Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-02-02
STEALERS OF BOOKS.
People Who Purloin Volumes from
Public Libraries.
Large Numbers Of Books Disappear
Every Year In Spite of Per-
petual Vigilance OF
Attaches.

While it may be taken for granted thai
the great body of readers who frequent
any public library are honest, both In
practice and intention, there will always
remain a certain number who are con-
spicuously the reverse. In all public H.
braries large number of volumes dis
appear during the IL months Of year;
few Of these may have been lost
through carelessness while In cilcula-
ton, but the greater number OF them
have been stolen, says the Philadelphia
Record. This fact being freely admitted
in the reports Of all librarians, the ques-
ton naturally arises: Who are the
thieves? Do they steal the books in or
1er to sell them, or does their dishon-
esty arise from diseased love Of litera-
ture?
Melvil Dewey, who may be regarded
as an authority on the subject, has
truthfully declared that 1t is almost i'm
possible to tell library thief at sight.
He may hide his dishonesty beneath an
exterior as SNUG and sanctmonious as
that of Pecksniff. A prominent lawyer
of Brooklyn, Of distinguished appear
ance and fine manners, made regular
practice OF stealing the periodicals in
well-known public library. Being
caught at 1t one day and accused by the
librarian, he put on an air Of great dig
nifty, hotly declared he was insulted and
-alked out But the magazine the law
yer had stolen was found thrown down
in the entry. and he never again reap
peared in that library. Atthe New York
mercantile library a young woman was
discovered leaving the rooms with one
book. which she was entitled to, In her
hand, and i've others hidden under her
cloak. She proved to belong to we'll
to-do family. and was amply able to
buy all the books she could need
The late DR.. William F. Poole. who
IA charge Of the Chicago public library.
declared that many clergymen had, as
regards books, an imperfect apprecia-
ton Of the laws of meum tuum. He had
found ministers more remiss in return
Ing books than any other class Of men.
He did not intend to reflect on noble
and sacred profession by charging the
derelictions of the few upon the many, |
but he believed the truth about the mat
ter should be told. He had had unpleas-
ant experiences with men OF that calling.
who. after stealing books from the IL
brary, had removed the book plates and
library stamp and covered the volumes
with heavy paper, carefully pasted down
inside the covers. This statement seems
to be borne out by the record Of the
Union theological seminary at New
York. in its dealings with ministers and
theological students. According to the
Librarians report tho seminary has lost
1000 volumes. taken out and not ~
turned. This. Of course. included what
we're charged out, but could not Be ~
covered.
The long history OF the Mercantile
library Of Philadelphia furnishes many
strange cases Of this form Of petty
larceny. At q certain period In the
somewhat checkered career Of this time
horored institution a number Of valu-
able books were missed from it's shelves,
and mesns we're taken to detect the cul-
o-'t. This led to the discovery that the
thief was a physician in the most re-