The Washington herald., 1913-07-21
Rainy Day Brings Them Out ;
the Studiously Inclined and
the Plain Loafer.

There is a curious sort of fascina tior
in public libraries for most people. ac.
cording to students of human nature
who have written veritable books. a com.
posite title for which might be THE
Lure of the Library The lure. while
not especially dangerous. is supposed TO
cause the loot of the famous thief. Pro-
crastination, to make him round shoul-
dered
Librarians will not admit that the in
stitutions of which they have charge act
as a SPIDERS web to the average citi-
zen's fly. They say. that the majority
of persons visit the libraries for some
definite purpose, and that when criticism
is made, when it is attempted to sort
out the classes, the bookworm almost
surely will take offense and unbraid the
librarians.
Rniny Day Brings Crowd.
A rainy day usually discIoses most of
the types. They gather when the doors
are opened. they check their wet un-
brellas, raincoats. and overshoes: or.
having none of these, wipe their wet
feet on a doormat and make feeble dabs
at their clothes as though to dry them
by magic pass of the hand. After a
sigh and a glance outdoors, they make
Tor the notion room. the newspaper room,
or the "highbrow' room, as they see
fit.
The faces change, but the character
istics remain. Take the student or writ
ter. huddlee up in his chair, pencil behind
ear, with sheets of paper scattered over
his particular section of the desks or
shelves; the book worm. his hands mov-
ing nervously for very love of handling
the musty-smelling leaves of some old
H.
woman, the young man, bending breath
Iessly over the story of the romantic
adventure of Lord or Lady de We're: the
poet or the poetry lover. swaying un-
consciously to the cadences of some
masterpiece of verse: the magazine
fend-don't doubt, he is there in large
number-with stacks of current periodi-
calls forming sort of breastwork
around him; the exception, laughing
softly over the witticisms of foreign
humorous publications.; the stranger.
alternately reading the newspaper from
"home'' and gazing through the window
at the rain clouds. seeing the fields of
grain. the swift moving crowds in the
streets, the fellows" the one to whom
he wrote that ten-page letter, the
Notwithstanding to his tastes-of the
place from which he registers at a hotel;
the worker. looking, possibly-who
through column after column of stories
in newspapers of years past for informa-
ton that will enable a man to blacken
the character of an uncared-for wife.
or that will bring ruin to the ambitions
of politician: the man out of work.
reading patiently, his only object the
passing OF the hours without thought of
opportunities lost or wasted. of pleas
made in vain, of wants unsatisfied: the
eli clock
fear he will be late in reporting at his
office-you will find them all at the public
library on rainy days.
Loaang in Libraries.
But the bookworm and the student,
the fiction lover and the worker. all
have had their places in descriptions
of libraries since the burning of the an
cient Hebrew Bibles. II is the loafer
referred to heretofore by a name which
he ni"lt mo-. comnrrh"~f--th"t' nf n~o-
crastinator-whe must be tracked. down.
Tor the 1oafer Is one Of the problems OF
all large libraries. He has been referred
IN Hh Ar