Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-13
RUSSELL s. WESTON, De N Water St. Augusta

/ 1t ought to be scratched out. l made
Il cake by it and it wouldn't raise.
/ 1t wasn't fit for dog to eat. NJ. IL.
Who NJ. II. is. other library patrons
probably never will know. but her ad-
( vice undoubtedly has borne fruit for
! il is a courageous housekeeper. indeed.
! who will mix a cake that she knows
beforehand win not raise"
Philosophical tTeatises and meta
physical essays are illustrated with oc-
casional zigzag lines. Works of this
nature. however. are caviare to the
general. They are too abStruse to he
judged readily. ana the student tackles
them with pencil and notebook. where
in his opinions are duly recorded. In n
small library up town the poems OF
Thomas Hood are productive of an at
tack of lead-pencil mania.
De OuinCey's confessions" bear
this explicit marginal note: That's all
right. He knows what he is talking
about. I've been there myself.
In library books many Of the sen
fences marked arouse the wonder Of
later readers. In not few instances
the passage thus emphasized is 10 all
appearances devoid of special SignIfi-
canoe, at least to the general public,
ana il is interesting to speculate on the
emotions il aroused In the breast OF
the impulsivc lead-pencil devil. IN
examining scores OF popular books
picked up at random several general
truisms were noted. In the first place"
il was demonstrated that patrons 81
public library are given TO expressing
themselves most freely on topics re-
fcrrin;r to love and matrimony. rake
a narc for instance. where the PhySi-
cal charms Of a pretty girl are ac-
curateiy portrayed or the nero
method of popping the question Is
described in detail. and you're sure 10
find no end Of brackets. parenthes"s
and "th myS," Meditations on me-
death and Immortality touch "oit
chord in the public breast. and 1t IS
hard to find line pertaining To sulcidc
that does not show traces OF the sym
pathetic pencil.
Occasionally these comments decry
s.lf-destruction but as rule they
,rnho,l it. all Of which might be taken
tn Indicate that a good many of the
neanl. who gain their mental nuili-
mont from the public library are given
IN morbid reflections and likely 10 take
themselves out Of the way on snort
notice. Facts. however would not
sustain this hypothesis. for the ma
jority Of the men and women wiz
spend their days in the libraries are
keeping arm grip on life
In juvenile literature IN" pages 'ha.
can show the most villains killed stanu
highest in favor one boy has voiced
nopular sentiment thus. in the can
fornia and Oregon Trail" which. Al
though not strictly a children's book.
has many youthful admirers: hloo".
blood blood. Ten million quarts u
blood did flow Where all tins gore
ca,,,c from the sanguinary comtnehta-
tor does not state. no more imam "iu
\ir park,nan, who succeeded IN arouS-
;,.. Two yn,,nrster - this frenZled
pitch.
When the attention Of a West SIDE
librarian was directed to the foregoing
h,oodthirstv remark she laughed. ana
Looked 1T the volume obviously IN
one way." she said. this practice "f
TINS despoiiing a clean page IS 70 n'
1nnrecated. Vet how are you going To
sion ito Not by means of fines. Tor
we've tried that But. really. uoh
mind q little line like that. ii SHOWS
that the readers are interested ana
that's what we keep the library open
for-to get the people Interested any
way. this habit of jottinS down on 'ht
margin of q book our opinion OF WIFI
~ ,,ad is as old as books themselves
aud don't believe it can ever he
rooted out."-New York Press.