The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-26
A LIBRARY ANNEX.
Much Good Done for the
Old Mercantile.
Mrs. George Hearst Will Give Five
Thousand Dollars to Start
the Project.

The old Mercantile Library is at present
experiencing the pulsations of a new life.
The election of the existing board of di-
rectors was a stimulant TO the tagging en-
ergies of the Institution and there is
renewed hope of more prosperous days.
The library is in debt and several expedl-
ents have been suggested TO relieve it of
its financial straits. One was to merge il
in the Mechanics Institute library, but its
mem bers were too devoted to the old con-
Germ to consent to the arrangement.
At the meeting at which the last election
was held il was decided by an oVerwhelm-
ing majority that the library must remain
separate and apart from the other and fight
its way out of lis ifficulties.
This spirit has taken possession of the
members, and especially of the ladies, who
recently met and organized what they call
the Mercantile Library Auxiliary" One
of the immediate results OF this step is
that Mrs. George Hearst has signifed her
liz tention to donate $1,000 to the institution
and to take ten yearly subscriptions. Mrs.
Hearst has told member of the auxiliary
that she would do this, and the ladirs are
as consequence both grateful and glad
The gentle sex has the entire credit for
this. because it was by them that the aux
iliary was started, but it should not be un-
derstood that II is strictly a ladies' society,"
All he mem 0ers of the library and their
families are eligible to mem bership. and it
is hoped that the men will soon Join the
auxiliary.
At the head of the new organization is
Mrs. Henry Gibbons, who has been elected
its president. She said yesterday that the
auxiliary was growing steadily and en-
loyed every prospect OF successful career.
1.-THE society,"" said she, "has seventy
members, and the roll is being constantly
heightened. Our chief object is to stimu-
late and increase interest IN the old library
association, and We also hope to raise
money for its benefit. Entertainments
will he given with both these purposes in
view, but just what will be their scope has
not yet been decided. As yet we are in an
embryOtic condition. and our energies are
devoted TO the work OF organization. At
our next meeting. for instance, we will
have to adopt bylaws for the government
of the society, but on March we intend
presenting a musical and literary pro-
gramme II has not yet been arranged
and so cannot now be announced. Our en-
terrain ents will be given at the library
building, where there is room that cEn ba
CONVEX ed into a good auditorium with eX-
cellent acoustic properties. We selected it
for that reason.
81 am very much encouraged by the re-
awakened interest and the spirit shown by
those who have joined, and also by the
disposition on the part of the board of
directors of the library proper 10 CO.
operate with u.s. Besides that, the MEM
bershp of the library has increased since
the organization of the auxiliary, and
altogether the outlook is much better than
it was
81 wish THE CALL would say that all
mem bers of the library are expected to
attend the meetings of the auxiliary and
to become members without waiting for
individual invitations. The new board of
directors of the library is very active, and
now that there is so much life in the man
agement | am sure the association will
become more prosperous"
Mrs. Gibbons was asked about the con-
tribution expected from Mrs. Hearst, but
said that she preferred that information as
TO that matter be secured elsewhere. She
had heard that Mrs. Hearst intended to
give the $1,000. and knew that she was a
warm friend of the library.
The auxiliary society has as members
many well-knOwn society ladies and all of
them are very much in earnest about the
| work In hand.
The present board OF directors or the
new organization are: President, Mrs.
| Symmes, Mrs. w. Z. HsrrlD, Mrs. W. G,
Burnett, Mrs. NJ. r. Lansing; secretary,
Mrs. S. s. Murfey; assistant secretary,
Miss Harker; treasurer, Mrs. Ionic Taus-
sig; associate directors-Mrs. Isidore
Burns, Miss Nelly Lowry. Miss AGNES
Manning, Miss Mary Poag. Miss Sarah D,
Hamiin. Miss Mary Lake.
The next special meeting for the adop-
| ton of bylaws will be held March q.