Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-12-19
Reading Room and Library.

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cial position, and is not even stOekhOld-
er. but as a citizen, am interested in
having the right kind of books, and
enough of them.
1t is with no fault finding spirit that
the assertion is made, That the reading
habits CT the community might be in
crossed, and probably, improved, but the
books must be had, if this Is 10 he accom-
plished.
The circulating library is well patron
lied, and for the line of books, which VIII
pan such an institution. is well selected
and in good hands. The social library
has also the beginning of substantial,
and very useful collection, and probably
few of our citizens know of the value or
the variety of its contents. But there is
class of books published. constantly,
which we do not get in either, or any
way.
It's common mistake, nourished, and
fed, and full grown, with many, that q
book which is not a sensational novel,
must necessarily be horribly dull. Cold
water, to some appetites, is also very in
sipid. But there are minds strong enough
TO grasp common subjects, and healthtui
enough to be interested in ordinary read
inc. and for the benefit of such l would
speak.
The books to which refer are such as
treat of the current topics OF the day-ior
instance the Life of ]. Stuart Mills;
Three ESSAYS on Religion, by the same !;
Gladstoue's pamphlet on Roman Calhol-
icism. Prof Matthews, of Chicago. has
writer two interesting books on Great
Coaversers, and on Getting on in the
] World. Bsyard Taylor has a new poem
on ''The Prophet" and DR.. Holland on
"The Mistress ofthe Manse." Is there
not way by which We can read Them
without buying9 Tyndall's Essay-Dar-
wins Theory of the origin of the species,
Proctors Lectures on Astronomy, Agas-
siz, Popular Science, ~Or Lectures on
Classification, are useful Bry ants trans
lation of Homer, and LongfellOw's Dante,
are two. works of winch America may
well be;pro1d. There are also books of
travrl coming out frequently. !; The Re
port of the Austrian Explorers in the
Arctic Regions Iceland and its Thou
sandih Year, and others will soon be pub
lished. There are such books as Bar
crofi's last volume on American History,
and b. H. Bancroft's Races of the Pacific
Coast; or Fosters Prehistoric Races of
the United States. which every citizen
wants to see.
There are also other works, published
in England, such as Rawlinson's Five
Monarchies, Wilson's historic Ma
tiaps, The Antiquity and Unity of Man.
Brewster's "EgYpl's Place in History"
which he student ought to read, but is
not able to buy.
We might go on to make out list
long enough for a library by itself, but
these are all new and common books,
and the question is why cannot we have
them, and nave them read.
When see the young men there are
in town, and know that few places of the
size, can boast of better class-more in
telligent or moral-I ask, what are the
ciuzens OF Ashtabula doing for their i'm
provement?
In Cleveland. the other evening, the
library was crowded, so that one could
hardly get to the cases; and there were
many soiled hands and smoke begrimmed
faces, there, but there were minds hungry,
and seeking food, and was glad that the
city furnished reading free of cost. At
the Gentlemen's Library, also, there were
many readers; and at the Young Mems
Christian Association, the reading room
was full. Buffalo has two good libraries,
and they are well patronized.
But We have no reading room, and not
place where young man who has not
a home of his own, can go. except it is to
some store, or the saloons.
A young man of CleYeland, said, the
other day, that some of them had tired of
their "little Germans"-he never went to
balls-and they had started q reading
circle, and wanted to know what to read,
and how to conduct II. How many read
ing circles are there in Ashtabula? A
gentleman-a travelling man-has started
two magazine reading circles in
town; but suppose we had library n ith
reading room, and all the magazines
and quarterlies kept on hand-would it
not be still better? The private library,
instituted by Sam'l Parsons. is an hon
or to the place and perpetuates an honor
able name; but there are citizens of Ash
tabula who go TO Cleveland and Buffalo,
and other cities, to consult books because
certain works cannot be had here.
No outlay of money is more desirable
at the present time for our place, than
this. Will not the public spirit which
rallied last winter and beautifed our
cemetery, now cluster about the social IL
brary, or some institution of the kind, and
provide for the training, adorning and
furnishing of minds that are still alive9
A reading room, a good library. and the
various quarterlies, British and American,
should come along with the rolling mill
and those beautiful blocks on Main st.
There are good rooms which could be
had, and nothing prevents complete sue
cess in the establishment of a first class
institution. The Social Library is owned
by stockholders, but large number of
shares are in The hands of the ass ociation
and should be owned by citizens. The
books already in it forms the basis of a
large and permanent institution Could
a reading room be establish ed and in
some way connected with 1.-THE two
together would furnish a very attractive
and interesting privilege to society.
Yours truly, s.D.P.
Ashtabula, Dec. IS, 1874.
The indications. we are pleased to learn
are favorable for the employment of the
,nonhinor1y aod ,,,orf-;,c. fo-ao - ,.---.I,