SOME QUEER HOBBIES

Evening Star, Issue 19848, 23 April 1928, Page 4

SOME QUEER HOBBIES

BOOKS, PIPES, AND SNUFF BOXES

“Some people have queer hobbies, to be sure.”

_ In looking over a collection of oddities the other day a lady resident in the southern part of the city came across three little hooks, a little worse for wear, which caused her lo pass the remark above.

Upon being asked by a ‘ Star ’ reporter what the books were ami their relationship to hobbies, the lady explained that they were part of a collection gathered together by an old London resident long since dead. “I knew the collector very well.” she explained. “He made a hobby of procuring such books. , lie had hundreds. This little book is called ‘ The Maid of the Mill,’ and at the time it was printed, somewhere about 1770, il was a popular novel, and people bought such books then the same as we buy an 0, Henry or an F. W. Thomas story now. ‘The Maid of the Mill’ lias no beginning and no ending, simply because the first and last pages have dropped out and been lost.

“This second book is a scries of printed plates hut there is no writing underneath them to give any clue as to what they represent, while the oilier book is of poetry as written in 1700. Each piece is illustrated, and all the poems are printed in the old style, an “b ” being made like an “ f.” This style of writing reminds me very much of F. W. Thomas’s little story. ‘ The Fun Dial,’ in which the writer negotiated with an old junk dealer for a sun dial on which was printed the following:—‘ Bleff the fuiishine, blelf the flowers, 1 only fhow the funny hours.’ “Here’s a sample of the poetry contained in the book; it’s called ‘The May Milkmaid, or the Garland Girl ’:—

How merrily the milk-maids dance, To welcome in the May! In decent trim the lads advance, -And ail is blithe and gay. Behold her garland richly droll, With many a fragrant llow'r; And rainbow’d ribbands on her hreft, Sweet proofs of am’rons pow'r. The loving twain now takes a pride, To deck, with fhowy art. The lafs he wifhes for his bride ; The partner of his heart . “Speaking of hobbies," said the lady, “ I onro remember a man at Home who took great pride in collecting pipes. Different pipes were smoked at different hours ot the day, and each was filled with a different brand of tobacco. He would never think of smoking the same brand of tobacco in two different pipes. Ho provided himself with a complete cleaning and polishing outfit, and at nights he would sit for hours cleaning out his pipes and brightening up their surfaces.

“Tins man would never associate himself very much with an.yone_ unless they had a hobby also. His best friend was a, great collector of snufl boxes. He had dozens, small ones and big ones, of .all shapes and designs One was in the shape of a boot, another was modelled alter a thimble, etc., and they were made ot various materials such as ebony, gold, silver, and all kinds of wood studded with jewels. The pipe mam would often visit his snuff box friend, and vice versa, each admiring the other’s growing collection. “Until quite recently Miad a letter written years ago by a friend of mine in South Africa. In the, letter he told me of various people ho had met and all about their hobbies. Curiously enough, the writer of the letter made a hobby of colleding as much information as possible about- other people s hobbies and writing it down in a big book.” The ladv concluded by telling the reporter that she had mot and heard ot other people who had curious hobbies, but for the moment she could not call any of them to mind.