Souvenir Kleptomaniacs.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 19, 17 October 1907, Page 10

Souvenir Kleptomaniacs.

A' party of Americans went over St. Paul J Catlieclrai recently.' "- They explored tie, crvpt, stared ' at the statuary, , and, theii climbed the stairs to the topmost gallery. There one of them hung back from the party. He was prosently' discovered; trying to chip flakes of stone from one of tho ornamental pillars. "I guess I only wanted ;a bit of St. Paul's to take-back with .mo to ..America," ha drawled by way of explanation. _ V Souvenir-hunting ■ has developed,'.. into ,V a craze, and thero is no institution, of:any size ; that- has:not suffered , from the ravages: of the' souvenir-hunters.' The late Mri Wall,' when librarian of tho Stratford" Memorial' r Theatre, used to tell of a-visitor who'offered a substantial, sum for a few pinches of' tho" dust that reposes under Shakespeare's tomb. . Now tho .souvenir' collector* is, not satisfied. with' purchasing'or bribing. He appropriates. The manager of a restaurant on a , liner told an' "Express" representative that < in one, voyago' ho'"missed" twenty-six of liia best spoons. "We thought.it bettor not to ■ make.any. commotion," lie said: ■ • "All our national institutions, are: the prey of these kleptomaniacs, and the/utmost vigilance lias to . be exercised to keep, our . treasures of art and science intact." One enterprising stranger'at the British' Museum, tried, to secure a' strip of .a nuuniny casej,, and, another snipped, a, button off the coat .of an. fat-. I tondant. A.groiip-bf women who. visited the . | Tower wore lamenting, their inability-. ,to pur- .. loin, a, sample.of tho Crown jewels,: but ono managed to console horself with the-twig of ■- a tree which she broke'off surreptitiously. • • A music-hall manager."told an "Express" representative that all the London, theatres'' liavo their resources/taxed ;to the utmost :m :, protecting- tlieir .' .property:' "OpferK-glasses,.' disappear "by tho score," ho said., j was ono. man who, whes. I, caught hini 'pj,< ; ting a pair in his'-'pocket, coolly ; explained,., that ho thought lie had secured; tho cheapest , souvenir in Lqndon for the sixpenco.-)io had ", paid for them." The ..managors ofwiamous'-,'.. 'hotels'. have to exercise unceasing vigilanco. ' Pons and notcpaper arc constantly, disappear- :' ing. " But: this, is comparatively :harm-:' less," said tho■ manager; " Water-bottles! ' glasses, cutlery, and-oven plates have disappeared, and gone- into ths pockety of souvenir Imntors." : "Tho worst case I remember was that of a Gorman who coolly packed, a mirror linlliis box. The chambermaid, noticed. that -it had gone, and a gontlo hint to tho guest-r-howas >' a man in a high position—led to its restoration to its, usual place." .The; other day a - man tried to purloin a stained-glass';window froni ono of the City churches,, while:another actually walked off with- the surplice in whieb a famous clergyman had preached.