Daily globe., 1879-09-07

proposal of the Library Association to
Donate Their Books to . Now Association
II q New Library is Established Sue
cess OF tho Chicago Institutional Com
lnittee Appointed to Submit the Case to
! the Common Council.
At meeting of the board of directors of
the st. Paul Library Association, held on the
evening of the LIST inst, the following reso-
luton was presented by Chas. E. Otis and
passed unanimously:
LtesOtUed, That the library committee be re-
quested to report upon the requirements of the
library, and the means whereby its general use
fulness may be promoted and maintained.
At an adjourned meeting of the board,
held on the 5th inst, the following report
from the library committee, in response to
the above resolution, was considered and
unanimously approved:
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON LIBRARY.
In compliance with the resolution passed
at the last regular meeting of the board of
directors the following report is respectfully
submitted:
The actual income OF the library is quite
AAASAAASAAAV3 oAA3 ~ 40 OCAOVOO, WALL COAAtlAuo
to be SO, to meet present liabilities for rent,
salary of librarian, fuel, printing, binding,
gas bills, and other necessary expenditures
without including the purchase of books for
the library, or the cost of magazines and
other periodicals for the reading room.
The income from reading subscribers
since the organization of this Library as
sociation has been little more than sufficient
to pay the salary of librarian and rental of
rooms. The deficit in ordinary income for
the liquidation of general expenses has been
made up from the sale of shares of stock,
donations of money, and the profits derived
from the annual course of lectures and
musical entertainments. Yet, not
Wltnstandlng the earnest and
laborious efforts and solicita-
tions of the directors of the associa-
ton, these sources of income have failed to
secure enough money to pay old indebted
ness, and provide at the same time for cur
rent expenses Consequently consider
able debt has been carried for many years,
and only by the most extraordinary and OK
haustive exertions has it been reduced to q
few hundred dollars.
| The annual course of lectures, formerly
our dependence to exc out the annual de-
| ficit of income for immediate expenses and
for the reduction of old Indebtedness, is, in
the opinion of your committee, no longer a
safe reliance. The disagreeable alternative
of soliciting aid from the comparatively few
citizens, who are constantly giving money
to public enterprises and urgent charities,
and are almost daily besieged by subscrip-
ton committees, cannot be depended upon
as financial expedient. Consequently our
necessities require immediate and extreme
| retrenchment, including removal to rooms
at less rent, and the closing of the library
during large portion Of the time it is now
kept open, and also the discontinuance of
the reading room and the magazines and
other periodicals on its tables. In brief, to
avoid actual insolvency, it will, in the
opinion of tho library committee, be neces-
sary to reduce expenses at least so per cent.
The experience of the St. Paul Library
association, like that of all similar organiza-
tons, so far as we have any information, is
that library, such as every city should
have in this age and country, cannot be sus-
| tanned by reading subscribers alone
The great libraries of the American cities,
which are the most popular and successful,
! are public libraries, free to all citizens, and
| maintained by their respective municipal
tiles.
In several of the largest cities of the East
and West, such free public libraries, with
reading rooms attached, have been estab-
lished, and are cheerfully supported by ta1
paying citizens.
| From fifth to fourth of mill tax has
been quite ample to maintain free public Ii.
braries in each of the several States, which
have provided by law for their establishment
The most valuable free library in the West
| is that of Chicago, commenced six or seven
years ago.
No institution of that city gives more
general satisfaction, or is regarded with
greater civic pride than it's free public
library-the Peoples library. Tie follow
Ing are extracts from annual reports made
during the last two years by its board of di-
| rectors
EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS OF THE CHICAGO FREE
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
"The library is to secure free access to all
| works of the human intellect, in all fields OF
thought. There can be no exclusion or sc.
| clusion. Free to every reader, it will also be
| free to their books. Neither nationality. party
| or creed can take offense, because the shelves
are ready to receive the books of all creeds and
| schools that may be sent here, or which the
| means of the board will enable them to pur.
chase. Except as to works of a positively
| vicious character, no works SHOULD be excluded
from a library intended for the use of all
classes, and maintained by tax upon the
property of the people. Every church, creed,
philosophy, profession, or school, may and no
| doubt in time will, have it's own best repre-
| sentations on our shelves, and any disciple of
each faith and profession. .-..
"Chicago is allowed to raise tax of one
| fifth of mill to support its free library
Comparing it with any other city improve
Errx vpls~ L.
1initely greater is it in point of advantage!
And, as mere moral agency, how far does it
exceed all others.
Lord Macauley says that the vicinity good
| library in itself produces a perceptible
| improvement upon all who have access to the
| shelves. Who that enters such place that
| does not leave it with improved trains of feel
ing and thought? What man is there that does
not carry away from good collection of books
some moral aid against some temptation to fol-
low in the lower courses of vice that in all
large cities lead men down the depths of crime
and infamy? -
The civilization of the age demand them
(free ibraries) and as an educational institu-
tion the free library is more efficacous as a
means of diminishing the number of crimes
and criminals than the best disciplined and
best paid police agencies of this State
In their Fifth Annual Report the directors
| says ''The library statistics given above show
the number and kind of books taken out or
| consulted. These statistics are significant.
They manifestly indicate an increasing ia
miliarity with, and appreciation of, the library,
and the general desire of the people to read
and consult good books. Nor is it difficult for
careful observer to note many signs of I'M
provement directly traceable to the influence
of this excellent library. It is only within
the last three years that it has been pos
sible for a scholar in this city to make
fair investigation of any subject that re-
quires use of books for its treatment. It il
one Of the greatest advantages of the library
that it has made such Investigations in some
degree possible. All who speak, write or in
any way teach for the instruction of the pub