The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-10
WHAT PEOPLE READ
Mr.. Coles Able Reply to
NeWark's Jealous Vail
About Jersey City.
LECTURE ON FICTION IN LIBRARIES
"Silly Trash" Must Be Supplied
to Readers Jersey Clty's
Proud Position.
LECTURE ON FICTION IN LIBRARIES

~ IA iAAAlOt
I have read the article contained in
your issue of July 9, taken from the New
ark Sunda Call" It seens. to me that
the writer of that article would not have
undertaken it had he realized that not
w~ithstanding the fact, that the percent
age of fiction drawn b. the readers of
the Free Public Library of Jersey CITY
is larger than that Of Newark, the
amount of solid or standard reading done
by the Jersey City people is in excess OF
that reported by the officers of the New
ark Library.
From statistics given in the article 1T
self, it will be seen that whereas Jersey
City circulated last year S1o,595 volumes
of fiction and Newark during the same
period circulated 252, 032 volumes OF nc
Public Library of Jersey City was 1850
volumes, as against 6s,5o2 volumes of the
Newark Free Public Library, showing
that though Jersey City contains a
smaller population. its reading or stan
dard works exceeded that of Newark by
nearly 1900 volumes. That the policy
pursued by the Free Public Library GU
Jersey CITY is a wise one. is shown py
the fact that, Notwithstanding It's large
nercentage of fiction, the percentage of
the last fiscal year was less by 247 per
cent. than that of the preceding year,
showing that the reading of the pupllc
grows better rather thai worse. Tc
quote from an eminent writer en- TINS
point
ssS;llv reading. trash at least what
Is such to many persons, must TO a con-
siderable extent be supplied by the pup
lie library, and those who intend to or
ganize a library for the public, for pop
ular reading, and who intend to exclude
trash might as we'll stop before they
beg;n. But what is trash to some, IS, II
not nutr,ment, at least stimulus to
others. Readers improve; If it were not
so. reading would not be a particularly
useful practice.
s"The continued high per centage of
Action, shown by a library's statistics
wear after year, does not disprove this
assertion. New generations of readers
rap;dlv arise. which take the place Of
the older ones, and these must go through
the ascending grade of reading, from the
lowest upward. as have their predeces-
sors.
.sThe habit Of reading IS the first IN
dispensable step. That habit once es-
tablished. it IS a recognized fact that
readers go from poor to better sorts OF
reading. No case has ever been cited
where a reader, beginning with lofty phil
osophy, pure religion, profound science.
and useful information. has gradually
run down in his reading until his de-
clining years were disreputably wasted
on dime novels and story weeklies.
The idea is ridiculous, ever on the bare
statement of it. But the experience OF
librarians is unanimous to the contrary.
hat those who begin with dime novels
and story weeklies may be expected to
grow into a liking Tor better sort of stor-
les. then for the truer narrative of trav-
els, of biography and history, then OF
essays and popular science. and so on up
ward.
"If those who cannot make use OF
anv better reading than novels and stor-
les and jokes, are not furnished with
these, they will not read at all, and this
is a worse ~alternatiye;5 and to exclude
such reading from a public library will,
in general, reduce the extent ,ofatts use
to of what it otherwise
would be. The records of our libraries
show that about three-quarters of the
rrading in them is light reading. and but
little alteration in this proportion, re-
suits from the greater or less proportion
of novels n other light books to the
whole collection
From my article on fiction in libraries,
reau before the AMERICAN W W.
ference at its meeting in Lake Placid
last September. which is placed at your
disposal, the whole argument as to the
policy of public libraries in regard to the
admission of fiction is plainly stated with
quotations, from some of the most emf
nent American librarians.
Perhaps if the Free Public Library of
Newark had shown as much enterprise
as the Jersey City Free Public Library,
in carrying its books to the doors of the
people by means of Delivery Stations. as
has been done by the library in Jersey
City. it would not now have to bewail
its fate. because a rival library which