The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-10-28
TOWN Libraries.


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TOWN LIBRARIES.
The lack of well selected libraries for the
entertainment and education of the masses
has long been subject of discussion. A
majority of the northern states at least
have IN ,de far better provision for the
wants of the people in this regard han has
our state We have MOI Kept good the ex-
ample of the fathers, who after the church
and the school, planted the library in the
primitive lays Of the commonwealth.
Fifty years ago Vermont had more libraries
within the reach of the citizen than it has
to-day. While progress has been made in
education, science and the mechanic arts,
there has been neglect in providing those
nurseries of education and manhood, the
public libraries. Distinguished men who
laid :he foundations upon which they built
noble structure of manhood and citizen
ship, owed much Of tie culture and success
of their lives to the public library. Espe-
cially is this true of Jared Sparks, Horace
II
others who might be mentioned, whose for
tune it was to live in Vermont communities
in boyhood days, where they had access to
the town library, whose volumes they
eagerly sought and from which they
caught the inspiration that made them
great men-the foremost in the land in
their spheres of life. These men, when
ever occasion offered, paid their grateful
tribute to the influences which spring from
these fountains of intelligence to bless
community.
For quarter of century, at least, these
institutions have been disappearing, until
scarcely one remains to record the fact of
their existence in the earlier history of the
state. No voluntary Or legal provisions
have been made to replace them, and they
have vanished. A few noble, philanthropic
men who appreciated the blessings flowing
from library upon community, have
from their abundance provided their imme-
diate communities with substantial and we'll
selected libraries. Hon. T. w. Park and
Seth B. Hunt, in remembrance of their own
early struggles and of the lack of the privi-
leges of having ready access to books, have
provided Bennington with library. The
late George Peabody, of London, erected a
building and donated the books for one at
Post Mills, in the town of Thetford. Hon.
Isaac Fletcher, at his decease, by will gave
his miscellaneous library to his native town
of Cavendish and the late Thaddeus
Fletcher, of Burlington, made provision in
his will for the establishment of public
library in that city. However, the one
most munifcent gift was the erection of the
Atheneum building at St. Johnsbury, by
Hon. Horace Fairbanks, which shall stand
proud monument to his honor long after
he shall have passed away. The Mcclure
library at Pittsford, the town library at
Cornwall, and few agricultural libraries
constitute, mainly, the list of public libra
res.
An intelligent and phianthrophic gentle
man, Mr.. Colt of Brooklyn, N. Y, who
has been accustomed to spend his summers
in Vermont, mingling with the people,
and approaching their need has devised a
feasible plan for furnishing every town in
the state with public library, which has
taken the form of bill that has been in
troduced into the senate by Senator Allen OF
Rutland county. The features of this i'm
portant measure we briefly state 1t ask
for an appropriation of one hundred ant
seventy-fve thousand dollars for the pur
pose of establishing town libraries in tn,
state. The governor and lieutenant-gov
ernor are to be authorized to borrow on tn
credit of the state the amount named Of
bonds payable in twenty years, at six pc
cent. interest. The money to be distrit
uted to the several towns in the state, j
the ratio as the population of each town
to the population of the entire state.
Each town is to provide suitable built
ing for public library and elect a librf
rian The trustees of the state library ar
empowered to prescribe the rules governin
such town libraries. The town librarian
make an annual report to the state libraria
of its condition. The town are to elet
three trustees, who shall make the see'
tons and purchase of books and have gel
eral charge of the library. The who
proposition is to be submitted to the ne'
annual March meeting the frecmen to vo
upon it "Lbrary or no Library" by ballo
and if majority of the votes shall be fl
''library" the act shall take effect from al
after that date.
This is a measure that should receive
vorable action from the legislature as it
to be submitted to a vote of the Peep
at the next annual March meeting for raj
fication or rejection. 1t is a propostiC
which on full discussion we apprchend W
strike the people favorably, but whether
will receive sufficient countenance to L
come law, is question which time alo
can determine. Every town ought to
provided with public library, either at
own expense or that of the state, if it ca
not be procured otherwise. The interei
of the coming citizens of the state dema
it, and the present generation should INT
the responsibility that rests upon them
the education and enlightenment of
people.