The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-09

stream Of its own literature but have
powerfully influenced for good all other
literature. In the last century an elo-
quent writer like Goldsmith. quite desti-
tute OF scientific training. might compile
animated Nature" Today, for such q
theme, a naturalist, fresh from labors in
field and forest. would be engaged, and he
would be bold indeed were he to attack a
1.-THE of the difficulties SO INTELLECTUALLY
attempted by the Irish poet. Readers
now demand substance as well as form,
verify as much as style. They require
that wherever possible writer's shall be OBJ
servers, discoverers. experimenters, doors:
that as far as may be book or an article
shall grow out Of experience, and not be
the product of mere facility with the pen.
This feeling has an influence which
spreads into the sphere of pure litera-
world protested vigorously when Mr..
Froude was appointed professor of history
at Oxford. And why2 Not that he lacked
powers of brilliant and graceful expression.
but because in the use of the materials of
history he had been repeatedly convicted
OF inaccuracy. We live in q time when
the fidelity of the laboratory is demanded
from the historian, he must weigh evil
dence with a just balance, and where evil
dence is lacking he must not summon inn
agination to piece his narrative into de-
ceptlye though artistic symmetry. In de-
partments of literature other than history,
science has raised the standard of execu-
ton in similar exacting mode.
Thus 1t is clear that while books are in
creasing in quantity they are improving in
quality, becoming more trustworthy, more
helpful, more In the lead among the forces
of thought and achievement. Is it any
marvel then thas the librarian of today is
very different person from his predeces-
sor of three decades ago? He mast be
withal man of warm popular sympathies,
making his library public in fact as well as
in name, and if he cannot compass all
knowledge he can be almost as useful in
knowing where all knowledge is to be
found. His merely clerical duties-in the
keeping account of books and taking care
ofthem--sink into minor importance in
comparison with his task Of encouraging
inquiry and assisting it, in the making the
best that has been thought and done in
the world familiar to the whole people,
In advance of experiment, one might
suppose that when the annual fee had
been reduced to as little as a dollar, the
abolition of the change would scarcely in
crease the number of the uses of good
public library. Mark, however. the result
of such q test in Springfield. Mass. Dur
ing the last year Of the dollar fee, 1885, the
subscribers numbered /, 100, and the circu-
lation was Al, 173 volumes. But for the
first year after abolishing the fee, 1886, the
users of the library numbered 7.019, with a
circulation of l54.50s volumes. Today
Springfield has II. 2T card holders in a
population Of 1900. one tor every three
inhabitants. The total issues of books in
the free circulating library of New York is
equivalent TO the issue of each book seven
times q year, and hundreds of volumes an
nually come to the end of an honorable
career in thus rapidly passing from hand
to hand. This multiplied value of book
is lacking whenever fee, however small,
is charged.
In Minneapolis and Cleveland the pub
lie is given free access TO the shelves OF the
public library. This involves some slight
loss by theft and an occasional thsarrAnee-
ment of the books-annoyarfces to the Ii
brarian more than offset by the satisfac-
ton 10 the readers in examining books for
comparison and choice rather than the
barren catalogues. Free access to shelves
affords one reason. among others of
weight, why public library should have
Its contents classified by subiects--engi-
neering in one place, biography in another,
and SO on--instead of alphabetically by
authors. MelviI Dewey, state librarian at
Albany, y. Y, devised several years ago q
classification on Ii decimal basis which is
now in operation in some 30 Libraries. By
this ingenious system literature is divided
into ten great departments. each of which
This numeral, which, for example.
is seven for fine arts, is always
the first figure in the books
number. The second figure denotes a sub
division; books on music have numbers
beginning J, s, A. further subdivision de-
cides the third figure; volumes of vocal
music, and books about vocal music, have
numbers beginning J, s. l. These figures,
| which may he extended TO express any de-
sired minuteness or classification, readily
| lend themselves TO a shelf arrangement
which is self explanatory. Charles A,
| Cutter librarian Ct the Athenam library.
| Boston. has invented another system of
| classification WIDELY adopted. In this,
| letters stand for the main divisions, nu-
merals being added for subdivisions.
| With either of these systems . reader has
| brought before him references in the cata-
logue 10 many books which. otherwise,
! would only come to his notice through
| long and wearisonie search.
While these plans for the systematic
| grouping Of books are provided for by the
| special student, together with much else
| designed for his aid, the public library TO-
| day reaches out 10 other and larger classes
| in the community. One Of the most strik-
| ing branches of its new activity is in
cooperating with the public schools.
In Detroit. Cambridge and other cities.
the teachers take out books in quantity
and distribute them among their scholars.
The results are excellent. Often the
hooks serve 10 illustrate and supplement