Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-01-31

rellglouS readlnS WiitStt 80 - ~ -
Presented i'm the Alexandria Library,
pbcoald tolerate such. triding and alb:
Esssuurd; tales as are contained in these
n sg along with extracts from rom
!!ELocke, Paine snd Jeremy Taylor but
kthen, as now, all tastes had to be
Suited, and The woes OF Edwin and
Angelina appealed more TO the masses
Eof readers, than did Tie philosophy OF
Bacon. = 1t would be Of interest to
know what books certain men read,
but as the method of entering the
books was by number, rather than by
title, it makes investigation very tedl-
Gus and often impossible, as many OF
1.-The old catalogue numbers are lost In
looking over She first years hist Of
subscribers I observe that Col. Henry
Percy (who was an officer OF the
Revolution and member Of the Cincin-
matt Society," read more books than
any other subscriber. John Fitzgerald,
Philip Mars!eller and Charles Simms,
also prominent as Revolutionary Col
onels, were great readers. The sub
scribers were allowed to take out
whole sets of volumes by one author,
at time. Undoubtedly this was bad
plan, as few notes by the librarian
.show-"Book lost, J. D. Simms, had
it last" "Odd volume of Dryden, not
returned" These notes were written
Sin an informal manner on the inside
cover of the librarians book, mad dem
orstrate how far away the business
methods were from those Of the pres
emit efficient officer. Some of the early
patrons were sea captains, who car
ried books away to read during their
voyages. Besides books Of travel.
these were Frequently novels such as
Frederick Random" and "Pe: egiine
Pickle" and later on in the history o.
the Alexandria library, they tool; away
the old bound volumes of "lvanloe'
and "Kenilworth," showing that the
demand for SCOTS works necessitated
getting a new edition. 1t is worthy o.
observation that the men who we're
most prominent in other good works
in the town, appear as those mos; IN
teresied in the Library. OF t.lesc
may mention Rev. James Muir, 1t:
first president, who was also CHAPLAIN
of the Alexandria Washington Lodge
of Masons and officiated in that c.: 9ac~
ity at the funeral of the lame lteG
Washington, Edward Stabler, thu
first librarian, Dr.. Elisha c. Dick, o.
more than local reputation, William
and Robert Hartshorne, and :heir
sometime enemies-the Mandcvilic
brothers-Thos. Rogerson CAPTAIN
Of the Town Militia (ancestor o. s
Magruder Dent,) Charles Bennett: the
intentional Public Benefac or, "
Francis Peyton of "Peyton Glc7e,'
William Herbert and William RAJ say,
each at one time Mayor Of Aleya: ria
the Vowells, the Jamiesons, Ellis
Price. { "a great reader, and the {. AK
ers Aaron Hewes, Philip Wanton. lor-
decai, Miller and Benjamin ard ale3
Hailowell. a fair showing Of pre-
sentation men who were succeed b.
men not less worthy-and the a: .;ar-
dria Library first an experiment. has
become a solid institution. 1t IS ;.coh-.
able that the rooms Of the Chr ;tisn
over the cd bank Oil the
northeast corner Of Washington and
Prince streets, were first used by tte
Library Company and later til, ! 'o::2
were shelved at the Alexandra MI
scum in the Market House. : ;out
1884 several prominent citizens III LEI
took to raise means for the nIi. ling
Of a public hall where lectures: ght
be delivered On literary, scientific and
religious subjects, and where lcca. So
cietiea might hold their NEE aGs.
This project was finally accon.pE hea
ir 1892 when the Lyceum was err ;ted
on the southwest corner of Was. 'ng-
ton and Prince streets. This bui! llng
which is of classic proportions in the
Doric style of architecture, conta ned
a commodious auditorium, and rooms
which were given up TO the use OF the
Alexandria Library which continued
to occupy them until the breaking Out
of the civil war, when the building
was seized by the Federal troops 10 De
used as hospital. Many of the BOOKS
were then stolen and carried Oft, ou;
interested citizens succeeded in secur-
ing and storing the greater number Of
them A few years after the war they
were brought out and installed III
room in The second story of Germann
bakery later occupied by Lozano's dry
goods store. The towns people mao
u, rJl-- rcrnvcrad ma; cicr tly from the