St. Tammany farmer., 1906-03-10

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ties, splendidly equipped, and spring
ing up on every hand. it would almost
seem as il there were no place left for
the modest little book club. Every
town of any size and many small vii
lagos may at this time point with pride
to building wholly devoted to litera-
ture, with reading rooms, alcoves,
goodly shelves properly labeled and
classified as to their contents, and at
tended by a librarian, who has taken
her course and gained her diploma ac-
cording to the latest methods.
Yet, there are still q good many Of
US who would like to own our books
rather than depend on having them
temporarily when our turn comes with
the great competing public, Very like
iy we cannot afford to spend q large
monthly or annual sum to crafty this
expensive personal taste. II. however,
eight or ten neighbors and friends
combine and organize themselves into
a small informal and congenial group
denominated book club, they may bo
able in the course of a twelvemonth to
read q goodly number Of the new pub
lications, and at the end of the year
they may add something substantial. II
they wish, to their individual col1ec-
ton.
Very little machinery is requisite in
the formation of a book club. Ten
persons uniting may pay each MEM
bership fee OF perhaps 81 each. With
$40 in hand, taking into account the re-
duction made by booksellers to those
who are purchasing in quantity.
enough books may be obtained to cir
culate freely and even rapidly through
a neighborhood for the first year.
Rules should be few and simple. A
child will willingly undertake the task
Of carrying books from one house to
another, or one person may be selected
who shall have the distribution. Prob
ably one of the number will have the
supervision of the whole enterprise.
This person will naturally be q woman,
as men are much too busy to be expect
ed to look out for the small matters Of
detail connected with little societies
and clubs. Indeed, the members OF a
village or neighborhood book club are
usually women. The idea does not ap-
real to the ordinary man. It Is too
intimate, too domestic, and belongs
too exclusively to the province of mi
mute economies, to be pleasing to hus-
bands and brothers.
The lady at the head Of affairs will
make list of the names and resi-
dences of those who belong to the
club. This list in duplicate should be
placed in every book that goes out
BY q predetermined plan. arranged to
the satisfaction of all, SO that nobody
need complain, the books may be sent
from house to house and hand to hand
either in alphabetical rotation or by
reference to contiguity Of residence.
Each lady, when she has finished
reading q volume. is supposed to cross
OF her name and then pass the book
ON to the person whose name 10 just
below hers on the list. In case OF i'll
ress In a family, absence from home
or any other occasion that may rende,
IL necessary, q member may change
places with some one else. The allotted
time for keeping book is as in Other
libraries, week or fortnight. Even
very deliberate readers can manage te
get through with book Of fiction
travel or biography in Il days. Care.
less people who detain book beyond
the proper limit should pay q fine o1
two or three cents day for every day
in excess Of the allotted time. These
fines, though small, are the little rili:
which form river and their amount
after awhile will be sufficient to ado
something new to the clubs lending
library.
That books may not too soon los