The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-04-08
Portland En.tisut~ and Public Library
J ANN NH IL Nh HI


Annual Report of the Directors
To the members of the Portland Institute and
Pubic Library:
The Director, have the pleasure of submitting
to you their first Annual Report.
We entered upon our duties at the COM
mencement OF the year without money, with
out books, and without definite plans. We
knew that we wanted to lay the foundations of
Library and an Institute of Art. We began
our lahors by soliciting subscriptions for Life
membership, and sen. forth circulars to nu-
merous persons and societies in our own State
and abroad, showing our destilution and our
wants. The friends of education, and Others
who sympathzed with US in the loss of our
libraries. labored with us, and for us; and the
result has been most gratifying, and beyond
our ex pectauon. The City Government, too,
came 10 our assistance, and literally furnished
| for us the beautiful and convenient apartments
| In which we are assembled. In illustration of
what, in this brief period, has been accomplish
| ed, we need only to ask that you look about
| you. On this inspection you will see an ex-
cellent library con aiming 1895 volumes of well
selected and valuable books in the various de-
par,ments of History, Science, and General
Literature, arranged systematically upon our
shelves. Over these are appropriately placed
the busts of few eminent philosophers and
authors of ancient and modern times. Homer,
| Socrates, Plato, Demosthenes and Cicero,
| Shakespeare and Milton, may be supposed TO
regard with favor Efforts to carry forward a
culture which in their day they did so much to
illustrate and adorn. g9.r s he
Our books have been collected by the contri-
buttons of generous friends among ourselves,
and OF persons and societies in Massachusetts,,
New York and Washington. The large st and
most valuable donation of more than six hun
rah ynl,l <,,c< Sc
| fellow citizen, the venerable Judge Ware thus
| showing his estimate of those scholastic and
| educational facilities which has made himself
| SO eminent The donations from abroad have
been unexpectedly liberal; it would be I'M
| grateful not to make honorable mention of those
whose large and prompt gifts at an early day,
gave us cheering encouragement among these
were Mr.. George A. Bailey of Washington,
Prof. Henry b. Smith of New York, Prof
Henry w. Longfcllow of Cambridge and Capt
George III. Preble, U. S. N, natives of our own.
The Name historical Society,the State of Maine,
the Messrs. Appleton. Harpers, Carter & Sons,
and the State Library of New York, Prof
| Lowell ard Charles E. Norton of Cambridge
the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New
England Historic Genealogical Society, the
American Unitarian Association, the Sweden
borg Publishing Society, Tcknor & Fields,
Samuel May and his daughter Miss Abby Nav,
Lea Shepard, NJ. J. Whipple. and Thomas c.
Amoiy of Boston. Gen. Henry K Oliver of
Salem, and our Representatives, in Congress,
Senator Fessenden and Mr. Lynch, to all of
whom our Institution is greatly indebted for
the exhibition which is now presented to you.
And We take this opportunity to express the
| obligations the Institute is under to its Libra
rlan. Mr.. Edward A. Noyes, for his arduous
intelligent and gratuitous services. He has
| purchased the books designated by the COM
| mittee, procured numerous and valuable gifts
| by well urged applications; he has, with great
and judicious labor, prepared systematic cata-
| logues and accession catalogues, and with the
aid of some female assistants, he has placed
labels in the books, and arranged them method
ical!y upon appropriate shelves, and has labor
| ed earnestly and successfully to place the
library In its present eligible and honorable
| condition. ~ 81 t
he whole number of books received into
the Library to this date is 1904, of which 2544
volumes were donations 942 for Life Men. ber-
ship and liza by purchase. The collection
may thus be classified $50 vols are History,
Ss9 upon biography, AZ Fiction. 1926 Poetry
anu the drama, 296 upon Religion, 622 on
perodlcal Literature, 1877 Voyage, and Travels
l22 on Science and AIT, III Miscellaneous.
the remainder are on Law, Miscellany. Statis
tics, Public Documents, and bound volumes of
Newspapers and Pamphlets, besides numerous
unbound pamphlets and documents.
The amount of money paid into the Treasury
has been $lS63.S0, of which Sl7O5 was for
Life Membel ship, 500 donation from the
late Edwin Bartlett Esq, of New York. and
$500 from Mr.. o. K Hinkley of Ohio, son;of
Mr.. Ii. X. Hinkley of this city, and $3.50
proceeds of Mr.. Murra,'s Readings.
There have been paid from the Treasury
| $l563,S9 of which $ll39,7l was for books.
and 1881, Is for furniture, freight, blank book s
and other incidental expenses, leaving bal
ancc in the Treasury OF $!99 81.
The whole number of Lille Subscribers i. IA.
| of whom five subscribed 800 each, the Others
$50 each, thlrty-two have paid their subscrip-
tons in money, The remainder eith,r in books
or part books and part money Such has been
our rapid accumulation of looks, that we are
already beginning to feel straitened in our ac-
c0mmodations. We have pictures and are ex-