The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-01-24
READING ROOM.

enough money to justify them In open
ing their reading room. Large numbers
of valuable books will be donated. or
loaned, so soon as they get the matter
started.
We publish the following. from the
Portsmouth Times of Nov "a, 1871 We
think it will give the women here some
valuble facts for their guidance:
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE READING ROOM
ASSOCIATION
The close of the first year Of the Read
lug Room Association is at hand, and for
our satisfaction and encouragement, we
give brief resume of its experience and
successes
The Association was organized at
meeting called at Bigelow Chapel, No
vember 18th 1876. An invitation was
extended to all ladies who were interest
ed in establishing free reading room in
our city. Twenty-six responded to the
call. The way had been we'll prepared
by the originators OF the enterprise, who
had raised by subscription an amount
sufficient to pay the expenses Of the in
stitution one year, inclusive Of rent. The
desirable residence of Mr.. Thomas p.
/ DHOnuT Oh CEIODh HAhNNht ndh 0NGh sc
cured, and Mr. d. Ramsey and daughters
engaged to occupy the house and take
charge of the reading rooms.
At this meeting the following named
officers were elected: President Mrs.
Amanda Pursell Vice President, Mrs.
Geo o. Newman; Secretary. Miss Ada G..
Dunlap; Treasurer, Miss M. f. PEBBLES.
The following Wednesday, November
18th, a meeting of the Association was
held at the reading rooms. A constitu.
tion was presented and adopted, the Of
6cers were duly inaugurated, a commit.
tee appointed to select magazines and
papers, and other committees to attend
to the completion of matters pertaining
to the comfort and convenience of the
rooms.
The association gladly accepted the
offer of the Y. NJ G. A. to loan their IL
brary, and the books were removed to
rooms. Mating, carpet, tables, chairs, a
clock, writing desk, stationery and pic
lures were either loaned or donated, and
the rooms thus rendered very comforta-
BILE and attractive.
The city editors donated their weekly
papers, many kind friends brought in
papers and magazines, and when those
which had been subscribed for arrived,
the tables were loaded with reading mat
ter-various. interesting and instructive
The rooms were first opened to the
public Tuesday evening, November 2lst,
and have been open every day between
the hours s a. m. and il p. IN. since that
date. Twenty-six men and boys were in
attendance-a curious coincidence that
the number was the same as the number
of ladies who attended the meeting for
organization. Printed cards of invita-
tion were sent out through the city, and
as soon as it became generally under
stood that all the privileges of the read
ing room were to be had without money
and without price" the rooms were
nightly thronged with eager, interested
readers. The number of visits to the
rooms has been carefully kept and re-
ported each month by Miss V. Ramsey.
From these reports we find that the larg-
est number of visits, 3.l22, were made
during the last month; the smallest,
,309, during the month of April. The
total number for the year Is 2l ,72S.
As conversation is not allowed in the
rooms, these visits have been made al
most exclusively for the purpose of read
| ing and study, and in q large majority OF
cases by persons whose limited means
had hitherto made il impossible for them
to have access to the food which the in
tellect so craved. The reading room is
the only place in the city where any adj
vantages of this kind are offered free, and
the fact which the figures just given re-
veal, is q mightier argument and strong
er appeal than any we can make to lend
helping hand to this good work. Many
persons of our own city have been almost
daily attendants at the rooms, and have
expressed their appreciation of the privi-
4 l. "a Il AL Il Tvhn hnaf
terms, while scarcely day passes that
the rooms are not visited by strangers,
who are always delighted to find place
so well furnished with reading matter,
and so admirably managed, free to all.
In some ca ses the physical necessities
of way-worn strangers, whose steps have
been led to the rooms, have been cared
for by the family in charge, whose great
interest in their work, and faith in it's
good results, have been evident in this
and many other ways.
In January the Association accepted,
with mucL regret, the resignation Of their
Secretary, and the present Secretary was
elected to the vacancy. In the same
month a request came from the City
Council to assist in the distribution oi
soup tickets to the deserving poor of the
city. The Association cheerfully took
hold of the work, and thirty-eight ladies
were assigned to the work of distributing
the charity provided by the city. The
work was faithfully carried on by them
from Januaay oath until February 9th
] ,050 persons were assisted by them dur
ing the season.
Early in the year a weekly prayer
meeting was established in the small
room adjoining the reading room, and all
were invited to attend, for the Associa
tion felt that they were not doing their
whole duty as Christian workers unless
they gave some attention to the spiritual
welfare of those who irequented the read.
ing rooms These meetings have been
held, with but two or three omissions
every Friday evening. Representatives
from the various churches have been
present each week and although not as
many as we had hoped, have been brought
under the influence of these meetings yet
the good seed has been sown, "the bread
cast upon the waters" which we expect
to find after many days"
In this connection. the Association de
sire to return thanks to Messrs. Yoakley
& Cannon, for the free use of a piano
during most Of the year. 1t proved a
valuable aid to the singing in the prayer
meetings. The expense of carrying on
this enterprise for one year has been
$S7S. OF this amount $400 has been paid
for rent; $306 for the services of the fam
lily in charge $50 for papers and maya.
zines $45 for coal $40 GO for gas $l4
for settees, and the remaining $l6.40 for
repairs. and incidental expenses. The
burden of raising an amount sufficient to
pay the rent of the house, was voluntari.
ry assumed by Mr.. Samuel Reed. and was
an act for which he will ever be held in
grateful remembrance by the ladies oi
the Association.