New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-22
LECTURE BY MELCIL DEWE \
HE DELIVERS TT BEFORE MEMBERS OF THE
PRATT INSTITUTE.
AZ INTERESTING DISCUSSION or "EDVCAiloNAI
INTERESTS SD ILpIAEY EXTENSION IN

AZ INTERESTING DTSCr SSION or "FD''AiloNA"
INTERESTS AND rArEAlY EXTENSION IL
NEw.YoEE STATE"
,..,,,-e ,,as aivon last evening before menu
hers ~ thu Pratt Institute and their friends In the
Assembly Hall Of the institute In RyerSon-s''
Hr,oklyn hy Melvl Dewey. secretary OF IN" state
Board ~ Regents. His subject was "Educa'iona'
Interests ard Library Extension In New-rorN
S.afe" The lecture was under tho auspices OF the
Pratt, Library Among those present were {. NJ.
p,,,t Or Charles T.. West. II. II. Bowk"r. r -
r. -. pr J. II Raymond. ". A. Bardwe!i ana
Professor Robert Foster
SIR Dewey was introduced as an authority on
library topics lie said In the cours" ~ the address,
'.Thc educational institutions of the state range
fr,,, ~. kindcrgnrten 10 the university. boy
ought - complete his elementary education by
twelve years. lie IA then ready FOR the school OF
academic grad. After passing through this he IL
able 10 enter the college. The professional or tech
rlcal school comes I'm this group The tru" uni
v.rsIiy f. an institution FOR higher study and re-
search AMI prosupposes for It's students the COM
rletion 81 the collegiate course. Tn" regents call
all educational institutions schools and dner"n-
that" them by the requirements Tor admission Inc
majority 81 our professional schools are not even
college schools but are academic schools The
schools ~ this State have not succeeded IN doing
an that W. had hoped that they would DO
For centuries the conception Of education has
steadily broadcned At first II was restricted - the
nobility and the rich but now IT Is open TO all rich
and poor alike The liea that only bright children
should pass the higher education has given way to
the idea that It should be given 70 ALL and even the
defective In mental faculties are being trained The
old conception that education was for men only has
almost entirely gone by and women have fully
justified all the hopes and expectations that were
entertained The old conception that education was
only for youth has given way to the Idea that edu-
cation is for all life. Education Is no longer re-
stricted schools. but goes on In business and In
homes
There has been a fourroll Increase in crime in
the last four decades. 1t IL serious question 10
solve What Is TO be- done? Even in Massachu-
setts there ls growing llliteracy. despite the fact
that there free libraries are provided for " per
cent OF the people. The only remedy Is to Increase
the scoop, of education. The great means FOR this
are provided IA libraries. museums. educational
clubs extension teaching and examinations These
terms ar" compr' hensiyc. and include reading the
education from seeing all objects Of art and ma
turc the reading circle. the study club. the sum-
mcr school university extension work. correspond
enc. and all tests that are applied TO secure
official recognition Of what has been done by
records and credentials All these aids TO eXtenP
INK education overlap each other and go hand In
hand \ great university could be made by the
use ~ library without professors. while the pro-
fessors could do nothing without books The IL
hrary Is important part Of all efforts to extend
education, The state University Is doing all 1t can
.~Th. modern notion Of the library is a place for
serious reading and study. and not mere rtser-
volr for books. The modern library spirit - To
use books and wear them out by use, Instead OK
preserving them. The library must select supply
and interest II IL OF the utmost importance to
elect There are probably about $500 new books Is
sued bv AL civilized countries annually. y man
win, reads NIFTY books year Is a great reader
The librarian must therefore select for the readers
IN. tliugs that 10 them most useful. After
The best books have been selected for library they
must be made free to the public. fee, no matter
how small keeps many people from reading AFTER
the books are free to the people they must be guid'
in The choc, Of what they shall read and how
librarian must make more people want to read
make them read by better methods. and make them
read better books The great trouble with our
achool system In many places IS that IL does NOT
teach our children how To read, They must have
love OF reading nstlllcl In them. The love OF
reading must be- inspired by the teacher. Ii IL
ihe hooks that are read that shape the Ideas and
ideals of people more than the pulpit or the ros-
trum. 4 boy or girl with an enthusiasm for read
"Ninnv people read entirely at random. Others
try To pick out good books. but they are not as-
satisfactory conventional course OF reading
for ali is desirable, but systematic course
can be pursued with books In sequence to great
advantaI;, There are many important printed
aids The manuscript aid for the Individual IL
especially valuable. The oral aid OF the librarian
and teacher. the father mother or wise friend Is
Mr. Dewey then traced the growth OF public
school libraries in the state. from the beginning
present time. He ended by speaking OF what the
State Board of Regents doing for the library
interests " the State In the school districts The
demand f4r trained librarians was steadily in
crcasing and the Library School at Albany could
not turn enough TO supply II. There had been
100 200 places already hlled The Pratt Institute
mour Institutes had begun II also Mr. Dewey de-
scribed the methods pursued In library extension
through the State. and the travelling library sys-
TEN.