The New York herald., 1874-11-30
SUNDAY READING ROOMS.
The Question Of Opening the Ii
braries on the Sabbath.
HTNDRANCEs IN THE WAY.
Why tho Mercantile Library Failed in
the Idea and How It May Ee
Made q Success

especially to young men VINO room In lodging
houses, and who seem to be at q loss what to do
with themselves on the Sabbath, has, in the past,
proved quite serious one for the managers OF the
libraries. Like all questions which are supposed
to affect the interests OF any great number In tue
community. IT had as many enemies when 1t was
nrst bruited as 1t had friends, and it Is
more than likely that the experiment
would never have been tried at all had
some Of the more ignsrant OF the
white choEcred genus. who denounced the idea as
an entering weoge to wholesale violation OF the
Sabbath day, mad everything their own way. They
were few and far between, however, aud were
soon made TO HE to their holes by the vigorous
and open support given to the proposition by
some OF the leading clergymen OF this city and
Brooklyn. 1t fell to the lot OF the Mercantile IL
brary to be the 1rst OF the quasi.exclusiye asso-
Citations to throw open their doors. The managers,
In acceding to what seemed to be the general wish
OF the members. did so, it is said. much against
their grain, and II this is fact II Is more than
probable that 1t had great Geal to do with the
failure Of the experiment, which was tried for two
years. But tbis failure is BY no means an argu-
meut against the advisaDilty OF having all the
READING ROOMS OPEN ON SUNDAY.
1t should lie borne in mind that the Mercantile
Reading Room Is not open to all cOmers. Only
% ne M Se a are @ o asa 90
IN any way the general run OF the young men or
the city VINO might otherwise have been glad to
avail themselves OF the chance to read inter esting
true that the gentlemen VINO first suggested
the IDEA that the reaulng rooms oil the libraries
should be open on sunday were influenced in
their advocacy OF 1t BY the hope thai young
rally fna the remainder OF the day hang heavily
on their hands, as well as those who don't 20 to
cnurcn az an and nave tlie forenoon as wen as
the afternoon TO ''kl' after some fashion other,
would be attracted TO the rooms. Yet they forgot
THAI, no matter now well disposed the majority vi
. hn otft li,vnf hat 81
rooms, they could not do SO without becoming be-
1orehand iull-heuged members or the association.
felt that they had right to throw the doors wide
open to all comers or the simple reason that the
ASSOCIATION Is supported by the SUBSCRIPTIONS OF
OF the llbrary's means and success. Hence, there-
tore, the failure. The very people sought. to be
benefited by the new IDEA were debarred from
all opportunity OF being benefited by the very
conditions by which the so.called benefit was
hedged ABOUT Ir2m the very start. The question,
tne:elore, Is yet an open one whether or not good
results would NOT follow the opening OF all the
reading rooms III the city on Sunday,
FREE TO ALL COMERs
With the purpose of ascertalnlng tho views on
this point OF the managers and others connected
with the libraries, o HERALD reporter paid visit
to the various Di aries during the past week. The
managers or directors. as rule. were not to be
to nave any opinion about the feasibility OF the
sunday opening OF the rooms, or, II they had, kept
nected n f' with the Young Mems Christian Associa-
lion (rwenty-third street,, IN answer to certain
questions put TO nlm, SAID go lar as TINS asS0
clatlon IS concerned am Tree to say that no one
connected with 1t mas any iaith IN the good
some people seem to think would come from keep
ing the reading rooms open on Sunday. Beng a
religious association, we did not, when the ques-
tion was beng warmly discussed on all sides, eel
that we ought to throw open our rooms on Sunday
as on week days We came to this conclusion Tor
MANY good reasons. Our experience has shown
us that young men as q general thing prefer to
go to church on sunday than to 90 to reading
rooms. ii they don't so
FOR ruE SAKE OF THE SERMON
those
a to VISIT as on e sSSs, na n
boarding houses there are Atting rooms where
they can read The papers and books they get from
the Tree libraries or elsewhere. However. the
religious services from time to time, also Bible
classes. and on Sunday evenings we have tea,
malities are CONSPICUOUS by their absence. Though
the reading room is not open as on Week days, tue
religious papers are always obtainable IN the par
lors ana vestlnuie.n gentleman attached TO
the once stan OF the Mercantile Library when
spoken TO on the subject IN question, remarked:-
Trial of two years. and It was found
that the young men whom It was designed
by the new pracIce to bene1t-to give them, so
TO speak, good cause lor not spending their Sab
baths In drinking and carouslng-were not in the
the novelty OF the thing drew quite number OF
them, but alter that the only persons VINO delgned
hours together coming. over the papers.
sons sons Came came, and ia'' the ' ayeraSs attendance nee
did NOT exceed ninety. Had the young
slald old fellows who have already passed their
fiftles, showed that they appreciated the opD0rtu-
nty offered, the practice q keeping the room open
on sundays would have been cOnIlnued. But it
would have been ABSURD ior the association to
continue 1t at heavy expense Tor the benefit Of
FEW STEADY OLD GENTLEMEN,
who have comfortable homes, and who are we'll
enough on to be able to spend their hours every
" m cay s 1n9s IS Sa
tired by the Mercantile Library. As:
given up for the same reasons which had com.
PEELED the managers here to abandon 1t. In Bos-
that in short time the idea OF making 1t sue
cess even there would have to be given up "My
OF young men in all our large towns look upon
Sunday AS q day OF rest and recreation. The read.
ing rooms are open on weekday evenings, ana al
thev desire. Besides, the practice OF taking books
home from the lioraries purposely TO be read on
sunday, when they can lay or at their ease, with
no IDEA oil business in their heads. Is quite
extensive. Those VINO will go on drlnklng bouts
on sunday are OF class who do not bother them.
selves about the reading rooms much even on
weekday evenings, so the keeping open Ut the
rooms Ior their benefit is utterly useless" views
almost Identical with this gentleman's were ex.
q the New YORK Society, the Astor ana other
hand, the only large reading room IN the city
where all kinds OF papers aud books can be had
lot the mere asking on StluuavS JUST Tue same as
on week days, the cooper Union, Is standing,
and secmingiy
AN iNCoNTRovERTIBLE ARGUMENT
IN favor OF the SUNDAY opening oil reading rooms
free TO all. The reading room oi the cooper In
stltutc, besides being the largest, Is one OF the
best, Ii not the best managed in the city. The re
Is absolutely no restriction IN the matter OF admS-
ston disordcry persons excepted. There is no
lee, no monthly subscription, no obligation to be-
long 10 tnls that or the other association; all are
welcome be they "brilliant IN rags" or not, who
cal. On week days OF course the Attendance ~
immense. The room is open on sundays from noon
urtll nine O'Clock IN the evening, and the
OF the circumstance rs rom seven To nine hun
dred; some sundays IL IS SAID to have reached
1teen hundred. The curator and the librarian
state that the callers are Tor the most part young
and indde-aged men who board or lodge, and
who. put lor tile reading room, might frequent the
drinking shops. The oest OF order they say, pre-
walls, anu every visitor seems to take pride In
the room-in iact, to look upon 1t as a place III
which he naturally has great persona