The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-03-22
4PUBLTC LTBRfRT.
Its Great Value to the state-Hichmond AS
the Literary Centre OF the south.
HNrDEN-SrpNgy. Va. March 20. 1871

7
the situation when he said that our work IN
literature must be virtually limit 'd o. hcton
work of the ina .inatlnn and Observation WIN
eve and ear so long a. We posses, no large
Libraries These are undoubtedly essential TOD
all literary activity. and they serve iufther
a, q constant spur They gre 'ue
TOOL, of the profession OF letters
and of ali scholarship MANY among u- are
doubtless Interested along u ier'nl H.''' ""1
what can one do without appliances Inc pd
American idea SOD hard to eradicate was lit'
of private owner, pip of au necessary "''N's
and suppose wee layc more Guam our snare ol
private libraries Euf right here we are uot
dsmoeratic enough What We need ls book
for the community. which NOT oulr may
consult with pleasure but also Il. Instead ~
100 men ~ amy community buying aud owning
each 40 v0lum % year. say. many oI iurW
duplicates aud al kept for exclusive u'r' we
would much rather have l00Ni0 1000 ROCKS
I'm single library n the same community lDf
the benefit 0l ALL
MCITIUDEs or BOOKS.
The man " moderate means. professional W
otherwise. cannot possibly purchase 20 traction
Of tie books Dee would lie % consult and use.
Too much D. NOW published. We count TIE
annual output by hundreds and thousands. ID
expect man tO Use 70 mrt-rc salary Il eltaA
more particularly ol my own pro4r7eloh' 'l's-
of tcacher-tO purchase the books he hctl9
"a
than shameful Even 20 we'll cniOw ii nuuic
library must make selection. and can get
only the best and most needed. Under tNe
present conditions. and with The modern
standards DO would Dee foolish % attempt any
other method. The indvduh. has ui7 hiu.e
and Shakespeare and dlrton t't ana ,'0l''
-ioual manual lying ou DIS table, amt AS Tor
the rest he must use the libraries nus li is
that London aud PAM and Berlin and Is 7t'n
are such active literary and educational cen
tres; 1t must be So.
LITERARY CENTRE OF THE SOUTH.
Al first il would seem strange that Rich
mond has not been the literary centre ot tine
South as Boston has been that ot New Eng
land Certainly 10 could easily assume TIN, poo
,ition for the State IF Virginia. II pubic
spirited citizens would eventually grant dona-
nations and requests 10 eudow hr,t-..a,s
pullic library. not only the city. but me enc
tire State would be directly benefited there
bv n would bee well worth "a month $, or
weeks. or three days visit 10 the banks OF the
James u consult AN unlimited number OBJ
books. tO obtain much-needcd reitreucte. to
help on and complete favored undertaking
with necessary data. Students from Virginia
visit Baltimore. New York and Boston iortIcr
libraries. Would W. not all bee interested ia
having something of the sort nearer home:
DwOErANcE or A GOOD LIBRARY.
The importance of a good library is SO great
that / sometimes feel thatlllu-teud OF addlu1a
new chair and protess0rshp % a college
the same sum Of money, say T'OODO' Was
turned into a library fund for "a given institute
ton Crowded. Of course. that the college Is
first paving its professors decent and tuil
salaries n would do far more good. And M
stead of founding moro colleges throu ,hout
the country. would establish more libraries.
The use of Il library is IN ius-t am education.
We cannot look for scholars from men Who do
not know how % Use books.
This is an art. and only one who Is accus-
toned 10 have 40 ms command numnerle77
volumes can acquire n. This idea az cOnnning
oursef % a definite text book and never get
ting beyond ITS pages. ot accepting what any
one man saws AS authoritative and anal, al
memOrlZlng 500 PAGES on any subject and thus
mastering" 10. Is tit not even for higher girls
schools. where studies are popularity sup
posed though dare say wrongly enough
not 10 be taken too seriously; certainly 10 Is
uniting any greater ambition Ia education
and scholarship.
TASTING BOOKS.
NOWADAYS we may desire 10 consult. or
taste. 30 rs Bacon has 10. a Thousand books in
order 10 write a dlsqustion OF am hundred
pages We may probably not care % read
any one Of them through from cover 20 back.
For instance. see reference and wish To
verify II. | wish. perhaps. % read merely
one page in a book. but most probably tina,
3
point am urging.
have seen students and scholars in the
British Museum m London, in the B0dlelan
al Oxford in the BIbuOtheIue Natl male IN
Paris IN the ROYAL Library IN Berlin, thus
working away at problems in which they and
the world were Interested and tins is the way
in which material is collected and scholarly
work accomplished and given 10 the public
To come nearer home, spent the past sum
mer in Boston and Cambridge making Use If
the splendid collection Of books in the
Harvard and public Libraries and /
may add, il is well worth the time
and money 10 any one with scholarly and lit
erarv impulses or who may be a bOok-worm.
! as / frankly confess myself 10 be. All uni
versity life all literary critical and scholarly
! life centres in these libraries the laboratories
aud workshops Of the men Of letters. Under
their influences aspiration becomes insplra-
| ton. III YOU ask me what universities at
| home and abroad are the best answer those
| equipped with the best Libraries and having
| professors who make constant use Of them,
| and who in daily lectures and lessons con-
tlnually refer the students TO them.
| A nEGNNING NEEDED.
Such is the character Of the work done else
| where IL Is foreign to US simply because We
| have not yet brought together the materials.
| but surely we must begin at some time and
| somewhere | confess ] am looking forward
10 the time when every town of a thousand
| inhabitants in the State shall have its public
| library as nucleuso Of literary and intellectual
life. as may already be found here and there
| IN some sections
take it for granted that the advocates Of
| the present movement have already dwelt
| upon the good accruing thcrefrom 10 the inn
mediate city Of RlchmOnd-whlch 10 one
could possibly doubt. have been speaking.
consequently of those points IN which every
student and scholor and teacher and lover Of
letters in the State ought % feel interested
presume no one has particularly emphasized
this need Of specialists library in this pres
ent connection and take it that the gen.
eral desire is rather 10 originate a more
popular institution-bu II ever once organ
lied and entered upon with the proper spirit.
with the growth Of the city and the course OF
| time. it must and ought 20 assume these pro
portions That | have laid stress upon Just
| those points which We seem in no sense 20 re-
gard al present Is simply because | am trust.
| ing that this movement now introduced by
| DR.. Page and Others may ultimately bring IN
its train other good things and these specific
advantages. JOHN BELL hESNEMAS.
The chatelaine bouquet IS quite the rage
| II Is lOng-stemmed. and is suspended from
! the waist by chatelaine Of handsome ribbon
| and usually consists Of roses and foliage 81