Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-02-16
COMMUNICATIONS.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
Allow to say word in season upon,
what seems to me, an important matter just
now.
The action of the committee to whom was
referred the petition of the public library
memorialists was very satisfactory. This
is the first step in the right direction. The
action of the city government, it is to be hoped,
will amply endorse the recommendation of
their committee. Why, indeed, should they
not, and why not every intelligent voter feel
interest in this project which has no ulterior
end, no "cat in the meal bag" but the estab-
ment of greatly needed and an absolutely
essential public Improvement? The State
House question does not enter into it at all. 1t
is only a robins nest for the egg to be hatch
cd in, and which, next season, like a birds
nest, may have done it's work and warmed
the little brood into life that leave it forever
The main fact to be looked at is, that there
| is no public library now in New Haven
The college libraries are used only by limi-
ted circle. The libraries of the law school,
divinity school, scientific school, mercantile
societies, churches and young mems associa-
| tions, are all more or less confined to their
special classes, and not themselves of
general nature fitted for the use of all ages,
| callings, tastes and wants. This is a re-
| markable fact and certainly not one credita-
| BILE to city of the intelligence, size and rep
| utation of New Haven. There is hardly
considerable village in Massachusetts that
| does not have public library of some kind,
and, in many cases, library building that
i = L. 49, H.
| ment to the place. Does Connecticut wish
! to lag behind other New England States in
| this respect? The writer recalls one Massa-
chusetts seaport town (Salem) not much
more than quarter the size of New Haven,
which, chiefly through the influence of it's
| free library-though its public schools have
also aided-has made itself a recognized
scientific center, in which great portion of
| it's reading inhabitants land this comprises
most of its population) are personally interest
ed in the attainment and advancement of
scientific knowledge.
There is but one thing I would
desire to say, although thou
sand things could be said upon
such a theme, and that is, to strive to correct
a popular error, viz: that public library to
| be useful, or to begin to be useful, must be
very large one. This is a discouraging and
false idea. Great numbers of books
in library for the use of the
people generally are not essential, however de-
sirable The books of this age and of all
ages, which form the real staple of knowl-
edge, and even of intellectual life, the books
of pith and moment, may be generally COM
prised in any reasonably sized collection It
is to be reading library, not library for
learned men. A smaller library, well chosen,
centrally placed and freely circulated, is
quite sufficient to meet every want of the
public in this respect, and o.ice established it
will grow rapidly. But library to be
useful to all citizens must have fitting To-
cality and be methodized, ordered
and regulated by proper officers-not with
too much machinery, but well organized.
This, we may be sure, will be done if the pro-
ject now started shall be carried out if all
citizens will speedily send in gifts, both of
books and of money; if all the mooted
library projects and projectors (all of them
admirable in their way and intent) shall make
a common cause of it, and then shall
soon have the beginnings, at least, of pub
lie benefaction for which the people are long
ing, which they ought to have granted to
, them, and which is just necessary to 8
city's life as a town pump, or hotel, or 8
court house. ]. NJ. HoPPIN.
|