Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-06-18
Let Us Have n public Library.

Let Us Have n Public Library.
EDITOR CHRONICLE THE or
ganization of the Law Library last
Saturday, and the ease with which
it was effected, has induced me to
write this article for the purpose of
calling attention to long felt want
in our community; 1 mean, a Pub
lie Library. The question is often
asked by strangers "Why have you
no public library ?' and our only
answer is a plaintive "why."
With the reputation CIarksville
has for intelligence and refienment,
with the number and excellence of
her schools, with the acknowledge
ed high literary standing of her
public men, it is certainly very lit
tie to her credit that 80 far we have
no place open to the public, where
strangers or our own citizens can
go and spend a leisure hour or two
in reading. Let us stop this, estab-
lish a library and do away with the
reprOach which / must say justly
attaches to us for our neglect. /
have spoken TO several gentlemen
and am satisfied the enterprise will
meet with great favor, and by lit
tie eXertion we can soon have a Ii
brary of which we may be proud
and which will be of great benefit,
especially to our young people
though not necessarily confined to
them.
Not long since 1 was in the pleas
ant little town of Huntingdon in
this state, and by chance strolled
into a neat building, which / mis-
took for bookstore, was met by
charming young lady, Miss Jones
the librarian, who laughingly cor
rected my mistake, informing me
that it was the Huntingdon Libra
ry and kindly invited me in, an in
vitation which | appreciated very
much and was not slow in accept
ing, she readily answered mymany
questions, and from her and DIR.
White, the president, / learned that
the library was in a flourishing con-
ditiOn, that it had grown from a
few books donated by two or three |
gentlemen, to over a thousand vol
umes, that they also subscribed for
and received regularly the dailies
from two or three cities, several lit
erary papers, ladies books, maga-
zines etc, and that it was rapidly
growing in favor and gaining acces-
sions daily by donations and other
wise.
We can do the same thing that
Huntingdon, a town of not one
third the size of Clarksville, has
done. Two or three gentlemen
have told me they will donate from
half a dozen to q dozen volumes
each, as nucleus and no doubt
there are many more who would do
likewise, and after the enterprise is
once started it will move on with
out any trouble. With a member
ship of a hundred, at the small sum
of one or two dollars for initiation
fee and monthly dues oftwenty-fve
or fifty cents, a good room could be
rented and furnished, papers and
periodicals subscribed for and Ii
brarian employed and just here
will say that the plan pursued in
Huntingdon is a good one and gives
general satisfaction, the young Ia
dies there serve as librarian alter
nately and are paid ten dollars per
month, keeping the rooms open
from o'clock Il. IN. to 10 o'clock |
p. M, as a matter of course this is
small pay, but the young ladies are
all anxious for their turn to come as
it gives them the benefit of the IL
brary besides being very pleasant
employment.
4 good selection of papers, for in
STANCE our own city papers, Nash
Vile, Louisville and Cincinnati dai- |
lies, New York Ledger, Weekly, |
Saturday Night, Frank Leslies,
Turf, Field Il Farm, Sporting News,
Country Gentleman, Harper's Mag
azine, Scribner's, Blackwood's, La
dy's Bnoks etc., would suit all tastes
and be eagerly sought for, as each !
member could read them all at less
cost than they now pay for one.
The benefit which will accrue to
our young men from this institution
can not be estimated in dollars and
cents, but will last them through
life, instead of spending their time
and money in bars and billiard
rooms and around card tables they
can pleasantly and profitably while
away an hour or two every day at
the library, and we will no longer
hear the stereotyped complaint 81
have nowhere to spend an evening""
or There's no place for a person to
gO.' Besides reading facilities there
might be added chess, back CANNON