VISITORS' BOOK

New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 376, 6 September 1946, Page 29

VISITORS' BOOK

F all the books in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, one never appears on the shelves" nowadays; but it may be seen-and used-on application at the office. This, the visitors’ book, owes its seclusion to school-children, and to a good many visitors old enough to know better, who scribbled inanities after their names in its pages. There are three volumes altogether, representing the most democratic exhibit in the whole collection, for they contain the names of the schoolboy and the statesman, the antiquary and the actress. Through this book the reader may view the world, peering into the minds of people from many countries who have visited the library during the last 26 years. The name of the holiday-maker from Kaikoura follows that of the tourist from Kenya and a flick of the page takes the reader from Bermuda to Wellington’s Berhampore. Volume I., recording the official opening of the library on June 28, 1920, shows the names of the official party. ‘Later in the pages come the names of Conan Doyle, Jascha Heifetz, W. S. Percy (author and actor, who died recently), and then an_ indecipherable scrawl, followed by the words, as an address, "The Home Department, Japan." There is an historical touch about the page headed February 1, 1924, for on that day, 89 officers and midshipmen, and 30 engineers from His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s ship Yakumo were callers. Two years later 48 rankers and ratings from the Japanese ship Iwate were among the visitors. In 1925 Edna Thomas, the touring actress and singer of negro spirituals from Louisiana, scanned the shelves and, before she went, took up two whole lines with her flourishing signature. And a little later one Ernest G. Frese, from Hamburg, Germany, was apparently much impressed, for he added to his name the comment, "A treasury of endless good." , The Founder’s Sister As we ran an eye down the columns, we came across the name of the last surviving sister of Alexander Turnbull, Lady Joanna Leigh-Wood, who visited the library with her husband, Sir James Leigh-Wood, in 1938. Then there was the signature, "Hugh Dalton, House of Commons, London," with the comment, "A most delightful setting for a fine library." Signs of war appear in 1942 when, in the remarks column somebody wrote: "Hope this collection will be safely

housed against enemy raids." It was. In 1941 and 1942 all the rare books and valuable manuscripts were stored in Masterton. But the writer apparently

thought the whole collection should have been put out of sight for safety’s sake. The letters U‘’S.M.C. after several signatures in 1943 tell of the American invasion of New Zealand and the visiting forces’ interest in books. Presumably many people write their names in visitors’ books in the hope and belief that others will read them. Expressions of feeling in the remarks column at the Turnbull Library range from transports of delight to the brief "excellent," "v.g." and "g," suggesting an occupational acquaintance with examination papers. At any rate, most of the comments are sincere, appreciative and constructive. A few we noticed were: "It (the collection) quickens the pulse;" "our debt to Turnbull can. never be paid;" "here is the light of understanding;" and "would like to be locked up in this building’-this occurs several times. "Hot Dog" to Him A Chicagoan has described his reactions in the simple words, "Hot dog!" and an American marine tells ally who follow after him that it’s "O.K., Buddy." A schoolboy damns with faint praise: his impression of the library is that it is "good for swots." And one young woman visitor had apparently purely family reasons for her call, for her inscription reads: "It was nice finding Grandpa’s name in the first burgesses’ roll." The irresponsibles -have had their turn. here. Nothing is sacred to them. But better, of course, that they should let themselves go in the visitors’ books | than in the exhibits. We found the names, facetiously-inscribed, of Ww. Churchill, A. Hitler, and H. Goering who were made to describe the collection, respectively, as "silly," "rotten," and "not bad." Greta Garbo, Hollywood, is unoriginally made to say that she desires solitude. Balancing these pieces of foolishness are such comments as the wish-ful-sounding phrase, "there is so much to learn and so little time."° Almost every page expresses the desire of, someone to return. But why autographers should write so badly that nobody can read their names and addresses puzzles not,only keepers of visitors’ books. Some of the signatures might be in code; others represent calligraphy as the Greeks understood the word. Not everybody who has visited the library has recorded the fact. Bernard Shaw, Dame Sybil Thorndike and her husband, Lewis Casson, have been there, but their signatures are not to be found. The Smiths are there in their dozens; and after one signature comes the remark, "this place is worthy of greater publicity." That one alone can be taken as the excuse for:this article.

Staff

Reporter