Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-07-17
Boston Public Library.

with people OF all classes and nationalites, is to
have an unequalled opportunity for the study Of
human nature. To gaze at the stately civil and
religious structures as they generally tower above
all surrounding objects, Is TO become imbued with
sentiments OF majesty and submty To wander
through the common, and public gardens, where
flowers, and shrubbery, fountain and lake statue
and column greet the eye, is TO possess rare
chance to promote the culture Of the aesthetic and
the love Of the beautiful. To tread the very spot
where Warren fell to cross the identical place
where those brave Boston boys demonstrated TO
General Gage against the wanton destruction Of
their forts and roads; to look with reyerent eye
on faneuil Hall made sacred by thousand hal
lowed recollections TO tread the floor Of the
capitol where have pressed the feet Of Webster,
an Everett, a Sumner and Wilson, as they
spoke noble and eloquent words for humanity and
the right, is to become imbued with something Of
the heroic spirit and lofty patriotism OF those old
time statesmen. To linger in the courts Of justice
where are gathered the creme de Ia creme Of the
legal profession, where right justice, and inn
Partially have not lost their ancient prestige,
where corruption is as yet a stranger and the
erInne is not yet dishonored with the guilt Of
bribery, is 10 grasp the ideal Of true government
and just execution Of the laws To sit in the
lecture room and listen to the silver-tongued Phil
lips, the nestur of American orators to hear the
graphic descriptions and thrilling appeals Of
Cough; to sometimes catch the words Of wisdom
as they fall from the lips of the venerable and
revered Emerson; to be held hour after hour by
the dogmatic utterances Of a Cook; to be en-
tranced by the eloquence Of host Of others, like
Beecher, Collyer and Parsons is To have the
privilege of sitting at the feet and learning the
ways of life and immortality from an array OF
talent the like Of which has not been since
| Plato and Socrates walked the groves Of the Acad-
envy and pondered the mysteries of existence.
| To reve amid the beauties Of the museum, where
heaven-born genius has consecrated its divine
offspring where the walls are graced with paint
ugs such rs Raphael or an Angelo might have
envied; where are inches adorned with statues
which might well have borne the impress OF II
| Phidas; where we are brought face to face with
the nations Of the dead as we behold the shriveled
mummies of Egypt, grim and tenantless armor
hacked and battered in a score of battles gor-
geous tapestry once the adornment OF royal palaces,
vases and pottery wrought by hands long since
crumbed into dust we are lost in admiration and
wonder, 80 rich the treasures, so varied the
display.
But the browning glory Of the city, and one
| whose advantages the citizens never weary
of recountinr. il the public library. This mag
nificent collection is excelled in numbers bv none
in America save the Congressional at Washington
in choice of books it is unequalled While the
Bodileau the Paris. and the British Museum
have been centuries in collecting and have been
under the continual patronage of long line Of
kings and mobiles who have We'd with each other
in bestowing rare and valuable works, our library
is scarcely more than a quarter of a century old,
duct of our own industry and thrift So great
having been the progress in the past, for what
NAV we hone in the future? Previous to the year
1si3 several attemnts were made to found a IL
hrarv Int none we're successful That wear an
act was possed authorizing the CITY to establish
and maintain "A public library The following
year tho u,, pnhert q Wipthron gave the first
hooks tn beyin the collection. During the next
,,vo vears gifts were made bv Edward Everett
and o,bers and in 1s52 a hoard of trustees WAS
constituted of which Everett was president and
Edward Capen librarian The same wear Joshua
Rates Of London. gave s50OOO The upper hall
If tho ne,y and elegant building was subsequently
ror,od of,or him In 1874 a library and reading
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