New-York tribune., 1886-02-23
REIDING.FOR POOR PEOPLE.
COMMENCING THE FREE LIDRARY's WORK

COMMENCING THE FREE LIBRARY's WORK.
MANY BUILDINGS, NOT ONE, wANTED-sTIRRING
WORDS FROM MR.. DRPrw AND MI. CoUDERT
meeting was held last evening IN Stcinway Hall
in the interest of the New-York Free Circuat n
Library Levi p. Morton opened the meeting, stating
that as the president Mr.. Field somewhat inds-
posed. he had been requested to fill bis place He
said
For the past six years, the Ncw-Yorl Free Circu-
Iating Library has been working under a system by
which it has supplied free reading to all classes OF pco
pie at their homes The safety of republican form Of
government depends upon the enlightened state of
the people Under such form the pub'ic'scnools are
maintained not as charity. but political neces
sitv. The common schools are not sufficient Books
must be furnished This society has been testing
methods of doing this on small scale heretofore and
has proved the methods The question which interests
us has just been brought prominently forward by
the bill to provide n free library for the city. We
think our library do the necessary work.
Mr. Morton then introduced ex-Judge Henry F.
Howland, who faye statement oi tne orlgh % ana
growth Of the free brary lie thought IL strange that
SO great and charitable city had been 50 long with
out free library md now the fact that bill Iroyd-
ing for such a library had emanard from the unsns-
p,cttng Board of Aldermen suggested the wcil-wOrn
phrase | fear the Greeks bearing gifts or more
properly receiving quits In the case oi the New
.
had been tho aim of the founders. That library was
no longer an experiment. Then followed resume o.
its accomplishments from the time OF its foundation IL
1850 with S37 volumes and annual cirrulallo oil
% 55S the present time when II has Z4OVU volumes
In the two branches No. 40 Bond-st. and No. l3o
Second -ayc aud circulated last wear over ZOOOOO
volumes Mr. Howland said he thought thnt II
only necessary bring the facts of this Increase 10 the
OF the New ork public TO assure an increase l"
AT least twenty libraries II is necessary that theN
should be absluely free as even nOmina sub7crip-
tion brings down the circulation. rs libraries grow,
the expenses increase and the circuatoDs diminish and
they become cumbersome. IL l. as n ough one were tn
send a man to the reservoir for bucket Cf water in
stead of di-r buing the water through pipes a. books
could he distributed through branch libraries. Mr..
Howland closed with the suggestion that the live7 OF
rich and good might well be commemorated by the
erection 10y their frinds OF library well a. 10y the
erection OF such bronze horrors Is intended Tor that
purpose In many cases.
Chaunccv NJ Dcpcw the next speaker, said that he
wished his distin guished friend Mr Morton had leit
the eminent orator business out IN introducing
him a. II only embarrassed lin. his seems rt7l
souahe way To celebrate the birthday OF the Father
of hi. Counfryr lie continued " when | was boy il
used be the fashion - march and u en take drlhk
If George Washington here he would be- IN favor
Of such meeting this. At the beginning OF the
present century, we're essentially a rural people.
Objects accomplished by isolated effort Now
the country districts decreasing In population aud
the cities abnormally growns In the great ciie'
no ono knows any body. The individual i lost. We
are not adapting ourselves 10 the growth OF things 80
that intelligence shall be maintained. The common
.S6So Of .ey TR' Rc common school G1
must come 10 end and we provide inothing
beyond IT, The young minds, fr"-h from these
schools, hunger for kno"td2e ana tL'y 40 hSi gt IL,
They must be lled with something and tlcy MI them
selves with unguided magiuings and give growth 10
Wild theories II free library we're provided Tor AL
a safety valve would be Supplied by the pursuance oi
uoutric. bv the lght of the bc-t minds Of all ages
hungry body is-soon filed but hungry mind has n
a result first genius and then despair and 'IndictlYe
Our attention has been called to this matter 10y a
hill before the Legislature. Attention II called to
many things by hill. This one wi-he- to accomplish
what wish 10 accomplish. We are glad that tins
bill has called attention TO the subject aud We 're here
to appland its principle. But -ay that We have
better method Of Accomplishing tie desired end.
although this measure ha- been approved by that
eminent university the Board of Aldermen. Laughter
The proper 10 establish free circnhting library
costs always ten much the original estimate
even without fraud. Then there + the change "f
parties III charge of the WORK. There II no chance Tor
the new PARTY unless the plan IL enlarged. Another
wing must bs added to give the 'workerS "a chance.
We do want building that twill take six or sven
years 10 crcccyen We can point 10 " Whr are I'D
Europe the greatest Oi ITS kind IN the world. and
then come home aAl pay more taxes To complete H. "
would be another of the architectural mOn-troNtc-
which make city unique. And then ehcn ~ was
completed there would bc no books And the Alcer-
men of that day would select them, mhHihg tholce
from their own circle of reading The people who live
in the tenement houses aud the poor districts have not
the money for fare the tue 10 spare to
reach great central building for books We ldo not
want arc itcctural beauty or luxurious cuh rooms
We want libraries for the people. Many benevolent
men would build sma libraries and give tncir books
tn them instead of scndng them to the auctn room.
''Pnbc sentiment should 90 To Albany and say thnt
this resolution of the Aldermen i all right and hat
they represent great need in their districts. di'e
them the right to have $4,000 or $4,000 for sustain
lug libraries after they are founded in each district
aud IT would insure, IN few years. twenty i've hbra-
ries feel confident and be cheap Investment. Sec
what II haa done for BOston. lou can walk around
and across Boston mornings exercise and yet 1t
has eleven libraries Boston barber 10 whom
joseph Cook spoke Of evolution eyoluted him ont of
Al II. a.. int, a.fVa
point the red sandt edg6s III the street AMI tell
how people in Boston intelligent when the re-t of
the world WAS -eedy and barbarous. 1t Is all the
library Laughter At oxford, saw books chained
to block We ave broken the chain and the book
T. free the air about us. be WORKERS ana labor
ers about thi-ng for the intelligence IN the
book Let put IL IN their hands, Applause.
Frederic X. Coudcrt said among other things
" There il question that appeals more strongly To
the pcoue of Now York than this of free books unless
il is the putting down of rum. But there Is no better
way to put down rum than Ia pnt up books. have no
word Of criticism OF the measure before tue LEGISLATURE
But does any one know tnat We nave had I"t oyer
thirty years in the city hall public library me
same that proposed by the Legislature except that
II il cheaper In lSlS. the Pope sent IA number "i
valuable medals 10 the eity which the Aldermen
received and acknowledged by scnding to the
Pope the proceedings OF the Aque' 9ct ,%In, %r
offered a salary Of $500 10 n librarian to take
charge of the tooks when the library should
be formed; This wa; ailerw1rd increased
$500. In that library, as AN crcdlhy informed, was
1000 volumes, but how many Ihtent blce iepoTS
are among them I am not able TO state. OF all tho
works required be done hy the PEOPLE this oi library
4. tbr one DO You think IL could be done by tho Gov
eromcnt aud no politics In IL Has the millennium come
n the Cover nmsu insists upou helping lei II devote 80
much annually We DO not want the Government to
do this thing deprive the rich men OF the chance
to do this good thing"
AWFUL DEATH or A PHTSICTAN.
CLEyELANT, Feb. 22 (SDeciGD. DR. j. II.
Cleeson u weLknown alopathie physcian, returned
snmemhai chllea from making calls and ontercd Ger