Evening journal., 1921-01-29
THE COIYJJM

Mort La Rowe Is lover OF Old
books, old photographs, old paintings,
old friends, An fact OF everything old
except old wine. As a business d.
version, he Is d barber, the pioneer
Wilmington second-stOry "tons0rlu
artist, j." having an upstairs emporium
at 900 Shpley street.
Ne made our usual visit b The
bOOk-p picture- -barber-shOp yesterday
and after being made presentable for
dress parade launched into me sub
icct OF books, after a well-Worn copy
of the Holy Bible which lay on
table in the cener Of the shop had
caught our eve Mort informed US
that the Bible has been a part Of the
reading course in his barber shop
for years. lie has been told that he
is inc only barber In the world
whose shop displays a copy OF The
Scriptures and, OF course, he ls proud
OF the distinction. Quite frequently,
"a patron will c0me into the shop and
finding the illustrated weekhes in the
hands of others Will pick UP the
Bible and scan iis pages, while await
ing his turn in the chair Mort en-
iOys this sigIt more than he does
the distinction Of being the only bar
her who offers his patrons the priYi-
lege. He's sort OF a missionary-bar-
Der.
umes for his patrons TO read. one
particularly interesting volume which
le handed us is a copy or "Davcn-
ports Gazetteer" printed in 1882 by
Bishop Davenport, a WilmingtOnidn,
Nhidh, desrdte lbs eighty-nine years
Of service, is in its original binding
and in good condition. The Ca
zctteer'infOrTns us that in 1882, Della
ware had 76. .739 inhabitants, OF whom
a}05 were slaves. The population OF
Wilmincton was 662S. Considerable
space is given in the "Gazetteer" b
the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal,
which In 1882, as In 1921. was one Of
the States most valuable assets.
Then cotton and wooden gOOds, -four,
Gapcr and powder were the States
principal manufacturing industries.
NJ the flour mills on the Brandy
wine, Bishop Davenport says they
were the finest collection OF mills In
The United states.
In those early days, Delaware had
eight banks OF which number three
were in Wilmington. The State had
six newspapers. The Methodist
Church IN Delaware had fifteen
preachers and i23Oi members. (The
number % churches is not given J
The presbyterians had eight churches,
nine ministers and $40 commandments
and The EplscoTalians six churches
and six minister's.
The only railroad in the state was
the one-track New Castle-Frenohtown
road.
While the subject OF better schools
for Delaware boys and girls Is befnc
discussed, The following paragraph
from The "Gazetteer' no doubt viii
be OF interest 10 The friends Of edu-
aThis state has a school fund
amounting to $1,000, the interest OF
which, tOceiher with a small iaN
levied on each school district OF -four
miles square, at the will Of the ma
iOritv Of The taxable Inhabitants. Is
appropriated to the support OF The
common schools. No district Is en-
titled 20 any Share OF The school fund
That win not raise, by taxation. a
sum equal 20 ITS share OF the income
Of the fund. But few Of the districts
have yet gone into operation under
the school law"
Mort La Rowe, book worm. ar
lover and barber has many other
rare volumes. some oftlis photograph
are OF the original covered Bran
tiywine bridge at Market strcct, an,
\ Of the old New Castle county court
house. Wilmington, Which was takel
few years after 10 was built. III
aiso has an etfhing OF the Old Ginde
cigar shop, which stood at Tent
street and Pinkett's Court until IN
modern skyscraper now on. that sit
made The little frame building only
memory. La ROWes old books, hi
old photographs, his old raintinc
and his Old frienfs arc among hi
dearest possessions. and he is happ,