Feliciana sentinel., 1892-09-03
CHICAGO LIBRARIES.
Now Book Depositories for the
Worlds Fair City.
The Great Newhcrry Beauest and Its H,s.
tortc Associations - An Historic
Laodmark-The Worlds Fair
Appropriation.
Especial Chicago Correspondence,

There is an historic spot on the north
aide of the city of Chicago, destined
to acquire a broader historic signifi-
canoe in the future. Its present impor-
tance is due to a purely local tradition.
} but the future will make it known all
over this country and probably abroad
as well.
AS you go north on Clark street by
the cable road which does not run
steadily, but ''by yerlss," us the Swede
said with Il pleasant allusion to Mr.
Herkes. the president Of the road-you
will see fronting Washington square
an imposing building going up
and now completed up to the
fourth story. 1t is not one Of your
modern skyscrapers; it rather affects
old styles of architecture and methods
of construction. 1t has adopted the
iron and steel beams of modern archi-
lecture, but it clings to the solid stone
and brick walls OF former years. In
stead OF being hanged on the steel
frame, like Il coat on n hall-tree, these
walls rest solidfy on the ground and are
able to stand by themselves. They are
fireproof. The two lower stories show
plain front suggestive of substantial
work that will endure: the two upper
stories have Il fofty-archcd windows to
admit all the light that can be obtained.
The structure is calculated for solidity
as we'll as light, to answer fully its pur-
pose of being a safe deposit for literary
treasures and a handy rcfcrcnce-room
for students. 1t is the first wing OF the
great Sewberry library.
The site it occupies was a landmark
for the last twenty years to which
a sentimental interest attached. It
contained the only building on the North
side that escaped the great fire of 1871.
The old Ogden homestead. as it was
called, was a thrcc-story frame structure.
standing about in the middle of half
block of land inciosed by high board
fence. The tradition is that during the
great fire the house was saved by the
inmates using large amount of cider,
that was stored in the cellar, for the
purpose of keeping the roof wet and
preventing the spark from setting fire
to it. At all events. the house remained
while handsome stone residences were
going up in smoke all around it. 1t was
not a remarkably handsome structure,
but every body had soft spot in his
heart for it on account of its history.
So i, caused genuine regret when the
old building was torn down to make
room for the New berry library. But
the smaller Euut must yitla e. the
greater Chicago has a public library
which is. in somc ways. one of the
greatest in the world. 1t is largely a
circulating library. the reference fea-
ture of it being secondary. Being
public library it must study to please
the popular taste, which in the present
age, and more particularly in big
city. runs to light literature. Meyer
theicss, it offers Il great field for stu
dents as we'll, and is ably managed by
the librarian Frederick II. Hid.
The Ncwberry library is to be an
institution chiefly for students and
scholars. 1t is one of those great
movements which prove in the most
striking manner that ''the bad amt all
in carriages nor all the good a-walk-
in as a western poet says. 1T shows
that the charge that the wealthy men
of Chicago are incapable of thinking
of anything else than business is en-
tirely false.
The institution was endowed by the
will of the late Walter l.. Newbcrry,
one of the early settlers Of Chicago,
who was duly impressed with the fact
that while he massed good share
of his wealth by his own energy he
owed a large portion to the people of
Chicago, who made him wealthy by
the mere fact of their coming to live
here He beQueathed to the institu-
ton properly amounting at the time of
his death t3 about two and a half
million dollars and constantly fncre as
ing in value. The trustees to whom
was assigned the task of creating the
library were at first blamed for pro-
cecding very Deliberately. But their
deIiberation was an apt illustration of
the proverb make haste slowly" After
they got everything fully arranged
they were able to make rapid progress
md the result is that the building is
rising fast and the library itself is in
running order and enjoys good pat
ronage.
The building will be among the fin
est architectural attractions of the city,
being at once simple. graceful and i'm
posing. The library is housed i'll tenn
porary quarters at the corner of State
and Oak streets. Here in a little brick
building the librarian, w. +. Poole,
who resigned his position at the head
Of the public library in order to devote
himself entirely to the new institution.
brought together the nucleus of high
ly valuable collection, at present some
4hinp over 1000 volumes. The coIIec-
tion aims to supply what the ordinary
library fails to give, although later on
more popular branches will also be
taken up. The library is absolutely
free and open to everybody. 1t is used
largely by musicians, as it contains the
most complete and valuable musical
library in the country.
There is another big library about
60 he erected out of the endowment
left bv the will of the late John Crerar.
The founder in his will defining the
scope of the library to be ORGANIZED
said:
II de.ire the books and periodicals
selectel with view to create ana sus
Tin , healthy moral and Christian