Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-09-11
EVENING Chat


Just as an indication of the way the
new public library is being used by the
people of Harrisburg and vicinity. 1t
may be stated that during the month
of August, in spite of the warm days,
the absence of many people from the
city and the general decline IN the
amount of reading, as compared with
winter months, the number OF DOCKS
circulated was 200 more than in July.
The August figures. as compiled py
Miss Alice r. Elton, the librarian, snow
that 1921 books were circulated uur-
ing the month. When it is considered
that the number of books in the avail
able shelves is 11.291 this means an
exceptional amount Of business. or
the books circulated 1.6S7 were to
children. a rather high percentage Tor
vacation time. There were 2,46T read
ers at the library during the month.
which is also higher than in July. or
the readers 1,S42 were children. APP
proximately 400 books have been
added to the library in the last month
or two and of this number two-thirds
are children's books. The total regis
tration of the library is now over I,70O
and 1t will be 5000 by the end OF the
year The point is that one in every
ten in Harrisburg is enrolled as a
patron of the library, showing con-
clusively the part it is playing in the
educational life of the city.
Just for your own information pay
attention to the fragments of conver-
sation in the trolley cars. This may
not be very polite thing to do, but 1t
will be illuminative. You will be sur
prised at what YOU hear. 1t is not talk
about the weather, or the progress OF
improvements. or the Slough revival
~. frSinr Tho rnnnh hIlf nlqiU
war. Nine out of every ten conver-
sations are about the war and some OF
the ideas advanced are fearful and
wonderful. People are reading wal
news to the exclusion of politics, re-
ligion, court news. fashions and even
the personal columns. Look at the
pages of the papers people are reading
They are following the war articles
and II is a striking comment upon
popular attention. The average mar
knows as much as high school
teacher about the war territory and
on some cars people split up the
papers so that they can be passed
around.
Speaking about war, the experience
of the wife of a former HarrisburE
resident who was marooned in Ger
many is omewhat thrilling and may
account for some of the reasons FOL
| Americans returning from the CONT
nent being adherents of the idea o
See America First" 1t happens tina
| this PENNSYLVANIA and his famil,
were in Germany and when they hat
managed to get to the vicinity of tn
border of France the soldiers becam
| inSolent and eXacting. They not onl,
| forced declarations that they hat
nothing that would prove of value. bu
one soldier actually ran his ham
through the lady's hat and the,
F, through her hair to see that no note
made. either, although German officer
were aware of what was being done.
Here's another war story, but
! comes from nearer home. 1t happen
that Pennsylvania family was tryin
to get out of Mexico and was de
tanned" by some soldiers on tn
been received, but in reality for
"shakedown" in the form of casl
Finally urgent representations &c
some attention and the party wa
allowed to go. But the blankets an
overcoats were all taken. Unlike tn
officials abroad who took automobile
of Americans and gave receipts fc
them, the MeXicans gave nothing. l
fact the overcoats just disappeared
But next day soldiers were wearin
them.
The autumn tang in the air ha
caused a good many automobile pal
: ties to go abroad in the land. Ord
narily this is a warm period of Ser
tember. but the cool days have mad
riding delightful, except in the ear
morning, and the number of partiC
: registering here is rather SURPRISING
! Some of them come from long di.
tances and the hotel people say tn;
the rush will keep going for anothC
month.
There has been dismay among fish
ermen over the continued muddy {
cloudy condition of the river, e.
pecially along the Juniata side. TT
constant rains throughout the summt
were doubtless very fine for crops an
pasturage, but they were bad for fisI
ing. The river has been in good fish
ing form only once or twice this sun
mer and then very large catches wei
made. Anglers had looked forward
excellent sport the coming Fall. Yer
few wall-eyed pike, or Susquehann
salmon, as they are better known, hay
been caught, but fishermen predit
tirst-class sport If the river clears II
toward the end of the month. As tn
summer wanes there is less and lie.
food in the water and the big fellow
snatch hungrily at the bait when /
the months of plenty they will NJ
touch it.
Many fishing parties go to Wild
wood Park this fine weather, wher
the condition of the water has n
effect on the catches. Carp, catfis
and eels are in the lake in large mum
bers and it is not infrequent to cate
from a half-dozen to a dozen fine fis
in an afternoon. Even carp of tn
smaller size bite we'll and 1t is sal
that those from six to eight inches /
length are much better than older fish
which take on the taste of the mudd
bottoms upon which they feed.
l WELL KNOWN PEOPLE