New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-25
TO LEAD READERS HIGHER.
UsEruL GIFTS TO THE FREE LIBRARTEs.
COPIES OF ART TREASURES THAT INcuLcArE
TASTE FOR GOOD LITERATURE.

COPIES OFF ART TREASURES THAT INcuL0ArE
TASTE FcR GOOD LITERATURE
The Eew.York Free Circulating Librssy has reeentiy
received as gifta some excellent pictures and casts.
which add greatly TO the beauty and attractycncss
Of the rooms The pictures comprise etehings, on
cravings and Braun photographs from originals Wills
tho casts are al reproductions OF famous works An
ire the t OF one person. lady who az her request
remains unknown. TO the trustees OF the library.
She Is reported saying that IL would not make the
pictures look any better 10 have 1t known who wss
the giser; II any asked the librarians might say
they came from Heavens The main library IN Bond
st. is adorned with engrayings of Napoleon, shale-
spcare a series Of Egyptian views and cast Of the
weli.known graceful figure adjusting sandal, from
the frieze OF The temple Of Nike Aptcros. At the
ottendorfer Library In Second ave-, tho pictures ~
clude an etching OF Stratord Church. beneath which
hangs photograph OF tho inscription on Shake
speare's tomb, a photograph from the portrait
Of Napoleon as second lieutenant by Gregc surmount
ing photograph Of the Pyramids, Raphaeps portrait
OF himself with series of five siadonnas, head Of
Aosop by veIasquez, an engraving from Trumbulps
Washington and photograph OF statue Of Praxitees-
The pretty Bruce library in West Forty sccondst.
has various pictures illustrative OF the art OF tho
italian Renaissance, Flemish art and the period OF
Shakespeare, picture Of Napoleon crossing the Alps
and casts of saycnaroia Lucca della Robbs's singing
D~~N~N---~
and Mino du Fesole. The tinted walls OF robk's egg
blue, in the Jackson Square library, set on TO tho
best advantage fine etching Of Westminster Abbey,
photographs from paintings OF Van Dyck ana sir
Joshua Reynolds, view OF an avenue OF palms N
the grounds Of Queens College, Honolulu, view OF
the Coliseum and picture Of Lincoln. The casts
are from the Parthenon frfeze, and Of an adorins
Madonna of Lucca della Robba, and Virgin and Child
Of DonaeIlo. In selecting the SUBJECTS Of the pic
lures tho tastes Of the readers In some measure
consulted by maR1ng q careful examination of tho
character Of the reading with view 70 the discov-
cry II favorite topics Shakespeare and Napoleon
were, found 10 be prime fsvorites and wers
accordingly placed In three Of the libraries.
At the suggestion of the giver, carefully prepared
lists Of books In connection with the subjects Of the
pictures were placed upon the bulletin boards, the
object being induce better quality of reading,
cally among tho inyetsras devourers Of fiction. Ths
result has been encouraging for lively interest,"
has shown In the pictures and the lists
stantly drawn from At the ottendorfer branch thare
is steady call for from twelve 10 twenty volumes
. day from these lists many Of the books not having
been previously asked for for months at tims
Among those which have heen drawn several times
since tho hanging OF the pictures are Lubkes History
Of ART and Geschichte der Plastik' C. c. Perkins,
Essay on Raphael and Michael Angelo IrviDgs
Washington aud Sketch Book Hawthorne's Our
Old Home" Lowelps "Among Ny Books,' Homer's'
Had" in translation, and Piato's Best Thoughtss
Iandor's Imaginary Conversations, Dowdens
Shakespeare Clarkes Ten Great Religions the
Ercmann-o hstrisn and Eoers novels, Thackersy's
"Yirginiansa and numberless others of popular or
schoIarIy character An additional gift from tho
source, fifty valuable works on those topics has
increased the OF the library and rendered
more successful an experiment for the Improvement
OF public reading something similar in character to
~hst has produced such excellent and surprising
results In the Providence Public Library.
Tha fant hiatt ha nj
each month at the older of these libraries, notwih-
standing the opening Of two new branches. proves
concllslvely that the general public OF Hew-fork Is
desirous TO read when It has an opportunity. The
Bruce Library, one Of tbs latest opened, frequently
lends over 600 books In one day, while the average
at the others Is between 400 and 400. Tho readers
embrace every type from the ragamuin of twelve TO
the gray haired pastor, from the wssherwomen who
sends her child for Elm drnner Roman TO the dame
OF fashion who sails IN with pug dog and wants
DostoIevsky or BalZac Among some 1900 peo-
pie, whose only character for classification is that
lsey all rad bsels, 80 ao' 1ouA4
many who amusing, many who arc CRANKY
many who are trustworthy, together with some who
are cot and many who are charming
and delightful. Among the amusing ones
may be counted youth OF twenty
who said Shakespeare made him tired Why
couldn't he write English instead of indulgng in that
thee and thou businessfs Miss Braddon he pro-
nouneed a @daisy." As Offset there Is the pretty
little blue-ey fellow who hked American history
boSt OF aus but found the FIRST volume of Justin
w,nsors History too much for him. The French and
German and Hebrew IN 10 all right, but there's
Spanish ard italian and Latin and don't know those"
Among the delightful people may be counted the
excellent German who reads the Vicar Of Wakefield
regularly once every year, while among tho amusing
Is the man with earrings who tries to compromse
on seven cents for tteencent fine, and cohfdentiaiy
arts the fact Of his marriage TO enforce his plea
new library Is regarded as elephant monkey and
learned pag combined by the small boy OF the ward
he aud the library have by some benign dis.
pensAtiOn OF Providence been brought INTO Iuxtspo
dtion To give derisve boot rs he departs, stdlea
him as one OF the racest bits Of humor or 70 coecs
a gang who viii snioker and shuttle In chorus and
look ready to perpetrate any amount or vlllany IN
order TO "see de librarian get mad, overpowernsy
s SSyors the hoped. for sport it soon pals
The mistakes OF readers unacqusinted with library
technicalities aen amusing 20 the initiated snen
was that Of the woman at Jackson square, VINO on
being told that there printed catalogues but
Q card catalogue said she would Ike 10 buy one,
would DO so convenient TO have at home; Another
AZ nond-st an assistant was one day asked for ono
OF the John Townsend Series" by Trowbridge, thas
sShOs works BEING d II sss sS v JSSS
Is preferable TO accuracy thar Of the little girl
who wanted Ssanta Oausland,' and when she was
ASKED she knew the he T paoS sag no. GS sae
swceiy inquired for Little Dorrt' by shafespease
ottendorfer Library quietly shakes over In Us hours
Of repose and which not perpetrated by any of
is readers but by the library Itself as vas shown oy
was Miss Phelps's Old Maids Paradise
-
A FINE STALLION KILLED IN TRAIN wREcE
Modera, Cal, March GA southbound freight train
t,,nnsd the track here Yesterday Nine cars, loaded