The advocate., 1891-02-18

public Oiilc6ra i0r Oillclhl aud legal nOiiooa.
Historical WdtoIain these days seek Cor orig
inhl information as 10 tho early beginnings and
the everyday progress Of tho social Mo Of tho
people, And thoy have come tO learn that II Is
In th0 columns Of iho daily and weekly news
papers that this information haa been most fully
recorded, and that nowhere oIso are exact data
10 bo found. Teachers and students In our edu-
caii0nAl institutions are moro and more learning
that lho study OF tho history and development OF
their own state and locality are worthy Of their
uttsntlon, and our hles are frequently being con
suited by Atiendents upon schools Hand colleges
In an parts OF tho state. No llttlo Of Che CORES
pOndenoe Of the secretary lo employed In giving
information sought by students, teachers end
other inQulrlera for auch local information. Iti
matter OF cOngraiulaton and pride that In 10
number OF volumes OF newspapers, our library
iAr exceeds, In lts own local domain, that OF any
other library In any other state or country.
The regular issues Of an neWapapen and peri.
OdicAls now being published In Kansas are being
freely Owen TO the society by the publishers OF
an olaasoa parties and oroeds. Tho bound dies
are being constantly Conmltod by people Oi All
ohssoas FOR facts OF local and general history OF
science, public economy and social ME. The
truth Of tho testimony OF the best librarians OF
the cUuntTy ~ 10 the uaafulnsa Of newspaper
dlea, IL every day being verified in tho use which
the poodle are making OF the hloa In our library.
In organizing this branch Of lho work OF tho 70.
olety, we wore guided In tho outset by such ad.
viCo 40 that given by Hon. A. II. 5pOnOrd, who
has long been the librarian OF the Congressional
library at Washington, the largest library In
America That veteran librarian says.
"Whilo tho Ales Of tho journals Of any period
furnish, unQuestlOnably, Che best instruments Tor
the history Of chat epoch, II Ia lamentablo % re
fleet that 30 little care has ever beon taken 20
preserve fair representation OF those Of any
age. The destination Ui nearly OH newspapers Ia
swim destruction and even those which arc pro
served, commonly survive ln prOyOkingly frag
metnary state The obvious causes OF the rapid
disappearance Of periodical literature are its vol
ume, necessarily increasing every year, tho ain
Guilty Of lodging tho dies OF any long period In
our narrow apartments, and the continual de-
mand for paper for the uae OF trade. To these
must be added the great cost Of bln,llng nles OF
Journals, increasing In the direct ratio OF the size
OF the volumes AS 10 formidable an expense
Oan be incurred by very ioW private subscribers
10 periodicals. 70 much the moro important Ia II
that the public libraries should not neglect q
duty which they owe 10 their generation as well
as 70 those that are 10 follow. These poor Jour
nails Of to-day, which everybody ls ready 20 Stig-
matlze as trash not worth the room 10 store or
the money 10 bind arc tho very materials which
the man OF the future will search for with eager
ness, and for some OF which no win DO ready 10
pay their welghtln gold. These Representatives
OF tho commercial industrial inventive, social,
literary political, moral and religious NE OF the
times, should be preserved and handed down 10
pOsterity with sedulOus care. No historian, or
other writer on any subject, who would Writo
cOnscIentiOuSly or with full Information, can af-
ford 10 neglect this fruitful mine Of the Journals,
where his richest materala arc 10 be found"
During the past few months sgreat change has
taken place In the political character OF Kansas
newspapers Nearly one hundred have been
established 20 promote the political views Of on
organization new 10 Kansas politics. or have
changed from allegiance 10 other organizations
10 support che vl0ws OF this. Whether II shall
prove that this change shall mark the beginning
Of q permanent era In political progress, or
whether II shall prove 10 have been but mani
lestatiOn Of temporary discomfort as the result OF
temporary depression, II IS certain that our his
tOrcaI society has preserved the fullest record OF
the history Of widespread and profound pOlitl-
cal agitation among the people ever preserved In
any state or country. Fifteen years ago the
Kansas state historical society was organized, as
was said in the lFst paper drawn In COntempla-
ton Of lts organization, "fOr the purpose OF saw
ing the present and past records Of our twenty
one years OF eyentful history" These words
looked backward 10 tho gathering OF tho ma.
tcriAIa Of the proud history which Kansas had
before that time made. But the work has since