1867.] Reflections on the Preservation and Care of Books. 
I did not approve, there were none which 
1 would willingly have destroyed. 
Reading, (says Aikin), may in every 
respect be called «a cheap amusement. 
in books we have the choicest thoughts 
of the ablest men in their best dress. We 
can at pleasure exclude dulness and im- 
pertinence, and open our doors to wit 
and good sense alone. Without books, I 
have never been able to pass a single day 
to my entire satisfaction; with them, no 
day has been so dark as not to have its 
pleasures. In a polite age, (says Golds- 
mith), alinost every person becomes a 
reader, and receives more instruction 
from the press than the pulpit. 
The establishment of circulating h- 
braries has greatly contributed to wean 
many of the middling classes of society 
from more expensive and less innocent 
pastime; they have withdrawn the poor 
man from many habits of intemperance, 
and rendered his own fireside unusually 
welcome. 
At one of these places a quarterly sub- 
scriber may have the perusal of as many 
books, as will cost him less than one half- 
penny per volume ; and which if he had 
been obliged to purchase, could not have - 
amounted to less than three shillings and 
sixpence each. But the want of consi- 
deration, the negligence, and dishonesty, 
ef many, who procure bocks from these 
repositories, 1s one reason, why we often 
see the proprietors retire from the ma- 
nagement of a library, with so much loss 
and disgust. But let those readers, who 
occasionally profit by a plan so excellent, 
remember that no establishment can be 
permanent, which is not secure: and 
that, to expect a librarian to part with 
his books without his receiving a deposit 
of equal value, is just as reasonable, as 
it would be to take offence with a pawn- 
broker, for refufing to lend his money on 
your bare word and honour, 
What complaint can be more common, 
or unfortunately more just, than the lit- 
tle care taken with borrowed books? “O! 
what a number of good books should I 
have had by me at this time,” (say they), 
“had I not foolishly lent, and lost them: 
but I am now determined to lend uo 
more !” 
. Were people but to make a point of 
honour, never to lend a borrowed book, 
there would be much less danger: but 
we Can more often answer for the honesty 
of an acquaintance, than we can for his 
care. The man who borrows my book, 
shews, or commends it to another, who 
borrows it again, with repeated assu- 
1S 
rances of its being carefully returned ; this 
man lends it te a third person, on the 
like conditions, but who never returns it, 
because it was lent to a fourth, who dest 
wz. Ihave seen many inscriptions in dii- 
ferent books, intimating the owner’s anx- 
iety for their preservation : and by those 
whovare generally resolved to gratify the 
wish of a friend by the loan of a book, 
perhaps the followimg might be generally 
adopted. 
Read and return ; nor other’s goods dispersez 
Be you the better, and the book no worse. 
Tt was, indeed, truly said, that “ our 
acquaintances find it much more easy to 
retain the books themselves, than what 
is contained in them.” And as an addi- 
tional confirmation of this fact, we are 
informed that the Duke of Somerset, in 
the days of Edward the VIth. borrowed 
from the Guildhall library, without in- 
tending to return them, five cart loads of 
books, for the purpose of furnishing his 
own library, at his house in the Strand. 
“There are many virtuosos (says Dr. 
Johnson) whose sole ambition 1s to pos- 
sess something which can be found 1n no 
other hand, yet some are more accus- 
tomed to stere their cabinets by theft 
than purchase.” And I am informed 
from good authority, that a literary gen- 
tleman at Stockwell has lately found it 
necessary to give strict orders to his do- 
mestics not to admit to his hbrary a per- 
son of a certain description, who either 
Is, or feigns to be, a nobleman, and who 
has contrived to gain admission to many 
private collections, from which he always 
purloined the most rare and valuable ar- 
ticles, during the absence of the servant 
or owner. 
There is scarcely any of our acquaint- 
ance, who some time or other do not la- 
ment the loss of a favourite book, and 
exclaim against the negligence or fraud 
which deprived them of it. And yet, 
perhaps, this very aggrieved person will 
take the first opportunity of practising 
the cheat by which he suffered: for it is 
a singular fact, that the person wuo’ 
would shrink from the thought of stealing 
a penny, would perhaps feel but little 
compunction in purloining a book worth a 
guinea, And what is still more mis- 
chievous, it generally happens that these 
robbers make the least use of the book 
they thus obtain, as well as the worst use 
of the learning they have; for it would 
be scandalous in a person whe should 
plead his lové of reading as an. excuse 
fer such illicit practices, as carry with 
4 them 
