Daily inter mountain., 1900-11-24

Butte may gamble and Butte may
drink. and do other things that excite
the Pecksniflian piety of the people OF
the east: Butte may have been IN Grover
Cleveland's mind when he spoke OF the
undesirable points in the west anu
sought to indict the whole people or the
inter mountain country. yet the tact
stands beyond successful contradiction
that the people of Butte read more liter
ature OF every character than do those
of any city of it's size in the United
States or in the world, not excepting the
large town where Princeton college
throws it's shadow upon the home OF
Grover Cleveland. Postottice statistics
bear out this statement postmaster
Irwin backs it up United States mall
clerks will swear to it: and any person
who enters a news stand or book store
where magazines and newspapers are
sold cannot help realizing the same con-
cluSion.
In order to ascertain what our people
are reading and the character of htera-
ture absorbed, an Inter Mountain re-
porter started out yesterday on a tour
of investigation and inquiry. In Butte
there are two book stores really deserv-
ing that name and three news stands
publ shers. Scattered about the city
are a few more who obtain merchandise
from the downtown stores 1t is not
stretching the truth to say that these
news stands and book stores are as
profitable as drug stores, with their loo
per cent profit. Interrogate the proprie-
tors and they will reply that trade was
never better. Remain but ten minutes
at the news counter ana you will count
ten purchasers or one every minute.
Hence one must conclude that Butte.
along with being the greatest minlnS
camp on earth is the greatest town for
magazine and newspaper consumption
in the universe, when comparisons or
/ population are made.
| What do the miners read-the men
who work underground
The daily Butte newspapers an
| swered the proprietor of one of the news
| stands. Miners after coming off shift
want a little air, and they dress and
come up town. Hence, their reading Is
confined to the current news of the day
| But it is different with shift bosses and
others occupying higher positions. 1t Is
| different with young men clerking IN
| stores and who may own claim or two
! in the hills-young men anxious to be-
come Clarks and Dalys. These call for
| the mining publications and scientlhc
works on mineralogy and how tc
prospect. Most of these publications
come through the mails to sub
scribers, yet a good many are soif
at the book stores and news stands
At Calkins book store, on Nortl
Main street, the proprietor, Informed tn
reporter that never a day passes with
out a call for some work on mineralog!
and engineering, as applied 10 mines
Roper's series of books on engineering
appear to be favorites. A travelling agen
for the publishing house Informed Mr.
Calkins that more Of Roper's books wer
! sold in Butte than in any other place il
the world. Along with Roper's work
there is a good demand for Dana's wor
on mineralogy, S. Herbert Cox's book o
.'Prospectng for Minerals" H aYlllnS
hand books for engineers, text books o
, assaying, pocket books with tables, rule
and formulas for mining engineers, an
books on scientific mining from Scarf:
Troutwn, Kent and Hawkins.
On the counter lay pile of Howell
Miners Code for Montana and Idaho.
The author is the we'll known Butte law
yer. Fifty of these books, in paps
( cover, are sold every week.
The local mining journal sells Yer
!. well in the news stalls considering tha
the field is covered by the Inter MouI
tain and other daily papers. There
) also an increased demand for such new!
! papers as the Scientific American an
magazines bearing on mining and er
D gineering, all going to show that a cor
h siderable portion of Butte's populatio
! is acquiring a thirst for scientific lters
n | tire.