MR. GARNER AND HIS GAVELS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 70, 19 September 1936, Page 27

MR. GARNER AND HIS GAVELS

' President Eoosevelt has his stamp collection for his principal hobby. In that-he has a-great host of fellowenthusiasts. But the pet hobby 'of Vice-President Garner has' few followers; for his pet collection is of gavels, says the "New York Times." In the main lobby of a hotel in Mr. Garnet's home town of Uvalde this most unusual collection has been on exhibition. It is "housed" in a specially constructed glass case of four "storeys" and contains more than 100 gavels. ,

; A,study of the contents of the case provides something of a revelation in gavel construction. '. There is one gavel so large that only a Hercules could wield it with One hand, and there are. some so small that with a little imagination they might be taken for baby rattles. The largest of the collection has a head almost as big as a small -beer keg. The tiniest is of metal and is almost as small as those little hammers with which dentists hammer' at one's teeth.

The idea', that. all gavels are shaped like" a mallet is completely dissipated, for 'there/ are gavels of many shapes. One is in; of a steer's head, and any excited ' "chairman might easily bang ;this gavel and break off a

horn. One is full of spikes and seems more appropriate as a savage weapon than as a means of calling a peaceful convention to 1 order. There are square gavels and round gavels and oblong gavels. In fact, few geometric figures are missing.

Each gavel is supposed to have a history, though it is not asserted that Mr. Garner has had occasion to use all of them in his oft-repeated capacity of chairman . or, toastmaster. Many of them have been presented to him by friends who have run across some strange-patterned gavel in their wanderings, picked it up and sent it on to join the collection. . Many of them are adorned with small silver or gold plates inscribed with' a brief story. Often the name of the, giver is on the plate, sometimes the..record, is of.the function at which the gavel was used. Since fishing is one of Mr. Garner's favourite outdoor sports, there is a gavel so much like a cork that one almost expects to see it bob. Doubtless when Mr. Garner bangs his gavel marking the last adjournment of the Senate of which he is President he will walk off with that gavel—to be the most prized in his collection.