, 1880-02-01
The Historical Soctety'x Needs.
tn fhs F.iitnr ef 7hs fhftuF0 Tribune.

CHICAGO, Jan. S1.-When the Historical
Society moved into their rooms, a little more
than two years ago, they had six double book
cases made, and thought they might be suf-
ficient to hold the books that would be likely
to come to the Society for a year or two at
least. It was, however, soon found that they
were filed with books, and five more were
ordered. These, too, are now filed, and the
Society have large number of books for
which there are no cases, and, what seems
still worse, there Is no room Tor more cases,
unless they are put in the lecture~hall, and
thus occupy room which will be needed for
audiences at the monthly meetings. Is not
this a bad predica1nent? 1twillnot do to say
that 5000 books are all the Society want
because they have no room for any more, and
so they keep taking books and piling them up,
and have thus far waited for place to "turn
up'' in which to place them byand-by- Il
you will tell the world, through THE TRD-
uSE, how we are situated and what We need,
think some one or more persons will come
to our relief, and in doing SO will not only do
a worthy work, but one which will render
them historic, and the recipients Of the thanks
Of those unborn as well as those OF our own
time. We want, and gTsatly need, @ an an a. a.
Of land on which to erect such building. and
aplan is drawn. Wewantnoton more room
for books, butwe greatly need a readlng-room
in which to use those books now In the
library, and such as may be purchased from
the income of the munl1cent bequests OF the
late Lucretia Pond, soon to become avalla~
In this s'plan' ~ Of the addition, reading
room is arranged on the south side forty
feet long and fourteen feet wide, in which
are to be placed four large tables opposit the
four windows, and leading out OF this read,
lng-room to the north are i've fire and md
moisture proof vaults yell yenti19fed IL nea ;n and
umes Of books: How long, think yonl, would
It take to fill these vaults with good
books? Not over, two or three yaE:s, yea5Es,
for there are, lots Of choice books
II afraid fne may e01Rs' bs dest4eyed, end would
like to deposit here for safe keeping In case
we had a suitable place The library anu
reading room are, and ever will be, free to.
the public. What better investment {! can n a a
such q place where all can be benefited now
and in ali coming time? Is there not man
or woman among the millfonaires Of Chi
cago,-but, hold! that class, as ru1e, a!9
not the ones most prone to give, so ! VII
an who has enough to carry him or her
spapeS5 % ooe @ oF s., ,5ooto build reProof vaults
and readfng-room for the nlililons wac, ~
they enter the room that bears n1s nalne' WILL
bless his memory? re-,
I think there are many such, II the matter
were properly presented to them, and I1te wTlte
to ask whether you will not take tne D. maItel .ne
ent en- lem Embarrassment m by having more books
than & places in Which to put them? The way
the Society is now going on, the number OF
valuable books that it will have within fTe
years viii be immense, and it seems pity
that we cannot have a nice, airy, Well,f1n~
fshed, and pleasant reading-room ID which to
consult them.
It seems to me that there never vas time
when a donation of 5000 To- 5000 could
have been made where it would do 50 much
good and perpetuate the memory OF the s17er
So long as is here offered
Now, please take this matter in hand. Give
some good man a chance to do good work
and immortalize his name, and have It placed
alongside Of Astor. Peabody, and others
who, when living. did good with their money.
A FRIEND OF THE SOCIETY.