at large in its literary tastes
All races, all Creeds and all degrees
of intelligence are found within the
citys confines. The person of a scien-
tific turn of mind sees no reason why
any book not bearing on scientific sub
iects should be found on the shelves of
the Albright Memorial Library. He
approves only of that fiction which con-
tains a plot hinging on an abstruse
point in his favorite theme and even
such boks he is likely to sniff at az
having been written by some one who
didn't know what he was talking about.
The average young girl who hasn't
had the boon of cultured mother to
direct her earliest literary tastes, will
naturally weep over the woes of Edna
Browning and consider the Diclley's
and Algy's of the Duchess too sweet
for anything.
The history girl has her innings
now and revels in the fad of the day
and couldn't become interested in the
sickly sentimental OF the school girl
favorites of other years.
\ West Side man who perhaps tolls
by day or night in the mines, comes
over to the library, or now, that he has
a branch station nearer home, selects
some abstruse philosophical subject or
some biOgra phCal work and feeds his
yearnings for a wider sphere and lives
another beautiful life above the sOrdid
one of the present. I have seen German
young men reading poetry at the lib
rary and have peeped at the book held
by dark browed Italian to find it a
study of architecture. / saw a clergy
man reading the Damnation of
Theron Ware" which by the way be-
lieve he could not get from the literary
non, and a fair little maid with a
flower like face was seen the other
evening with her hands clasped over
her brow in a thoughtful attitude, por[
ing over a literary review. Oh it would
be a hard matter for any one intellect
to plan a schedule of reading for this
community or even to say what the
other people shall not read. Fortunate
ly we have one of the Wiscst most
tactful librarians ever called to the
delicate vocation he follows and his
careful discreet management Of these
matters is a subject of admiration by
all who know the inside workings Of
the library.
The fact is that when demand is
made that a certain book shall he
Withdrawn from circulation, Librarian
Carr quietly removes that book from
the shelves and plaCidly stands 1t by
It's head In a corner reserved for those
in disgrace and general disability. The
| truth of the matter is that less than a
dozen books have this uncnV!able op-
portunity for reflection upon their mis-
sent mission to Scranton. Let mo sec! 4!
there is the Lady of Quality with her
regal beauty and willful contradiction
of character, with her sanity later
years in which the misguided past is
atoned for and forgiven. She stands on
her head in this taboocd corner in a
manner quite in keeping with the an
| tics attributed to the ClOrinda of the
| wild riOtous days in her fathers an
cestral dalls.
"A Summer in Already" occupies an
| adjacent space on that same shelf and
| let it be here said rightful place,
away from the absorbing grsp Of too
young minds. where. by the way. should
also be placed the lecture on the Harp
| OF the Senses" given recently in the
| high school auditorium by Professor De
| MOtte-a really excellent lecture. but
| not at all suited to little girls i'm short
| frocks and little boys in knicierbock-
| ers, such as made up the larger por-
| tiOn of his audience.
| There are two or three other books
| which are alleged to contain profus-
| ion of swear words not deemed partic-
| ularly ornamental to the vocabulary of
| the boy with a taste for tales of adj
venture, for whom the stories were
| written.
| But here let il he mentioned that the
| works of the late T. p. Roe have not
| been withdrawn from public Circula
| tion as some local paper has an
nounced and are not found in the re-
| treat described. Possibly they may he
away at the bindery for they are quite
| in demand but who in this highlv