WHY RETIREE FREQUENTS THE LIBRARY? `BETTER THAN A SALOON, AND CHEAPER'

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A visitor to the Cape Girardeau Public Library can find books, periodicals and often, Clarence Schade. One of several regulars at the facility, the 75-year-old retiree regularly keeps up with several newspapers and magazines as well as various books.

"I tell my wife that the library is a better place for a retiree to spend time than a saloon, and is a lot cheaper, too," Schade said with a chuckle as he scanned the morning paper in the periodicals section.

Like patrons at a pub, a certain comradery can be found among library regulars. They get to know each other, keeping up with family news and the latest local through international news. Schade enjoys the occasional gatherings.

"We do get into some discussions on the news, government and politics," he said, pointing out the debates are maintained within the limits of the quiet atmosphere. "I'm somewhat of an extrovert. I enjoy meeting and being with people, but enjoy the time alone to read also." Among cohorts he listed are other library regulars Earl Steele, George Penzel and Dorothy Hardy, all of Cape Girardeau.

Schade itemizes an eclectic blend of his taste in books, including poetry, histories, historic novels, biographies, and English literature and poetry, having spent time in England during World War II.

During his morning visits, he reads three newspapers: the Southeast Missourian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Wall Street Journal, and about a dozen magazines. "I try to read a balance between liberal and conservative views," Schade commented. "I don't want a one-sided view in my reading. I read the conservative National Review and the liberal New Republic. The Post-Dispatch has both types of columnists." He attributes a lifelong interest in politics, government and history, and how they are intertwined to his inquisitiveness.

Schade said a well-informed person is better off, being more rounded, and that the library is a smooth avenue to self-education. He cautioned that as more patrons use the facility, it needs corresponding support from all quarters.

"The library may be undersold and underfunded," Schade said. "Some other things may come up first, like the golf course. The library should get more attention due to its wider usage as an educational and informational center."

He rates the public library highly, saying it gives good service and has a motivated staff.

Schade traces his interest in the written word to his days of growing up in Jackson. A teacher, Bess Samuel, sparked an interest in poetry and literature in his teen-age years, and other teachers started a continuing interest in geography and history. Schade wore out an atlas his father gave him while in elementary school. While at home, he read both the St. Louis newspapers and kept up with Missouri community news through his brother Leo's office at the Jackson newspaper, which had exchange subscriptions to dozens of other weeklies across the state.

During the war, Schade studied cryptography (writing in secret codes) at Oxford University and worked with the Royal Air Force creating military codes for the allies. Since the workers needed an expanded vocabulary for the communications work, they were constantly reading, which was no chore for the Southeast Missouri GI. At the urging of his two sons, Stephen and David, Schade is compiling his memoirs of Word War II, including his time in England, Germany, Switzerland, France, Scotland and Ireland.

Schade retired from the men's clothing business full time 10 years ago. The store building at Good Hope and Sprigg still has the family name on a vertical sign affixed to the front corner.