Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-04-01
cad. And although this circulating library

read. And although this circulating library
is well patronized, yet believe Augusta can
in no sense be called reading city. Its in
habitants generally are not readers. 1t is
true have no statistics with which to SUBJ
stantiate this statement, but make it after
having instituted close enquiry of the three
booksellers as to the number of volumes they
sell annually, and from a long Acquaintance
with its citizens. Now 1t seems to me that
this is not at all creditable to the public spirit
and literary taste of our city. Your own
columns, during the past two years have given
evidence of the low state Of literary culture
among US, for they have more than once de-
clared that lecture, public reading or any
high toned entertainment of the kind failed to
draw out a respectable audience, while a
"nigger concert" would fill Granite Hall to
its utmost. more forcible commentary on
the previous statement that our community is
in no leading sense literary one could not
well be compressed into SO few words The
cause of this is found in the fact that we have
no public library or reading room, no means
of literary culture for the masses, and what
other result should be expected! In Bangor,
Portland. Calais, Bath, Ellsworth, Skowhe-
gan, Hallowell, Pennington, Gardiner, Lew
iston, Saco, and numerous smaller places in
our State, there are public libraries Of well
selected works, and they are counted among
the surest agencies that can be employed for
imparting healthy, vigorous tone to society.
Our city is not only behind other cities of its
size in Maine in this particular but our State
is far behind many other States in Massa-
| chusetts, in 1869. there were, outside of Bos-
ton, and not counting college libraries or those
belonging to seminaries or societies, sixty
public libraries, containing from 20 to &c, 900
volumes each, and having an aggregate of
more than three hundred thousand volumes
Cannot Maine, and cannot Augusta do what
other cities out of Maine have done?
What we want in Augusta is free city IL
brary and reading room. Nothing less than
this will perform the work all good citizens
want it TO accomplish. People had better be
| taxed to support it than to support jails and
policemen. Let public library be opened in
our city where all its citizens may take books
and free reading room where the leading
periodicals and papers can be perused by all
well behaved persons of whatever condition
in society, and it will not be long before beer
saloons and billiard rooms will find it neces-
sary to shut up for want of customers. / be-
lieve it will be accomplished before many
| IL u IL l. -,
it about, but believe men will work and give
for this object think there are ten men in
this city who would feel proud to give thou
sand dollars each for such a purpose. twenty
who would give five hundred dollars each,
forty also who would give one hundred each,
and large Numbers who would give smaller
sums. When the New York Mercantile Lii
brary (Which ever ranks as the fourth largest
in the United States was established the
books were obtained free among its friends
from house to house, being collected in
wheelbarrow. Let this plan be put in opera
ton here.a what would be the result?
believe good sized library would be thus OBJ
tanned in very ahort time. Who will start
this enterprise?
| l am not wealthy man; work for day
wages at price that barely gives me my bread
and butter. But in my somewhat lengthy
life have managed to get together quite a
collection of books to which l am much at
tached. am ready for the wheelbarrow to
call at my house, if others who have double
the books have will give half as many as
will for the AUGUSTA FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
They may select from fifty to one hundred
volumes, and if that is not my part will give
more. Is any one ready to join with me in
pushing this plan through to success?
Ky