Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-02-13
rRrE puRLIo LITERARY.
of the Matter by a Spec
ial Counc1lmanIc COmmittee-A Fav-
orable Report Agreed to.


tition for the establishment of a free public
library in the old State House met last even
ing in rooms 10 and II City Hall. The
committee consists of Aldermen Trowbridge, |
Graves and Strouse and Councilmen Earle,
Lawrence, Hall and Palmer. All were pres
emit except Councilman Earle. Alderman |
Trowbridge presided.
After reading the petition by the clerk the |
chairman asked those present favoring the |
petition to offer their minds on the subject. |
Professor Simeon E. Baldwin was the first
speaker He said he felt it his duty to urge
the petition and the resolutions as presented
to the Court of Common Council. Several at
tempts had been made to establish free pub
lie library in New Haven, but they had
failed. This present scheme was begun in a
very humble way, but the projectors antici-
pated that good results would follow. He
said that So, 900 in cash had been subscribed,
which would pay all expenses for one year
and leave 81 900 for the purchase of
professor read at length from
reports showing the growth of the
public library in Boston from it's
tablishment many years ago to its present
magnificent proportions. He said that OK
Governor English and H. NJ. WEIGH had been
seen and they were of the opinion that the
project was good one, and that it would
not interfere with anything that had been OF
might be done by previous committee ap-
pointed by the Court of Common Council.
Economy said Mr.. Baldwin, will be necessa-
Ii e {
no rent and the State House is vacant we
thought it good place to start. We have
reason to believe that we can get person TO
act as librarian at very low price.
In reply to Mr.. Trowbridge Mr.. Baldwin
said it was the intention to use the State
House temporarily
To Mr.. Graves-It is proposed to run it
for one year and then turn it over to the city.
He thought after that the city would make
small donation each year to keep it running.
He also said in reply to Mr.. Graves that it
was expected to have five thousand volumes
at the end of year.
Mr.. Van Name, librarian of Yale college,
gave his ideas of what public library should
be. He said he thought that any city OF
town was benefited by public library. He
thought the State House would be a good
place to start the library, but he would not
advocate it for q permanent place. He
thought there would be large demand for
books and the reading room would be con-
slant attraction, and the circulation of books
if they were attractive, would grow with the
supply.
In reply to Mr.. Graves he said that in O
city like New Haven the necessary expense
of a free public library carried on in good
fair style would vary, of course, according
to the size of the library. He thought that
the expense might be largely met from a
fund that would naturally grow from the
establishment of free library.
T. Atwater Barnes said that last year a
committee of thirteen was appointed by the
city to solicit funds for free public library
and that committee still in existence, al
though but little had been done owing to
the hard times. He thought it better to
combine all the free library interests if a
library was to be established.
Mr.. Trowbridge, said he thought the ques-
ton was taking rather wide range The
question to be considered was whether the
city would allow the use of the rooms in the
State House for the purpose of establishing a
free public library at the expense of the pc
titioners.
G. G. Blatchley said to the committee that
he thought all the library interests should be
combined. He said he was in favor of free
public library, but it should be To-
city as possible. He thought the
Young Mems Institute would be ready to
consolidate their interests with free library
| whenever one could be properly established.
He thought if the resolution or petition be-
fore the committee was adopted it would
commit the city to free library in the old
| State House, and this should not be-
Mr.. Trowbridge said that if at the end of
one year the city was not satisfied with the
experiment the whole matter would drop out
of sight and the books and periodicals could
be sold for old paper.
Alderman Spreyer spoke in favor of free
library. He said that if the memorialists de-
sired to establish the library and at the end
of the year the city fit to accept it well
and good. He thought that effort should
be made during the year to combine all the
interests and so secure library that would
be an ornament to city of the size of New
Haven.
Ex-A1derman James P. Barker reviewed
the work of the committee of thirteen and
the plans adopted by them TO secure a free
library. He said that all that committee
now desired was that the best thing posi-
BILE should be done to consummate the gen
eral idea of library He said that COM
mittee had felt that it was an open shame
that New Haven was not provided with a
library. That committee was not dead but
they were enthusiastic and only desired that
the best means possible might be adopted to
bring about the grand result.
F. E. Harrison thought these resolutions
should not pass in their present shape. He
thought the better way was to have these gen
tlemen run the library on their own account
until, say next September, and then if they
were satisfied thai the State House was the
proper place for library the city could take
such action might be necessary to give it a
legal status free public library.
This concluded the hearing and the com
mittee went into executive session. After a
free and full discussion it was voted to rec
ommend that the prayer of the petitioners be
granted.
Norway and the Midnight Sun.
The lecture by the Rev. J. J. Tiffany, of
New York, on NORWAY and the midnight