The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-07 00:00:00

works are to be thrown open, and the Dudley
caverns illuminated by Lord Dudley. On the same
day there is to be an excursion to Lichfield and the
Burton breweries.

Opening of the Birmingham Free Library.

BIRMINGHAM, Wednesday.
To-day at noon the Central Reference Free Library, in
connection with the free libraries established in different
parts of this borough under the provisions of Mr. Ewart's
Act, was formally opened by the Mayor (Mr. H. Wiggin),
in the presence of a very distinguished company, composed
of many gentlemen now on a visit to this town in connec-
tion with the British Association.
At 10 o'clock the Mayor entertained about 250 gentle-
men at breakfast, at the Royal Hotel. Amongst the guests
of his worship were Lord Lyttelton, Lord Stanley, M.P.,
Professor Fairbairn, &c.
After breakfast the company marched in procession to
the Library Building, in Ratcliff-place. The formal cere-
mony of opening took place in the apartment called " The
Lending Library ;" on one side of this shelves have been
placed, on which are arranged about 19,000 volumes
selected by the Free Libraries Committee of the Corpora-
tion. .

A prayer was offered by the Lord Bishop of Worcester;
this was followed by a few observations of a preliminary
character from the Mayor, after which he called upon Lord
Stanley, M.P., to address the assembly.
Lord STAN-LEY, who was received with continuous ap-
plause, spoke as follows :—Mr. Mayor, ladies, and gentle-
men,—Although, comparatively speaking, I am a stranger
in Birmingham—although only once before, and then only
for a few days, has it been my good fortune to be your
guest—although my presence here this morning is due
solely to the meeting of the British Association in this town
—and although as a general rule in local affairs I hold it
better, on theprincipal of division of labour, that men should
confine themselves to the affairs of their own neighbour-
hood and their own county—l have not thought it right to
refuse the invitation, the courteous and flattering invitation
which I received from your mayor to talfe part in the cere-
mony to-day. And I think so for this reason—that it is not
one of a merely local character, or which derives any part of
its interest or importance from the peculiar requirements of
this community of Birmingham. What you have done, or
rather I should say what you are doing, for when a build-
ing of this kind is finished its work only commences—
what, I say, you are doing is that which every great town
in England ought to undertake, but which comparatively
few have undertaken. Now, it is hardly possible to speak
of the uses of an institution such as this without repeating
things which, however true they may be, and even be-
cause they are so obviously and so manifestly true, are
almost necessarily commonplace. But looking at the
matter first from an educational point of view, we find
that the nation spends yearly a million or so of money,
drawn from the public funds, and far more is spent which
comes out of the pockets of individuals, for the pur-
pose of teaching children to read and write, for that is
what the ordinary run of our school teaching comes to, and
I wish I could think that even these results were always
satisfactorily achieved. Then again, when the newspaper
stamp and paper duty and some minor duties were taken
off, Parliament gave up something like a million and a
half of revenue, and it did so not solely but mainly under
the influence of this idea—that no artificial impediment
ought to stand between the people and the free circulation
of literature. (Applause.) And when Parliament authorised
the burgesses of any town, by the consent of two-thirds of
their body, to tax themselves to a moderate amount for the
establishment of free self-supporting libraries for all classes
of-the people, it was done with the idea—an idea which
was entertained by the townspeople of this country no less
than by Parliament itself—of providing instruction for the
population at large. Ido not say that that expectation
has been disappointed, because since the passing of that act
only a comparatively short time has elapsed, and the first
lesson we must learn in public affairs is patience. But Ido
say that these exPeetations have been only partially ful-
filled, for only Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Bol-
ton, and a few other towns—about 25 manufacturing towns
in all—have availed themselves of the powers of the act.
In London nothing, or next to nothing, has been done.
That to my mind is not very surprising, because on account
of the very magnitude of London that feeling of local pa-
triotism, local public spirit, cannot there exist as it exists
in similar communities in the provinces. It is everybody's
lodgings, and hardly anybody's home. (Laughter, and
hear, hear.) So, again, in the smaller towns, I don't know
that we ehould expect a great deal to be done there until
those of greater magnitude and importance have set the
example. Still, looking at the great prosperity of the last
10 years, looking at the general increase of wealth, and the
absence of disturbing causes, I think a more happy retro-
spect might have been looked for. One thing is clear, that
if in a large town three great libraries are to exist they
can only exist by putting into force the Act of 1855.
Private munificence may do much—Sir William Brown's
noble gift to the town of ,Liverpool is an example, in
addition to which we have only been reminded of what
Mr. Adderley has done here ; still, it is too uncertain to be
exclusively relied on, and it meets with too many other de-
mands apparently of a more pressing character. I say ap-
parently of a more pressing character, and yet, when ono
comes to think of it, when was there ever a state of things
in which rational,, reasonable amusement and occupation
were more needed than in these vast industrial centres of
the present time ? I do not speak of this place particularly:
it applies equally to Manchester, and Liverpool, and Glas-
gow, and other largo towns. But take tho case of a man
who lives alone in small lodgings, or of a man living with
his family in a small house. I do not take an extreme
case—l do not take the case of a poor man, but of one living
with some degree of comfort. Well, his day's work is over,
and where has he to go to ? It is not pleasant for a man
to oscillate 12 times a-week—from his bedroom to his work-
shop in the morning, and from his workshop to his bedroom
in the evening. It is not pleasant to walk about the streets
of a manufacturing town, in an atmosphere which no Smoke
Prevention Act can purify. (Laughter.) Cheap clubs do
something; they may yet do more, and I hope we shall have
a large number of them established. Still at the present
time very few of these free libraries exist. There seems to
be many practical difficulties in the way of their establish-
ment, but, as the mayor has properly reminded us, an insti-
tution of thiS kind is not for the exclusive benefit of the
working class, or of any class, but of all classes impartially.
(Applause.) I say without fear of contradiction that a free
reading library, and, what is more important, a free lend-
ing library, are conveniences for which a real demand ex-
ists, and which, once thoroughly set a-foot, will never be
given up for want;of support. (Hear.) There was pro-
bably never a larger number of educated persons of compa-
ratively small means than at present, and the gain to general
enjoyment by those free libraries is not insignificant;
and when I say general enjoyment, I may say general mo-
rality also ; for all of you understand how much immora-
lity arises from being engaged in monotonous employment
without reasonable. relaxation. Real and earnest students
are not very.rnany, numerically speaking, :in any rank of
life; still, of such students you will have some, and it is
hard to say how much labour will be spared to those men
by giving them access easily and at once to such books as
they require: So, again, there is another class, a rather
more numerous class—l mean inventors, or would-be in-
ventors. By being always able to refer to . works on
patents, they may be saved from that fate which to my
knowledge has not unfrequently befallen men of genius—
that of inventing things which had been invented before.
They would then not suffer from the disappointment of
finding that their inventions were perfectly familiar
already. But these classes are numerically small com-
pared to the total population ; and the real question is
does this building give a fair return to the burgesses
for the money and labour expended on it ? lam con-
fident that it does fully, and the best proof that I can
give is that, looking into the report of 1864, I find
it stated that' of all similar libraries up to that time, that of
Birminghamhad circulated the largest number of volumes.
350,000 volumes represented the circulation of one year ;
that is really a thousand a day. I understand from what
the mayor stated just now that that number has been con-

