New-York tribune., 1911-12-04
QUEEN SELLS LIBRARY
Hollands Ruler Is Getting Rid
of Her Books.

copyright. 1911. by the Brentwood Company
Tnasmuch as queen Wilhelmina Of Hol-
land possesses one OF the largest private
fortunes of the sovereigns In Europe, a
considerable amount of astonishment has
been created by the announcement that she
is selling this week her enormous library
not. OF course. the collection OF books be-
longing 20 the Crown. but those which are
her own personal property, Inherited from
many different ancestors and relatives and
Of great value. Some OF her forebears in
the seventeenth and eighteen centuries were
noted bibuophiles. conspicuous among them
being Princess Frederika OF Prussia, wife
OF William V Of Orange. hereditary Stadt-
holder OF the Netherlands.
Just why the queen should wish TO sell
these books and manuscripts which include
literary treasures Of almost priceless value
gathered together IN the days when books
of worth were within the reach only OF the
very rich. is A matter Of considerable spec
ulation. But the explanation which reaches
me from an authorized source IS that Will
helu1ina. who is extremely religious, most
puritanical and even straitlaced in her
views. considers IL wrong to retain posses
sion Of works which are fun Of impro-
prieties. In the sixteenth. seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries people were accus-
toned 70 call a spade a spade, even IN
print. and the standards Of propriety, and
even Of morality were exceedingly low, as
compared with those of to-day, while the
license. not merely of speech, but also OF
Illustration and print, was great. Indeed
unexpurgated editions OF the great poets
authors. playwrights. etc, Of the seven
teenth and eighteenth centuries do not fur
nish what might be styled Sunday school
reading.
Holds Gift Would Be Tainted.
There are many people on both sides or
the Atlantic who consider the possession
Of books containing indecencies Of print
and Of illustration as sinful. Queen VIII
helmina Is one OF them. She is passionate
" devoted TO her little daughter Crown
Princess Juliana. and does not wish the
child TO be burdened with any such heritage
Of sin and consequent misfortune as she
believes 10 be entailed by the ownership OF
this collection OF sixteenth. seventeenth
and eighteenth century books. She does
not. moreover. care to present them TO any
national institution in Holland taking the
ground that she would be merely shifting
10 the shoulders Of her people the evil and
the iii luck Of which she Is endeavoring to
rid herself Moreover, she holds that any
such gift would be of a tainted character
That is why she is disposing OF the
books by public sale, her idea being to de-
vote the money obtained therefrom 10
philanthropic work. It is stated that she
had at one moment the notion Of consign-
ing the entire library 20 destruction bur
was iissuaded therefrom By arguments that
even some Of the most questionable or the
books probably contained here and there
features Of invaluable historical interest
which should not be lost 20 the world ana
that were she 70 put her project into eX-
ecution she might be likened TO the icono-
clast. Caliph Omar. who destroyed the most
famous library IN the world. namely tnat
Of Alexandria, moved thereto by religious
zeal.