Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-14

mere is not, however, any danger that the
library project win fail. whatever changes
In Its details may be agreed upon. The ad-
Vocates OF the measure conclusively demon
strated its wisdom. and by logic and elo-
quence and Irresistible facts, fairly routed
the opposition.
The only Representative who yesterday
attacked the vital principle of the bill was
Mr.. Bartlett of New York, Though he is
chairman of the House library committee he
labcrs under the impression that the only
proper public libraries are the reference
libraries. the repositories of original records
and rare volumes for the inspection and
study of the scholar He conceiyes it to be
the legislative duty, if any libraries are
established, to build libraries for research,
not circulating libraries. 1T is no part of
our duty, he says, Ito maintain libraries
for the accommodation of working girls or
for shop keepers in order that they may
be able to take cheap novels to their homes
and read them at night"
Mr.. Bartlett is Just about half a century
behind the times 1t is within this period.
both in this country and in Europe, that
the most valuable function of the true Ii
brary has been recognized. The great refer
enc collections for the enjoyment of the
scholar still exist, they should, and are
properly fostered. but the public circulating
library, with reading rooms open at night
FOR the benefit of workingmen, school chill
dren. and the people generally, CONSTITUTE
ing the peoples free college. is the kind of
library most properly instituted and de
veloped under government of, by and for
the people themselves. In the states nearly
six hundred such libraries have been ere
ated.
a great national reference library for the
worlds scholars does not prevent in other
capitals the existence of numerous popular
libraries. and should not in Washington.
I'm London, where the British Museum.
with its vast library of over 2,OOoooO vol
umes. is still sacred to scholars, there are
thirty local libraries. in addition to many
special libraries. open to various classes of
students. In Paris, where the great ma
tional library is only open to readers well
armed with credentials. there are sixty-four
popular libraries, while Berlin has twenty
five"
Representative Cooper of Florida effect
lively replied to Mr.. Bartle.t's moss-back
argument, and upon his statement of the
matter the District can rest its case. He
said:
The gentleman from New York has no
sympathy with a provision for a library
winch sndI circulate DOCKS among the peO-
pie He has no sympathy with a library
open at convenient hours, making II access
sible to the working people, to those who
are confined during business hours, and to
the school boys and girls who have to come
after school hours to get their books to do
their reading.
He says that a great library should be
simply a collection of antique works of ref
erence or rare volumes for the literary con-
noisseur. / say, sir, that the great function
of books is to be read. and to be read by as
many people as can be reached by them.
Mr.. Chairman. this proposition has moth
ing of the character which gentlemen have
sought to impress the House that II pos
sesSes. We already have in Washington a
public school system, and a good one 1t is
paid for out of the funds of the District
and Of the United States.
1t is paid for by District appropriations.
And free library is nothing in the world
but a supplement to the public school sys-
tenn. 1t is nothing in the world but the
poor mans college. How IS he to get access
to the great volumes of thought? How is
he to have the time and the opportunity
to seek the weilsprings of knowledge. of
truth, of Information? He can get them in
this way. and in no other way