The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-10-22
Public Libraries.

We are very glad to see that the "Mechan-
les and Workingmen's Association" propose
to establish circulating Library; also to or
ganize measures for the delivery of series Of
Lectures this winter.
We know of nothing that has given us more
pleasure than the above announcement for
it has been a standing stigma on our city
that there has not been enough of energy or
of literary spirit to maintain such institutions
among us.
We remember that when we were lads,
there was pretty fair collection of books,
called public library but such was the
lack of interest in it. that it languished for
some years, and was, we believe, finally d.
vided among the stockholders, or sold out, we
forget which. Since that time-and we
don't care about saying how many years it
was age, I've have had nothing of the sort in
Norfolk.
An attempt was made a few months since,
by public-spirited young gentleman, to get
subscriptions TO a Library, but it failed
though the terms were most liberal This
result mortified us, as it disclosed great want
of literary taste in our community
In almost every town of half the size of
Norfolk, throughout the United States, we find
Public Library and Lecture Room. Why
our city should have so little love of literature,
we cannot sec. There is. nothing more i'm
proving to people than the possession among
them of a collection of useful standard works,
to which access can be had for small annual
sum. There is no investment of, say, three
or four dollars year, that brings in so large
return to the subscriber, for he is thereby
enabled to improve his mind. Moreover the
results to community are seen, not only in
the general increase of information, but Sec
ondarily, the morals are far better in read
ing population than in one where there is no
attention given to literature. Indeed lit
erary people is always moral one; for the
time that is devoted to dissipation by an I'M
lettered man, would be spent in reading by
one who has the disposition to improve him
self. There is nothing that so fosters self-in-
struction as the having cheap material for
that purpose, and there is no means of obtain
ing such material that is comparable to a
Circulating Library.
Wherever there is public spirit enough to
get up a Library, there is also enough to Of
fer inducements to Lecturers to come among
us and deliver popular discourses on science
and literature. In this we may well follow
the example of our fellow citizens of the
Northern States, in which there is hardly a
village that in addition to its Library, does
not possess a Lecture Room; and to their
credit 10 81 aaia, +l,a+ -4hasa T -ant,,ras al
ways we'll attended, and the effect is, that
there is in all those communities spirit ofen-
quiry and an earnest disposition to improve
the mind. ..-
We again say, in conclusion, that we are
glad to see that the workingmen" of our
city have taken this subject in hand and
hope, now that they have put their should
ers to the wheel, that we shall have what we
have so long needed in Norfolk Public Ii
brary and a series of public Lectures, than
which there cannot be greater boon conferr-
ed upon our people.