The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-03-03
A PIosrY READING-RooM.


Unique Institution Started by EnSlisf
Golfers and Forgemen.
A reading-room and library that car
exist In complete independence and
probable ignorance that any such per
son as Mr.. Carnegie ever lived is suffi
Gently unique to command attention
One such not only exists but hourishes
in a pigsty in Hartshay, little Derby.
shire hamlet and Its beginning and
its present condition have been re-
Gently described In Country Life.
Up to 1894 the men-the sober-mind'
ed ones-had no other meeting place in
Hartshay after the days work was
done than the bridge over the Crom,
ford and Derby Canal. There they
smoked, read the evening paper aloud
and talked over current events. This
was not bad rallying place when the
weather was warm and fair, but in
the winter it was not quite as pleas.
ant. Then, when 1t rained or was
very cold they walked down the tow
path and held their meetings under
the bridge.
In the autumn of that year one OF
the members of the little assembly
came into undisputed possession Of a
pigsty, the former occupants of which
had been converted into pork. The
new owner furnished 1t with few
boxes for seats, and invited his mates
to make it their winter headquarters.
They jumped at the chance, and
thenceforth met nightly in the pigsty.
1t was the rudest hovel, barely six
feet square, and without windows, so
candles were necessary day and night
To enter, 1t was necessary to crawl
through the low door on hands and
knees. Nevertheless, the former hab-
itues of the canal bridge promptly con-
stituted themselves a society, and
drew up rules for the government of
Lower Hartshay Reading Room.
New members should be proposed
and seconded, and pay an entrance fee
of sixpence. Twopence week should
be paid for the purchase of a news
paper and the provision of candles.
Two nights were set apart for reading
aloud Members were required to
clean out the room once a week. Gam
bling was prohibited; also the intro
duction of alcoholic liquors. And rule
eleven ran: Members are requested
to swear as little rs possible"
Soon rough table was added; a
daily and a weekly newspaper were
taken in, and in addition to the few
books that the members owned, a
number were contributed by outsiders.
Five nights in the week reading,
smoking, games and social intercourse
were in order, but Wednesday and Fri
day evenings were devoted to reading
aloud by the best scholar, and tire
first two books thus read were Car.
lyle's French Revolution" and Glib
bOn's Decline and Fall of the Ro.
man Empire
When there were twenty or more
members they decided to take the ad.
joining pigsty. A full-sized door was
put in; a skylight placed in the roof,
rough wooden benches added; also A
battered and smoking stove; the walls
were whitewashed and bOok-shelves
put up. All the work was done by the
members.
Thanks TO good financial manage.
ment, the shelves are now laden with
books; otherwise the plgsty library
has not been further improved. Nor
is there need Of finer surroundings.
the men are the thing. Derbyshire
colliers and forgemen who read Glib.
bon and Carlyle by the light Of tallow
candles in a pigsty six by six can az.
ford to do without modern refine.
ments and Improvements. Indeed
their sturdy figures would look out Of
place in some modern reading-rooms
He that fancies himself verv enIfgh.