The sun., 1907-08-11
SERIOUS READING FOR MEN
And Trash for women the observation N
One Public library.

Men read better books than women,
is the opinion of Miss +. r. Petrie. who has
charge Of the $1,000 volumes of the West
Side Young Mems Christian Association
library. which Ia used yearly by 40 900 men
readers The percentage of fiction read
in this library is Power than in any public
library.
"The men want books on economies and
sociology. on finance and business, and Of
late, owing TO the great interest in psychol-
ogy. William James has been more in de-
mand than the latest novel. And this is
not because We taboo fiction. for we are
very careful to keep on our shelves all the
latest novels worth while.
Women largely read fiction. az know
from my experience in other libraries fire.
quented by my own sex. And many who
do read more serious books do 80 largely
as pose; they want to create an effect. Of
being serious minded rather than to gain
real Improvement or pursue n line Of in
vestigation.
The men for the most part seem to read
with the definite idea Of bsttering them
selves, and not few Of them report to me
their success In the way of higher wages
due to their reading along suggested lines.
There is great interest in art and its
application to many industries. As a
result Of work in our art section a clerk
in dress goods house told me that his
salary had been largely increased because
it was found that he knew a lot about textile
processes. .. .....,.,.....,. ..
Sometimes the desire Of men for knowI-
edge 10 rather am using. Some men spend
a great deal Of time reading the How To,
books. Two or three men have spent
hours in reading books on How to Sue
ceed.' 1 always ask them why they don't
get out and hustle, and to some of them
this is a novel idea. ..-...
Then 1t appea Ia to my womauly sense
Of humor TO find men studying How to
SWIM How TO Walk How to Jump,
How to BE Strong when right downstairs
there are swimming pools, running tracks.
an open air field and q gymr asiun,. all in
charge of experts whose business il is to
teach these things by actual practice.
The men who do read fiction have
very definite ideas OF what they want, and
AZ a general rule the very elements which
cause men TO shun IL. In the first place,
men will not read book which has love
In its title.
-One man asked me In ALI seriousness
IOT IL love bpOTy WltnouJ any Rlflb III IL.
The men like mems books As a general
rule the novel readers among men are
mostly callow youths or older and pros
porous men who have made a success.
The others are too busy reading serious
things TO help them In their Callings to
give much time to nov els.
The effect OF books on tnen seems more
direct than II does on women. A man
recently got Hopkinson Smiths Wood
Fire Stories and az result he has searched
all over New York to find a room with a
wood fire where a little club can meet,
His adventures are very interesting and
his report Ia that there are few wood fire Q
in New York andInone IN for rent.
Books on agriculture. home making
fruit raising. stock raising also are very
popular. as are all books on camping and
result Of such reading have purchased
farms just to get away from the city and
have a chance TO livein the open. And the
odd thing about IL Ia that they are making
a success Of farming.
And they keep this serious reading
up all the year round. On the hottest
nights we have had we circulated three
wealth Weather seems to have little
effect. Some men want light reading to
take away on q vacation and 10 is sur
prising to find that many college graduates
have never read any standard novels
And this gives US a chance to introduce
men who are doing very heavy reading in
their specialties to authors like Eliot and
Thackeray.
Would you believe IL, q man who has
written two or three succeasful novels
had never read q line Of 0eorap Elioti
saw that he took two or three oSher books
In his vacation bag and I think he will
write even better novels next year.