Telegram-herald., 1891-02-01

Ths Reference Library blxgsr Than
The Men Who Run II.
4 THING OF GROWING IMPORTANCE
gessat Chssg~s IN the Management sf
Ihs ksfereaes Library shew That the
Hoard ef ESassssen Ase hshtna
The Demands af The Hour.

have their attention called 10 the fact
that applause may - earned by the
payment of a better and more lntelll-
gent attention 10 the feferenee library
than that hody have ever yet gwen 10
that institution. Through some lnsera-
table mental operation. that gorgeous
body have languldiy yielded 10 the
policy OF keeping open a room IN the
city hall where the truth could he
stretched FAR enough 10 put out sgn
reading, Reference library" Like the
man who eussed ami swore like a
trooper without meaning anything hy
Il, the board OF education have not
seemed TO mean anything by their ac-
tion in permitting a room OF this sort
TO be kept open. They have kept the
room most barbarously furnished with
dining room chairs, as II he pabuium
To be dcyoured III the reference library
were best attacked by taking knife and
fork, one in each hand, and resting the
elbows on the table cloth. AS matter
of fact, no man was ever seen
IN that room IN any other posture
simply because the board have made II
physically impossible 10 take meals
otherwise. But the general pubic have
always tired 10 take this thing seriously.
Since the room first existed. streams ot
visitors have come and gone daily
mostly gone. By some sort OF accident.
surely not connected with the intelli-
gent acton OF the board, most yalu-
ablo collection of books, papers. maya
zines, encyclopedias, periodicals,
maps, statistical reports and all books
ana works OF reference have found
their way into this room, and the pub
lie have always done their best and are
dong their best TO make use of this
valuable fund of learning. Through
the greed Tor knowledge, the public are
little by little thwarting the efforts OF
the board to keen them out OF the
library, and the TELEoRAMHERALD rs
informed that the number of visit
ors has been increasing during the
past month. The reference library
will some day be great institution OF
this great city, but it Will be after the
present personnel of the Board Of Edu-
cation shall have become radically
changed.
The TEIE6RAM-HERALD stepped into
the reference library the other day. TO
ask some questions, and the eyes OF
Mrs. Denton frightened right up at the
prospect of the opportunity 10 tell OF
her work. Many large volumes have
been brought recently from the circu-
latlng library, and shelf-room has been
added sufficient to sheiye 1000 addi-
tional volumes. The additional shelv-
ing has taken up much OF the room of
All already insufficient area, and the
increasing number of visitors has he.
gun TO crowd the little room to sutto.
cation.
Until very recently the number OF
visitors. all told, was scarcely fifty a
day. But one day las week the number
reached the maximum in the history OF
the library, namely, 100. The librarian
is Mrs. Clara j. Denton, who, although
newcomer TO this work, executes her
duties with an intelligent enthusiasm
quite insplrItlDg TO all the visitors.
The number of visitors daily ranges
from seventy-fve to one hundred and
nine. 4 very close count IS always
kept of the visitors. so that the above
figures may be regarded as accurate.
The library is open from 10 o'clock IN
the morning TO 3 O'Clock ut night. An
examination of the records of attend
ance shows that the hour of the day
for the largest number OF visitors is be-
tween 1 and ) O'Clock p. m. The ex-
PLANTATION of this Is that the children
visit the library after the closing
OF school. The works they consul,
E.h -
Puck and The Judge, and the periodl-
calls Tor children, such as the Youths
Companion and Harper's Young People,
There is not the slightest reason to doubt
that ii this library were furnished with
a view to the comfort of It's visitors
many hundreds of people would find
mental solace amid alcoyes OF many a
quaint and curious volume" which now
stands untouched upon the shelves.
The keeper of the reference library
is lacy of a finely cultivated literary
taste. who has dipped her pen IN ink on
many an honorable occasion. Some
of her verses have been admired in cir.
cles that never know their author 8
identity. She has written verses both
solemn and severe. She is a stated
contributor 10 Puck, and one of hei
poems may he found IN one of the
numbers Of Puck which now lie on the
table before the visitors 10 the library.
The chalk artist of Puck has illustrated
the poem quite humorously, IN his
caricaiures. The first picture is that o.
kitten which has Just lost
from its neck the delicate
ribbon IT has been wearing, and the
other picture is that of an enrsptured
lover who has just picked MP tins nib
bon under the impression that il is tho
garter of HE lady love. The following
il the poem. which appears n Puck
above the signature ot ara J Denton.
7HT xssTfD s9ssFr-
A ribbon delicate and ane
In cocf soft and creamy.
4 fossr f0aad upon the foo7-
Dark eved was Ge sB3 or esmr-
he pressed Is to his ausTefIsF ilps.
soft RathinzS Ger II sghEg
Ans soaa the tress1re Has xishin
It's jeff vest pocket lytHc
"Sr sweet one7s garter t3fs hs ssi5
ARG aeF fhrliii7c ~snBtf.
Alive vita isTe. IKE utaer bar6s
NiH indife Ep5a It,
Tbe sonnet r. fhe rnesZ va seat
81 course - Fepf ffse ezyfkf--
Nes fsr ne = ste v3Ae gsoFld. ne sis5 -
Aosia this tTsaS9fe barrs7-
,zsxt azx she seat tkss assver backs
"a ss ever rff-rru<f sharfsref
fs1f Haes are Ere Bef. siT ! Use
\ pstent asse sappert.