The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-25
The PIONEER LIBRARY.

It N 1877 the Grand Lodge of Masons in
h Utah determined to establish public
library in Salt Lake city. The pros
pect was not the most encouraging. The
Ladies' Library association, composed
of twelve ladies', had been organized several
years before, but for lack OF encourage
ment the association had been obliged to
close its doors and store away its thousand
volumes. When, therefore, the determl-
nation of the Grand Lodge became known,
nine hundred of these volumes were trans
TERED TO the Masonic library. Besides
this a committee consisting of Messrs.
Charles w. Bennett Frank Tilford and
Colonel Samuel Kahn, had been appointed
| by the Grand Lodge TO solicit subscriptions
for the library The committee succeeded
in raising in about month Il, 200. Part OF
this amount was used TO ii up room on
the second floor of the Masonic building
for library purposes, and with the balance
new books were purchased.
On the first day September, 1877, the
doors of the library were thrown open to
| the general public and the advantage of
I
the management of tue Grand Lodge and
its financial support and that of the five
Masonic lodges in Salt Lake city, the
! library soon became known as one OF the
very best institutions in this inter mount
ain region. Every year several hundred
new books were added, so that in 1880 1t
| had 5000 on its shelves. The selection OF
new books had always been made with ex-
celent discrimination. On the library
shelves could be found the works OF almost
every popular standard European aud
American author, in full or IN part, IN
every department of literature. or mole
especial interest to jewellers in Utah was
complete collection of Utah (Mormon)
literature from the first revelation TO the
present day. In this department the writ
ings of both sides were represented, and it
was so complete that many searchers from
near and afar who examined its contents
expressed the opinion that it was the best
collection of books on this particular sub
iect in the wide world.
The library pleased the public and it re-
cieved it patronage. The free reading
room was always filed, more especially in
the winter months. 1t soon became appar
ent that the room was too small, but the
grand lodge and the Masonic fraternity in
Salt Lake city were not able to provide
more spacious and better adapted quarters.
Already in 1885 the library committee con-
sidered whether it would not be to the in
terest of the institution to reorganize and
form a library association independent of
the grand lodge and the Masonic frater-
nifty. But the matter did not materialize
I'm til at the meeting of the grand lodge of
Utah in 1884, when the Hon. Charles W.
Bennett introduced a resolution to the eff
feet that under certain conditions all the
books of miscellaneous character should
be transferred to a library association to
be organized by citizens of Salt Lake. The
motion prevailed.
The Pioneer Library association organ
ICED March !, 1891, by electing the follow
ing trustees: Charles W. Bennett, John
/ S. Scott, William G. Van Horne, Christie
pher Diehl, A. M. Grant, Charles B. Jack,
William F. James, Robert Hardness Lewis
S. Hills, John w. Donnellan, F'red Simon,
Q. E. Allen, H. Q. Lett. AT the election of
officers the following gentlemen were
chosen; Charles w. Bennett, presidents
Fred Simon, vice-president; John S. Scott
treasurer, and Christopher Diehl, secre-
tary. The association incorporated March
/ 10, 1891 March 81 the doors OF the Ma
sonic library were closed and its 5000
books trans ferred to the Pioneer Library
association in the large hall of the chamber
of commerce on West Second South street
Owing to the large amount Of work
connected with the re- arrangement,
labelling and shelving of the
books the Pioneer library did not open
until August /, 1t was the intention.of the
directors to keep the library open from
early in the morning till late at night, and
1t is so provided in the by laws, but under
its present financial condition it can only
| be kept open a few hours in the afternoon.
The books are the same as in the Masonic
library, no,n additions having been
made, simply because there are no funds.
A library needs money, without which it
must stand still, and anything that stands
still goes bad.
Many OF the librarians travelling through
here aud stopping over before proceeding
to the convention at san Francisco, held
there last summer, called at the library
rooms and, after Inspecting the books, ex-
pressed themselves highly delighted with
the selections and also with the arrange
ment of the shelves. Some of them said
that it was superior to anything they had
ever seen and that for the number of books
the selections could not be better. They
were astonished that Salt Lake public
did not better support it,
Farly rhria,p,ao naroto