Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-10
A GEM OF A LIBRARY
ITS WONDERFUL scHeMr IN coLoF
TONE AND CLASSICS.

4
the ingenuity OF the Twelve Vol
| unic Edition OF Enniun.
A st. Louis professor who makes n
specially OF the classic languages and
ls particularly fond OF the Latin lit
ernture was treated not long since to
IA surprise he Is not likely soon to for.
get.
An old friend who for many years
resided In distant state NOT long ugo
moved to this city and sent TO the pro.
fessoc notice OF his arrival The twain
met downtown by appointment, and
the now arrival Invited the professor
TO call at his home "as soon rs we get
things fixed up" After II decent in.
terval allowed Cor the fixing up the
professor called, ana us the gentleman
OF the house was momcntarl!y cngag-
ed the man OF much Latin wns usher
ed into his friends library. where he
sat delighted with the elegant appear
nnce Of the superb carved oak book
cases md the long rows OF gilt and
Russia His chair was close to one
OF the eases, and, CHANGING round lie
noted with keen satisfaction the names
OF Greek authors who had been his
lifelong library companions. He also
noted that each half OF each case to
the middle Of the door contained exact.
ly twelve volumes and that each au-
thor's works constituted set OF the
same number. Homer. twelve vol
umes; Sophoclcs, twelve: so also with
Aeschylus, Eurlpldes uerodotus. Thu
cydides anu even Theocritus. each had
its appointed number.
''rhis Is peculiar" said the professor
to himself. for he knew that some OF
these authors wrote little and others
much. Extensive commentaries per.
haps," was his retlexon. and. rising. he
stepped TO the next case, and on the
top shelf here was Ennus In twelve
volumes. heading n long line OF most
respectable Roman historians and
poets whats this?' The professor
gave n start, for although he knew
perfectly well that Ennius was the
first in time of the Latin poets. he
knew also that there were only about
couple OF dozen lines OF him left md
that these had been preserved MS quo.
tations I'm the works of later writer's.
'Ennius In twelve volumes. | never
heard OF such thing. What in the
world can It be?"
He glanced lnvoluntarlly Mt the lock.
But there was no key. And while Ills
marvel greater grew the door opened
and in came his friend
Half an hour later. after old times
had been discussed and former friends
recalled. the professor. who grew more
and more curious to tlnd out how my
commentator could expand twenty or
thirty lines of an old time poet into
twelve large volumes, brought up the
subject.
by the way, notice you have an
Ennius here in twelve volumes. Now.
remembering that only twenty or thlr
ty lines Of his poems are known to en-
ist. have great curiosity to know
what this Gun be. Is It n commentary.
history or, II not. what Ia IT."
His friend smiled. "Oh, that's n lit
tie idea of my wife. You see, she has
taste for Latin and Greek stuff liz
that, and when we went to buy books
for our library she determined to have
Greek case and Latin case. but
when we looked Mt the Greek md Latin
books she found they were OF all sizes,
some too big to go In the shelves and
some so little that they looked like ba.
bies alongside the others, SO she would
not take 'em.
"But having her heart set on filling
up the Greek and Latin cases, she kept
worrying about them until finally she
hit on great idea. The ladies always
do. You know. IL you give 'cm time
enough
She took her Idea to the binder and
told him the exact length OF the
shelves end their height. The binder
grlnned little to himself rs she ex.
planned. but he was not the man to
lose a job, SO he took lot of thick
pine boards, trimmed one side so that
1t bulged regularly like the backs OF
books. and she went to library some
where and got list of names for him
to put on the backs, and he came nn,
tackled In the boards, and so she flied
up her Greek and Latin cases In sct4
OF twelve volumes each, twenty-four
volumes on every board, and was per
tectly satisfied. don't know what
she did with the keys All. here she
Is now! Allow me to Introduce my
friend. Professor Blank was lust
telling him. my dear, Of your little
idea of the Greek and Latin cases"
"Oh, hope, professor, you admire
the SETS" said the lady. Aren't they
lovelyf"
Perfectly lovely, madam" echoed