New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-07-05
NUGHfvrvrIoY IN INTELLIGENCE.

AUG.ItN itIlON IN I'M El.AibENNf"
More tIa t..t, what has been Tho progress o. the
country dunn this time in Intelligence aud the
means Of n.r. meet hundred years ago, had 81
most said. :. i.plhOuscs could be counted, certainly
upon the bair your head, If not upon the fingers OIL
your banG IN ~. ~ England aud throughout the country
As remember Them they were miserable. implanted
building chat led you in Winter anu stink III sum
NOR with slabs for seats with old webster for the spell
inr.book with Dabon for the arithmetic with three
months of school m the winter. aud with one Two or
three in summer Compare thom with the Ish schools
the Graded schools and the primary schools Chat are pow
the pride OF every pOpulous ncghoDrhOOd. Has there
been no augmentation in tine instruments Of intelligence
Then there were perhaps newspapers IN the United
States. Alas! how they have increased since thrh
These are said TO be the leaves Of the tree oI the meaning
Of the nations; aud often in this regard that comes to
pass which comes to pass in s!clhass-tlat mfl who
take the leaves made sicher than they were before
But every man reads the newspapers today The diay
man. his incoming divides tine time between his ltl'
tin kettle ana his newspaper. man, though he goes
home tired set must know what j, Che new. The vast
majority VI luboIiHy men-nO 90 speak OF professional
men. and men whose business requires th1t they shall
rcad-knOw before the setting OF the sun, any given
day what is being done in Asia what "a being done IN
Turkey. what Is being done in California what rs hcin;
done the world arOuud-Or this i pCcle,UOild now
when every man carry it round for himself, ia his
newspaper.
Consider how cheap books are Consider how wide IS
the diffusion Of knowledge through essays through
teatiscs Of various kinds, through lectures through all
manner OF instruments OF enlightenment. Consider how
our political Organizations are turning themselves into
great educating conventions, In which the best mhn dis
course their theories OF government. hold that no
German university had it in it, halls such lagi-ts
u1icia men as turned out by The wholesale in this
country during the late war; and Tor years pre-" din
thas war, for the discussion OF questions relating
fItc ,Syl,ty of fha indie t,o ,.ttt of
the state the duty Of the czen, and tho func-
tions and prerOgatyes OF the Legislature and the
eminent Never were people educated this pcO-
pic we're during the twenty-five years which preceded
the present F5r let tell you IA 1916 there were 20
public libraries IN the United States or, there were
about one ana twothiFds volumes for each Of the
people In the country In 1876 there 3,652 public
libraries IN the United states, not including the
libraries OF the comman schools, OF the Church,
or the sundayschOol, numbering IN the az
gregate 12,27G,OOO volumes, or about 30 volumes 10
ono hundred persons Between 1910 and SOFA period Of
twenty-five ycarsther0 20 public Libraries formed
During another period OF twenty-five years-bctween
1900 and ls2j-iDcre l79 public libraries formed.
During the next period OF twenty-five years-bciwccn
1925 and I85Oherc were 55l public libraries formed.
During the twenty-five years intervening between 1850
ard So there 2,2iO pubic libraries formed And
In all the history Of America there has not been period
when the brain OF the population hos tcemed with such
fertility as Il did during h % years last past in which
the glcst and ltatmg discussions OF slavery took place
During e war when there such suJsOiling OF this
country there was displayed such energy and activity
OF s people they had never before displayed Never
before were there % years in which there such
tremendous agents employed foF instruction; he
fore were there such instruments OF enlightenment
brought 70 bear upon IA.
And that which Is indicated in the increase OF books Is
carried out in tue increase Of newspapers and maya
z,ues not only but IN the Of machinery and
agriculture and art and the mechanical business OF life.
The impulse toward power and frufuness was never
80 eminent as it during those % years In which the
rights Of men were the fundamental questions that
discussed and In which proved the sincerity OF the
North and the weakness OF the south