Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-13
Cltt library Associations.

1
Editors Journal:
i did not sse the communication Of L
success until late last evening, and
feeling some interest in the matter,-l-1
could not but regret its appearance at
this particular time, when the managers
are attempting TO keep the Association
solvent and increase its usefulness
Success writes as if he wanted 10 be
esteemed friend of the Library, but
he 10 unfortunate as TO the time he takes
for suggesting alterations in its organi.aI
cation. He forgets thasit 10 bad ticde
to s~op horses when people are crossing
the stream But perhsps he honestly
believes that if hs throws the patient
into fits " he can cure him, if the fits
don't first carry him of. 81
n T. obs coppeEigpa betgeen Spring
field aud Evansville a fair one2 Is it
natural to suppose that there are as
many persons to take a substantial in
terest in Library Association here as
in thecrowdedand finished East; / or in an
old, well-established city like Spring6eldf
Here everything 10 IN its infancy, and there
Is no end to the claims made upon every
man who is at all willing to respond The
number Who can be moved TO sustaiii a
Library 10 comparatively small, conse-
quentIy itnust be at greater individual
expense The present organization vas
the result Of long and wide deliberation,
and at meetings which were open to all
aIikssa and the only shing now to be- res
GREETED is, that i" Success" was not father
to it.
i ! Springfield may have an admirable
Library, but can any one, after mo-
menfs reflection, suppose it was built
up in a fen years " to ila present condi-
ton, from annual subscriptions of one
dollar, or one dollar and a half2 he
says it contains eighteen thousand. vol
umes, which, at an average cost of two
and half dollars, wouli cost forty-five
thousand dollars; or say two dollars per
i yoluues which isStuo lev can avsFages
aud you have thir:y-six thousand dollars,
which, together with the "alcoves"-
which are only necessary when you want
to husband room-must. have cost from
i forty five thousand to Fifty thousand dol.
lars I And all this ain few years
(hoW feso we are not told), with one
dollar anda half subscriptions.
But what are the annual expenses
4 Papers and periodicals. could not cost
less than two hundred dollars, and q li-
brary, sowell patronized, wcald re-
quire the whole time of libra
.riap,. which would be at sleas. a
Thousand dollars, and then fuel
and lights and" au tie asso books as
they are published" HosO is ii dOrsei
Il strikes me there must have
been some f'Yankee trick" 10 both
the getting Up of this library and
supporting it, in it's present -four
ishing condition. Will not " Success
be kind enough TO- show us what it is :
He must be mistaken in saying" only
dollar and half subscriptions" sasr
The managers Of the E. L, A. want TO
6nd out the best possible way of making
the concern ssef aI and popular NTH the
: people. What can possibly influence
them oiherwise2 What motive can they
haveiin not making il meet the popular
demand7 As it regards Springfield. is
titsnot the monument of individaaL=mu-
nifleehee2 Hasit not received largely
of -donatioas2-- Is IL not-sustained in
part, by such manidcenee2 And lie: me
here ask, are there not among our
wealthy citizens men who would be will
ing to partially endow our Library As
sociationf And, finishing. Jet Sue
ceas know that the Association is still
in the power Of the people. Let them
become stockholders, and initiate an or
der of sthings which will make another
Springfield dawn upon the Crescent City.
Yours, asaaissaE FAIR Play.
lbs Evansville, March 10th, 1866. ~
REeoRpER's CoURE-Jack Hitch, was
/ Z