siderably increased during the current year, and I venture
to say that that circulation represents an amount of useful
and harmless enjoyment such as would not probably be at-

tained in any other way by the expenditure of a similar sum
of money. (Hear.) Now I have only one word or two more
to say: I hope your lending library will be extended and

carried on on a great scale. I have greater faith in the prac-
tical utility of this than almost any other scheme. Thoro
are many who, for various reasons, are not likely to fre-

quent a reading-room of this kind; some think their clothes
are not good enough ; some live too far off ; others do not
like to come into a crowded hall. Ido not know what

led to these reasons, but still they will operate on a

certain number of people. Then, againAhowever largely
used, its space is limited, whereas:there is no limitation to
the circulation of books when those books are given out to

them to be read at home. I do not know whether it is pos

siblo, but I think it would be very desirable that works
should be lent, not merely to individuals, but to such clubs

and associations as are willing to use them—security of
course being given for their proper treatment. (Applause.)
lam now coming to the last word. I don't think we ought

to be annoyed or disappointed if it turns out here, as it has

in other places, that the largest demand is a demand for
works of fiction. (Applause.) Of course one would regret it
if the demand were confined exclusively to such works, and
of course everybody sympathises in the wish of the Mayor
that you may have in one of the rooms a really valuable

collection of standard works, such as may not be unworthy
of one of the greatest English towns. But if it should turn
out that the most popular works for general circulation aro
works of fiction, Ido not think that is any reason for dis-
appointment. I never understood why it is so very much
the practice of educated men, who themselves enjoy a good
novel as much as anybody, to disparage its popularity. I
never understood that as a rule men of the educated class,
after a hard day's work, were much in the habit of pursuing
some difficult historical question or abstruse mathematical
problem. (Laughter.) There are some whose love of know-
ledge and science is genuine and sincere—and these should
be provided for by all means—but do notte ashamed, do
not-suppose you are descending too much to the Vveakness
of humanity by providing for those who look for an inno-
cent and not wholly useress enjoyment. (Applause.) Of all