Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-27
rHr PUBLIc LIsRARY

$3.50. condition and Pressing Needs
49, 70 Make It Attractive and Self
Sustaining.
r. ,o;nt Of location the Butte Pubic LII
brary a in one respect, that Of AIRY s'eus
alton. the advantage over those Oh some
other cities. In point OF interest on sne
mart 81 the public in general, so lar as can
be Judged by attendance. there 70 NOT "uon
to boast OF as yet and this leeds 70 inquiry
into the causes OF this. 1t Is imposslDie 10
make money in enterprisa wl1hous
amending money. The attempt to run sucn
] library as this ON the economical plan
vhep everything else lie in it's fav"r, 10 q
o.o.t mistake. With double the expendi-
ture Of money upon ID the PATRONAGE OF
the library would be quadrupied. Its
dai,y average attendance is thirty -eight'
mostly strangers.
Why lie it only open for hall a day. are
literary propensities any stronger IN the
| afternoon than in the forenoonf Many
would like to step in while out in the morn.
ing, who, properly spending their evenings
at home, thus lose all its benefits.
r. WAS opened on u recent occasion after
fine a~nnoin,ed hours and before then SIX
young mcn had tried the door only TO urn
away d~isappointed. A few Others began
the task OF patiently waiting for the arrival
of the custodian OF the place 10 the dirty
hall outside. 1t IS to be regretted tna
such a fine building as the county Court
House should present such an unkempt
appearance on the upper floor; 600
The library is supplied with l,OOo VOL
umes, the selection VI which does credit to
it's committee. 1t is..excellent. But it is I'M
systematically arranged and badly cata-
logued. Young men complain OF the I'M
possibility OF putting ones hand on the
volume containing the needed information
at a moments notice, aud not having time
to spend half a day in looking Tor u vol
ume, must remain ignorant of the infurma'
ton OF which they were in quest.
To b. cure, the room ia large and band
some but the light is garish and needs ton
ing down. The room is too large aud bare
and light and hard. In other words it is
lacking in taste and that general indefin'
able something in it's atmosphere that we
call home-like. It is lii orally supplied with
all the leading maya zines and daily paI"'r
and it makes one hungry for time and gl.c
{ heart to look over it's well-bound collec'
ton OF standard authors.
On it's growth and prosperity for the next
! | six months depends a nanOSOme uonaIiol
of several thousand dollars. 1t would pay
the citizens to come to the rescue with
furniture and money. The maintenance
of a public library in q large city is al
much of Christian duty as that ofa church
A fatal mistake was made when il
was determined to order the with
drawal of all the young FOLKS maya
zines aud papers-'to cut down expenses
az was said. Give us the children and you
give US the nation. The main object in t
child's education is to teach it to handle
and use books as a carpenters apprentice
is taught the use of toois-to make it a
, home among books and pictures. 1t will
gladly and naturally exchange its stree
education for a pleasant and attract
i've library il some one will
, kindly lead it here and SHOW
: it where to 60 and what to do when it get
a here. Now the little folks who know any
: thing at all about it say: Il did not know
we were allowed to CO." Teachers by {
few general information questions eact
evening should send the young people her
in quest of knowledge; make them hungry
for st.. Nicholas. Harper's Young Peopl,
and the various beautiful art magazines.