The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-04

be wicked to retain possession Of
works which are full of improprIe-
ties. For, in tho sixteenth, seven
teenth and eighteenth centuries. peo-
pie were accustomed TO call a spade q
spade even In print: the standards OF
propricty and even OF morality were
exceedingly low. as compared with
those of to-day; while the license not
merely of speech, hut also OF illustra-
tion and print, was very great. In
deed. uncNpurgated editions OF the
great poets. authors. playwrights, etc,
OF the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries do not furnish what might
be styled Sunday school reading.
There arc many people OH both sides
OF tho Atlantic who consider tho pos
session OF books containing indccen-
c!es OF print and of illustration as sin :
full Queen Wilhelmina Is one Of them.
She Is passionately devoted to her lit
tie daughter. Crown Princess Juliana
and does not wish the child to be bur-
dcned with any such heritage of sin
and constant misfortune as she be-
lieyes TO be cntailed by the ownership
of this collection OF sixteenth. seven
tecnth and eighteenth century books.
She does not. moreover. caro- TO pres
ent them to any national institution
in Holland. taking the ground that she
| shoulders OF her people the evil and the
Ill luck of which she 10 endeavoring
to rid herself Moreover. she holds
that any such gift would be Of a faint
ed character.
That Is why she is disposing of the
books by public sale. her Idea being
to devote the money obtained there
from to philanthropic work.
1t Is stated that she had at one time
t,frh ne ct
brary to destruction. but was dissuad :
ed therefrom by arguments to tho effect
that even some OF the most question
able Of the books probably contained
here and there features of invaluab bic
. historical interest. which should not
be lost to the world, and that were she
to put her project into execution, she
might be llkened to the !conoclast
caliph Omar. who destroyed the most
famous library in the world. namely.
that of Alexandria, moved thereto by
narrow-minded religious zeal
1t may be asked what any OF the
weather. OF my readers, finding them
selves placed through Inheritance In
the possession Of an extremely valu-
able library OF books Of questionable
decency. would feel themselves COM
PEELED to do. 1t Is not improbable that
they might be disposed to follow the
eNample OF tho GoQ-rearlnG queen OF
the Netherlands, rather Nthan that OF
the now widowed Countess of Carlisle,
lender of the women's temperance
movement in Great Britain, who. when
the late earl succeeded to the family
honors and estates, as we'll as to "a
world-famed wine cellar compelled
him to destroy all the contents of the
latter. instead OF either selling them
or presenting them to friends or hospi-
tails. She. too. considered that the
possession of things which she re-
Garded as OWL constituted q sin car
rying retribution in its train.
Lord Dunedin, the now Keeper of
the Great Seal of the heir apparent's
principality of Scotland. is q very
clever. tactful and popular man. who
in spite of his independence Of char
acter. remains great favorite Mt
court: this. too, Notwithstanding the
fact that, having married sister of
Sir Archibald IIdmondstone, he Ia a
brother-tn-law of Mrs. George Keppel,
who has not been seen at court dur
ing the present reign. Lord Dunedin
is we'll known on this side Of tho At
iantio. though under another name--
that of Andrew Graham Murray. He