Bored? Pick up a Book or a Newspaper to enjoy a Good Read!

What can be more relaxing  than curling up with a good book - as in this week's Sepia Saturday prompt photograph?   

 

 For my father, newspapers were his favourite form of reading.  He left school  at 14 years old  to become a delivery boy at a local grocer's shop and ended his working life as a sales director of a small company in Scotland - very much a self-taught man. Politically  he was unashamedly Conservative, avid reader of "The Daily Telegraph",  was a member of the local constituency party helping at fund raising events, delivering election leaflets etc.  He often wrote letters to the local newspaper on political issues - much to the concern of my mother who did not like the brickbats that he could receive in return.  

 

My Mother was a reader as well and felt she learnt most of her history knowledge from her favourite  historical fiction.   

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In the 19th century Reading Rooms were a symbol of  Victorian self-help and the  desire for education.   They were warm, dry and largely free,  where you could read newspapers, and borrow books.   It was thanks to such facilities being available, that many a Victorian  went on to achieve a position  of eminence in a wide range of f

 

In Earlston, where I live in the Scottish Borderss, Major Baillie of Mellerstain Estate  was the instigator in 1852 in setting up the Reading Room when he offered an initial donation of of 50 books.   

 

                         

 Earlston Reading Room in the Market Square next to the  Corn Exchange (with the belfrey tower), c.1920. 

 

 Major Baillie set down the following conditions:

• That the inhabitants of Earlston and its vicinity be invited to become members, without distinction  as to religious denomination, or political opinion, and whether they do or do not belong to any abstinence or temperance society.

• The Reading Room and Recreation Room shall be open every day except Sundays and New Year's Day from 9am to 10pm. 

• That the newspapers and other publications shall be such as may be generally  useful and acceptable.  Works gifted or loaned should be of a good moral tendency and be approved of by the committee.  

• That no intoxicating liquor be consumed on the  premises on any pretence whatever

• Members will not be allowed to whistle or sing or make any undue noise or run up and  down the stairs or rooms,  or quarrel with one another  or use bad language to the annoyance of other members.  

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 From an early age, after school visits to the local library,  I played at being a Librarian and remember one Christmas being delighted at getting in my stocking a date stamp.  I made up issue labels for my books, and dragooned my family into being customers, so I  could enthusiastically stamp away.   

 

The Cutting Edge I rather fancied  working in a newspaper library (this was before the days of the Internet.) The nearest I came to it was   a post at the College of Education in Edinburgh.    The role involved setting up for the Modern Studies Dept. project files of ephemera - mainly press cuttings, and compiling source lists for students. I got to look through all the quality daily papers - a great job and nothing boring about it.   . 

 

I did my best to counteract the stereotyped image of a dowdy librarian who did  nothing  but stamp books all day.    Yes,  I did conform a wee  - the glasses did it!     

 

 

 
Does anyone remember the Smirnoff vodka advert? The librarian (dowdy clothes, hair in a bun and of course wearing spectacles), whips off her glasses,  loosens her hair shaking it into a tousled look, shortens her skirt, undoes her top buttons  - and gets a new look and new life with Smirnoff of course!     I can't say that was me, though I did have a spell at  wearing contact lenses.

 

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 So not surprisingly,  I did my best to foster the love of books in both my daughter and granddaughter , taking them to the local children's library and enjoying the Rhyme Time sessions.
  

Granddaughter took an interest in newspapers at an early age! 

 

 

Granddaughter enjoying a  book with her Papa  

 

 With books you can never get bored, as you can escape into  another world, away from your present  day situation.

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity  

to share their family history through photographs

 

Click  HERE to find out what other bloggers have found

in this week's prompt photograph

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