The New York herald., 1872-11-10
new YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY.
Celebration of the One Hundredth
Anniversary.
Opening Address by Frederic De Peyster-Dr.
Thomas Ward On the Centenary Of the
Library-Past and Present
Tho Country's Future.


Library-Past and Present
The Country's Future.
The New York Society Library celebrated its one
hundredth anniversary last evening at the hall Of
the Historical Society, Second avenue and Eleventh
street. The attendance was large, the hall being
nearly filed. Frederic De Peyster, LII. D., pre-
sided
After an opening prayer by the Rev. DIR. Cotton
Smith, Mr. De Peyster addressed the meeting, pref
acing his remarks with a tribute to the great lit
erary collections OF the past the preservers and
incentives OF learning. Mr.. De Peyster passed to
the early condition OF the province Of New York
and the taken in It's social and political organi
zation Tor the religious and intellectual culture of
the inhabitants The minister and the schoolmas-
ter came together from Holland and entered upon
their work at the outset OF the colony. Under the
English rule,
AFTER THE REVOLUTION OF 1858,
King William took particular interest in the i'm
provement Of New York, which he naturally
regarded with especial sohctude, as the settle
ment had sprung from his native country. The
College Of william and Mary in Virginia is named
in his honor and in his friend the Earl of Bella
mont the Governor of New York, he had an
enlightened and diligent promoter OF his liberal
required as it's support public library, and such
an institution was established in this city in 17oo
This was the immediate predecessor OF the
chartered New York Society Library OF to-day.
The latter institution has in its collections
q number OF volumes presented to 1t in
the early years OF the eighteenth century,
from 1902 onward, the gift OF the Rev. John
Sharp an English chaplain at the fort in the city,
who in 1905 preached In Trinity church the funeral
sermon OF Lady Cornbury, the wife OF the governor
at that time. DR.. Sharp was also some time mis-
sionary Of the venerable Society for Propagating
the Gospel in Foreign Parts and in this capacity in
ITO addressed letter from New York to its secre-
tary in London, communicating the information
that
PROVINCIAL AND PARoCHIAL LIBRARIEs'
were already in existence in "the metropolis Of the
several provices Of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New
York and Boston.n He also stated that "a great
many good collections ofbooks have been sent over.n
In thus recognizing provincial or public library in
operation in New York he confirms the statement Of
the historian Oldmxon that such an institution had
been founded in New York in 100. Mr.. De Peyster
exhibited various instances OF the efforts in the
reign of King William for the intellectual advance
ment Of the province. Under a census taken in
16ss the population was little less than five thou
sand, OF whom about thousand were men and
nearly equal number women. or the remainder
700 were designated as negroes" scheme for
the education OF the latter was frustrated by
THE JEALOUSY OF THE ASSEMBLY,
the members OF that body, according to the report
of Bellamont, "having notion that the negroes be-
ing converted to Christianity woulo emancipate
them from their slavery and loose them
from their service, for they have no other
servants in this country" An attempt was also
made for the instruction Of the children Of the
Av.o
Sachems, who were assembled in consultation on
the subject upon hill near the fort at the Battery,
who ae os Of he
while they are under age.n This appears to have
ended the matter; at least there Is no evidence
of the legislators having consulted the women.
Mr.. De Peyster closed with tribute to King
William for his services In erecting the noble nsti
tuition, the Society for the Propagation Of the
DR.. Thomas Ward then read his address prepared
for the OCCASION the leading features Of which were
Books, he said, are the granaries wherein the
mental harvests Of past generations are safely
OF knowledge and the sparkling gems Of wit and
poesy are held secure for the elevation and enrich
Eeypt,an library Of the time OF Rameses ill., were
craven these expressive words
The nourishment of the soul.
Books may be called ancient bottles, where in
skins of the goat the calf and the sheep stored
the rarest wines, expressed and fermented OF the
teeming human brain. Books hold, ever ready for
scholars the fancy Of storytellers and the song OF
poets;
THE BEST THOUGHTS OF THE BEST THINKERS
the very essence OF the highest mental powers In
their happiest moments of inspiration. Their asso-
citation, therefore, has some advantages over the
mighty, that produced them. For poor humanity
with all its weaknesses OF soul and body its testy
must be 't By the rftabty special to Their kind
arising from more highly refined nervous
organization, must have furnished an association
fro frnr al md m
than that of their finished works; where we find
the pure grain OF wisdom winnowed OF the char OF
the thorns OF human fretfulness, and the perfect
thought, no longer shapeess "in its infant dew"
but crystallizcd into forms OF impershabe beauty.
To the true lover OF books 1t is surprising how little
suf1ces beyond the bare requirements Of life. How
poor to him seem all the prizes OF the world that
are q passion to the average mind He needs no
long rent-roll; no heavy balance at his bankers;
no foppery OF dress or equipage; no bang tailed
steeds to bear him to the races; no pasteboard
tokens of fashionable acknowledgment. He looks
down upon the giddy crowd with wonder and
are pot Of his set He cuvates only the very best
societythat OF the wisest, the purest, the loites
the sweetest Of their kind not creatures OF day,
the spawn of sudden sunshine, but the flower OF
ancient heradry the very blue blood OF genius, the
genuine aristocracy OF the human race Happy he
whose taste nclines MIN to intercourse 50 refining
He has resources that can never fail. He may be a
solitary stranger In the land, and yet, with his
for pleasant companionship; he may be poor,
neglected and desponding yet with finger can he
turn the glowing page and cheer the darkness OF
his soul with
1.-THE LIGHT THAT NEVER WAS ON SEA LAND"
and in the supreme rapture OF his noontide glory
he say to the intruding rulers OF the world that
profer him their patronzing aid, "Ony stand out
ofmy sunshinel Leave me but the light OF knowl-
edge, and ask moreu The literature OF q land
often outves its laws, It's political Importance, and
sometimes even its history. The rulers, the
statesmen, the professional men, that may have
filed their several parts with credit during their
slitte hour upon the stage,n too often perish with
their time while in their midst obscure, neglected.
perhaps the very humbest In influence, the sages,
the writers, and surest OF all, the poets are en-
OF imperishable language; and wordsaiter all, the
most durable OF things-are frequently the only
relics OF a peoples greatness. Wonderful the
change since the time when IL took q week to go
rom New York TO Albany by aoop-now done In