, 1875-12-20
LOCAL LETTERS.
DETEEHE or TUE PEhLIp LIHaARY.

To At Ed,'sr of Ths chf.agu 7r.ouae:
CHICAGO. Dec 10-Tho Chicago Public
Library, from It's inception. ls dospl7 indebted TO
TIE lt1cAao TRIBUNE. 1twas Ia this paper that
The ilret communication suggostug tss establish
nlont wAa pahllshed. In tho summor before tue
October iiso of 1911, TuE Tn1nuxE published q
eGs!cn of able l'apa1B giSiug to tho poupto most
valuable Information IN relation to public
lIbearios in o.hor cties md tho uuanim.ty Of
opinion which was manifest at tue memorable
meeting in DR.. Dartletts church. whon tho
movement 10 establish pubic library In CHI.
c4go first took form, wab hodbslcBs owIug largo
ly 10 tho information previously giyen On Tint
subject in ths paper. Probably no o,ti-
zen Of Chicago was moro influential In Co.
tAblirhng tho library thun tha present caitor.
Tho criticism in to days ThlBuSe IL outltlei.
tho'etose, To peculiar respect, AZ coming from
friendly source.
In my opinion, however. thia criticism ia
founded Oh mistaken vlcw Of Hhat n1'fl,' to bo
tho policy Of tho Directors. aud upon Il. sim ~
Outstanding OF existing facts. " ia doslrab!o
taat Tue Library. IT. tue earliest prac cAblo tno-
lnent. shall 10 tlilod with such books ~ scholarly
.nen hars most uso Tor. It IL ton such use Of
matcy DO fh!s, raising tho wloIe handatd Of
information in cltcle Of intellectual culture
III tho city: Nevertheless, tho Library
,a,,,,.4a, Mna not founded oa f"r. and IL not
for any claeH. ricl, Or. pour. cultivated or IT,
norant. II nas established for, aud ought to bs
1naintaned for, all classoa In tho community !;
and no greater mistake could be made by It's
SleAda tlIn 10 Rrouae aaY claaa feeling iu tcLa-
tion. TO ltH policy. 1t would be piece Of IN.
EardouAbla AtHpi3tty for achola1g, sho wfil
eventually got tho Hmm share, 10 o1cle aucl,
foe!'nG. Tho largest ta1-payers Ia tho city. for
the noat part, ara not scholarly pcp. The tax
rayetn generally arc not scholarly In their nj.
tnlnmenth. II they or their wiyos and children
AaSb occasion to une tie Library statistics gath
cred from II! tho great popular libraries Il, the
world sheH that from 10 10 IS per reut Of The
books tloy Will deme.Id Aru works Ut nroqo tlu-
tlon. Everybody, scholarly or not. scholarly.
II they real ut all, ruads such works.
In our Public Library lle dausnd IL sut-
stan'ialy the zane ~ IN oil other Libraries Of
the clasa but the demana for woEka Of .roso
itton las decreaaed from u to CT per cunt
within two tea1a.
I. IL not claitnud that works Of frton ara tn liza
excluded but 1t IL said that tho department Of
fiction should not crowd oserY other into in
tIsn,hcanoe." and 1t IL said that !" our PUBLIC
Library IL managed "a il its solo object ue.c tbc
amusement OF tie people, and worse still, ~ II
tbs sost of amusement provided on8hk to bs
.l"'lded simply BY the opinion Of 10 patrons"
! ~ Mean!us nf this plainly is, that tho matu
effort OF Tho DIRECTORS hAH been and is Directed
t!e supply OF booLs ndspted to the lowest In
talloctnal taate. THIS is grave Charge, but 1t
Is not true. There are now On our ahetyua
4i.oO Volumes. I.ees than 1000 OF theso
ca!is4ht ot English prose fulton,
snt four-hfths Of tho lAtttr sFa works Of tho
higher osaor Of English fiction anu tho re-
nA'nde<-so1ks Of llghtur chas4cteF-srs such