Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-28

umeS suitable for a general circulating
library, and these are confined mainly 10
three departments. The Interior Depart
ment, with 10000 volumes, and the War
and Urea sury departments, with 5000 vol
umes each, possess nearly all these books
The clerks In the departments which have
no libraries need and demand them, and
the favored departments need wider range
of reading material than the small collec-
ton at the disposal of each provides. There
are, in round numbers. about twenty thou
sand persons residing in Washington who
draw salaries from the government. Many
of these represent families, and the num-
her Of readers in this government constit-
uency can therefore be estimated only by
the customary multiplication of the number
of government employees. In the name,
also. of this numerous and book-loving ele-
ment of the population the creation of the
proposed local library is demanded.
An Appeal for the District Working
man.
Last, but not least comes powerful ap-
peal from the District workingman. Some
times, in view OF the notable absence from
the capital of dirty, noisy factories, which
would tend TO reduce the citys attractive
ness as place of residence, the question
is raised, rs there any such individual as
the District workingman? The census of
1890 discloses the fact that, while it is the
policy of the capital to encourage only light
and clean manufacturing, like that of
Paris, over twenty-three thousand adults
were engaged in the District in lines of
work which are claSsed as manufactures
emitting from consideration entirely all
the other numerous forms of labor. Nine
teen Thousand of these are engaged in pure
ly local industries. Over four thousand are
discovered to be IN government employ,
mainly in the government printing office
and the bureau Of engraving and printing
1t appears from this report that there were
in 1890 in the District twenty-three hun
dred manufacturing establishments, with
capital Of S2S,S1625s. paying in wages
sl4,taS 40, using materials costing ST.
1si,io2 and with products of the value of
$50, &96 2J9.
To the census figures must be added the
thousands of workingmen engaged in other
lines of work not classed as manufactures,
and then this number must be multiplied.
since many are the heads of families, to
ascertain the number of readers, ami, in
behalf of this great multitude Of people, a
free lending library and night reading
| room are now demanded.
While attention has been called to Ger
tain elements of the population as standing
in special need of library facilities, it Is
| TO be remembered that only small frac-
| ton of all the people in Washington have
| the leisure TO utilize and enjoy a public
| library during daylight hours, that prac-
! tically whole city of 100000 Inhabitants
| makes this appeal.
| The Resources mt Hand.
The first need of the free library-books-
can easily be supplied. The librarian of
sands of duplicates In the Congressional
| Library suitable for the purposes of this
| circulating library, which can be spared for
such use If Congress will consent and he
/ has formally approved the granting of such
| consent by Congress The existing depart
| mental circulating libraries might be added
/ TO these books from the Library of Con-
/ gress and made into a general departmental
| library. to which the people of the District
not employed by the government might also
have access. The circulating books. num-
| bering between twenty thousand and thirty
| thousand, accessible in the main only to the
clerks in three Of the departments, and ac-
cessible to them only so far as the fraction
contained in their own library is concerned.
would, If collected in general department.
al library, be opened to all the clerks in all
the departments. A great body of govern
ment employees would enjoy privileges of
which they are now entirely deprived. Those
now having a departmental circulating IL
brary at hand instead Of being limited to
Its five thousand or ten thousand volumes
would have access to more than twenty
thousand in the general library, augmented
by large additions from the Congressional
Library and by private contributions. which,
II the library were once started, would un-
doubtedly be considerable.
The clerks in the particular buildings in
which the circulating departmental libraries
are now accommodated might suffer a tri-
fling inconvenience from the removal of the
books for a short distance but catalogues
of the library should be in all the depart
ments and delivery branches established In
different parts of the city. This incon-
venience would thus be reduced to a mini
mum, and as an Offset to 1t would be the
finer library, to which these clerks would
have access and the public benefit of a
great expansion of the number of readers
TO whom the accumulated books would be
available. Other departments and bureaus
than those which now have circulating Ii
braries have applied in some instances and
intend to apply in others for like privileges
The establishment of a general department.
al library, open also to the public, would
save the government the expensive duplica-
ton of works in numerous small collections
and would also economic in the room space
devoted to departmental library purposes
Apparently the government and the clerks
would profit by the project, well as the
population in general of the city.
When the nucleus of a library properly
housed is once obtained the collection will
certainly grow rapidly through private do
nations of books and money. and when it
has demonstrated its usefulness and the
fact that 1t is appreciated by the public
some one of Washington's wealthy men
may be moved by local pride or other good
motive to endow 1t and attach to it his
name. No citizen could erect to himself
nobler memorial
A Location for the Library.
1t is evident that the books can readily be
obtained; the difficulty is in securing a hab-
itation for the library. A location In the
new city post Office has been warmly urged.
In Senate debate it has been stated that all
the space in this building will be needed by
the general government; but notwithstand-
ing this announcement, the amount of avail
able space In this vast structure will be so
great. it's location is so central and there is
such fitness in housing the library in gov
eminent building which is primarily de-
voted, in name at least, to local uses, that
your committee recommend that the first
effort on the city's part be to obtain this To-
cation for its library.
If the library can be enabled with GER
tainty to preserve its distinct existence
great national library. contingencies might
unused portion of the new building for the
There will be abundant room in that struc-
An extensive reading room and every library
facility will be available The disadvanta ges
of a location not sufficiently central may be
overcome by the establishment of branches
in different parts of the city, like those of
the Boston public library.
The New Post Omce Building
Then the advantages of space in the pro-
posed new municipal building, or in
structure to be donated by some public
spirited benefactor yet unknown, have been
considered. Your committee have thought
the wisest course to be to make every eff
fort at first to obtain a location in a build
ing already authorized or in course of cree
uon whose construction is assured. A