Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-11-02
The Re aiding Habit.
New York Sum-


The reading habit in the United States
is the subject of "A pretentious article by
Gustav Michaud in Putnam's Magazine
for November. Dividing the number of
books which libraries issued in the differ
ent states during 1908 by the number of
inhabitants, he made the discovery that
the reading habit is more pronounced
in New England than in any other sec
have been prepared FOR the revelation.
for he says by way of preliminary:
"In New England is highly Intellect
ual race, sensitive and tinged with the
neurotism or 'degeneracy which the
departure of the robust always induces.
1t Is the race which has given the nation
its poets, which does now much of its
abstract thinking, nearly all its dream
ing"
According to Mr.. Michaud's figures.
for every 100 persons in New England,
243 books were issued by the libraries
during SOB. California is second on his
list, with 207 books, and New York third,
with 100. The other states fall far be-
hind When diagram accompanying
the article is examined the authors dis
covery of New England's intellectual SUI
periorty, for that seems to be what he is
trying to prove, loses some of its impress
siveness. The poll of the individual
states is as follows: Massachusetts, 3O4
to every 100 inhabitants Connecticut,
227 New Hampshire, 1898; Vermont, 1850;
Maine. 1873, Rhode Island, 1872. Why
does Massachusetts read so many books,
and why do the other New England
states trail behind, some of them tagging
far in the rear? Can there be such diff
ference in the intellectual activity as the
returns imply? One explanation of the
bookishness of the Massachusetts people
should satisfy any man who is not imag-
NATIVE: There is public library in ev-
cry township in Massachusetts, whereas
some OF the other New England states
are but poorly provided with free books
1t would have been more to the point
If Mr.. Michaud had enumerated the lib
rary books in the different states before
generalizing. His diagram shows lam
entable neglect of reading in the southern
states, which cannot be satisfactorily
explained by indicating a large negro
population. In Virginia books were
issued to every 100 inhabitants in 1908 ::
in South Carolina, 6 in Georgia, 8; in
Alabama, 9; in Mississippi. 1, and so on.
Reading is not lost art among the south
ern whites, who produce some very re-
spectacle literary men; but public librar-
les are few and far between. We VEN
ture to say that whenever readers are
numerous, the reason can be found not
so much in heredity and intellectual de-
velopment as in access to convenient
stores of books. Granted that the West
ern nation builders are not dreamers and
neurotics, they are dependent in some of
the states upon few libraries for their
reading opportunities. Multiply their
books until proportionately they have AS
many as the New Englanders, and the
intellectual superiority of the latter would
have to be proved by some other test
Moreover, an abundance of books may
not be boon there is doubtless a good
deal of fiashy fiction in the Massachusetts
list of 3O4 books to each 100 readers. and
probably little of it in some states where
borrowed books are well thumbed.