, 1873-01-02
OUR LIBRARY.
Another GRAND Chicago
Enterprise Est:lb.
lishod.



hood should only be tho opening chaptor, thu
prcfaco Of tho volume Of lifo. MINI must dopond
OH study, not OIL instinct, for knowledge and
wis,lom. Idoab arc not innate but arc tho pro-
coptlon and investigation. Tho brain, whom un-
ta4,;llt, is 4 blank II lies inert and dormant;
nntl must DO rouaol to action by o1tornal applt-
cation and informal effort. Wo can think cor
xoctly only within tho circumference OF our in-
formation; outside Of that, limo all is error,
guoss-work, superstition, md vain Imagination:
Books arc the magazines md storohouBos Of
material thought ind information. Educa-
tion La tho process Of transferring idons,
1acts, md knowledge contained in books to tho
mind Of tho learner or student. Ho that Inns
transferred mono III nn ignoralnuH; ho that has
fcrrod little iB u smatteror. Tho powor Of
tion 'es of thoughts i1 ovolsod from tho bruins of
others. Wo light Our lamp from otllorB. aud in
creasc its tlan.o iu proportion to tho material wo
draw from thonl for tho support Of tho mental
combustion; for tho mind may be compared to
givo forth light mud 1loat by contact with carbon.
Nhs carbon IL Tho thoughts of thinkers lxought
in cnntact with the brain, and producing tho
epnrkB md IIanoB callod
IpEAs AND REASON,
) To increase tl1aBo sparks mud brighton tho
flatno, no must bring tho mind into continual
contact witt. the produced thoughts Of others.
Tboro is no limit to tho strength md sizo OF the
less wo know, tho nearer wo approach tho plano
of tho hoa,tn aud birds; tho more se know,
tho noaror we approach tho plano of the angels
md Our Mnkor.
dents il in proportion to hiH mental develop
mont. Tho influence md power Of city, etnto,
or hation is not measured by its numbers or its
commerce, but by its enlightenment, by ita
thinkers. II 1t bo said that the wealth OF n city
or nation measures its power and influence, I
reply tint its wealth is tho product Of it's intel-
and what richos it may possosa 1t
knows n9t how to use & to Hoonro lna9ns0 O.
powor ".-powor for cvcry purpose under tho sun.
An EDUCATED PEOPLE,
n1r. Chairman, arc always FREQ people. They
Fan uoyor be conquered nor deprived OF their
rights mud lberty their resources for dofonco
hovor fails. It 10 the ignorant who arc cownrtls
In tho struggle for tho preservation Of liberty
Fnd independence; for thoy, 10 not appreciate
the va!ne Of froedoni and do, do not know how to
aud yirtuoua, decent and Industrious in their
Lives, respectable md energetic, benoro-
Iont and wealthy. Yl1oy arc froo from
R 99 a., and to escape tho Pangs St p9y
qnyonton, AMI improvemont, and abor-saring
machinery arc tho products Of Intelligence, aud
nro thoir haud-nailons.
Whatever, then, increases the stock Of knowl-
GuBe III C1ulnuultYt hutb " tk1 thinking power
OF tho pooplo, and Just in proportion to their
thinking power will bo their wealth and pros
1erity, their influence and authority In tho
world. Now, I hold, Atr. Ohairman, that no
sin5lo agency will contribute moro to this most
important dcsidoratum than great public libra
~, amply supported and comprehcnsivoiy con-
Quoted "a library whose books will find their
way into every household, md their contents
into every mind.
fnf vn1u M hn yE0tn in
OF higher literature, aud art and science, with
reading rooms which will accommodate hundreds
Of porsons at tho gamo timo. You must eBtab-
lish
in various parts Of tho city, for the convenient
distribution Of books. Every inducoment aud
temptation should he hold out by the manago-
mont to the young people Of tho city to patron
should bo a course Of free locturos giyon oyory
winter oil useful, interesting, aud instructive
subjects. [Applnuao.] And our own scholars
mud thinkers should b8 induced to addresa those
audiences, and they should be compensated
therefor.
Yhcro arc growing up in this city thousands Of
neglected young mon of immature aud inchoato
mind. They are drawn in by tho caterers Of H.
eentiouBnese and dissipation, and, arc rap
and grog-Hhop ha5iucs They learned to read
at tho public schools, but Hlnce leaving thom
nothing has boon placed IN tlloir hands in the
Shape of d decent or moral book or periodical.
They layo mado no advancement in useful ill.,
formation, and without soma o1tornuf Influence
1B brought to bear upon them which will change
thoir thoughts into better channels: thoy will
drift farther and farther from tho walks Of rir-
tue aud knowledgo under the influence Of tho
hopes that onr Public. Library, wloa
well oatablislea, aud ita books we'll
circulated, will DO tho means Of se-
curing many young men from the downward
thousands OF others from entering upon paths
of vico and Sill. This library can DO nlado
THE LITERARY HEADQUARTERS
And intellectual focus of our city aud tho North
west. It should become tho most attractive
resort for strangers sojourning among uB.
A book is M author talking to the reader, toll
Ing what lie knows upon n particular subject in
hiH best etyle Of expression. The address is to
tho oyo instead OF tho car, end through that
sense tho thoughts Of the author arc conveyed
to tho mind more accurately and commercially,
nnd leave deeper impression than when trans
1nlttca orally, bocauae the attention is not hur-
1ic1, and portions Of tho Henso lost In volbal
delivery. a. great library contains myriaas
OF tleso 1eHhloss lecturers, who aro noyor sick,
absont or dying, Tho body OF the author may
hayo crumbled into dust long ages ago, but his
thoughts still live. Hero you can sit down
amidst tho great masters of reason, poetry fic-
tion history, physics, aud hold conyerae with
them. You can hayo an audience with Homer,
Virgil, Pinto, DemosthonoB or ConfucuB; you
may travel ovor tho ancient world With Horod-
ntus; study the exact gcicncos with Euclid aud
Archimodes, and moral philosophy with Socrates; j;
pr descand the stream Of timo and enter tho
inferno with Dante; or observe thu inmoat
RESOURCES OF tho heart with Shakespeare, Dootho
and Rnclno; Or rango throngh tho atnrry folds Of
heaven md study the foroes which control and
influence, with Newton and Keplor; and invos-
tigate tho anatomy of tito earth with Lyoll
Hitchcock, A1illoy, Murchaon; or the compost
:tion of ito 1nntorinlB with Davy, Lolig, LAR
yBier. shlol HUXLEY, and Tyndall; md to in
dicRto otlor iiollB OF thought aoarchea hy brill
iaut in.cllects, I have only to mlntioiil such
namoB ~ Locke, paloy, Bacon, N1onteaquiou, Glib
bon, droto, Carlyle, Schiller, Whowell, Do
cor, seott Maeauay t1 comto l% Rll tryor sPor.
Franklin Gresloy, Elncraon. Burkc, Webster,
.Jofferson, Hamilton, Longfollow, Barclay, Ban
croft, and Chauning. But I must venture no
Turthor into
THE CATALOGUE OF MIGHTY THINKERS,
and in calling this roll Of fanlo for their name Ia
legion. Though it ia toupting path to travel,
skn1 Inn1r