New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-02

90 .,. ,hosa n.ne States have more than nall
80 all tho hooks contained in the public libraries
y, ,ho country Massachusetts, however. easily
,o,,,s all the other States and in fact, the whole
,.or,l I'm the matter OF making books accessible
70 all classes of people The free public library
movement had its first great impulse III INA.
State in 1919 when the Legislature authorizeu
Boston 10 levy n tax to support puDlic ior'r!'
the first instance Of such legislation in the world
The $1,000 Il year then appropriated py the c''!
to its public library was constantly lncreaseu'
until now it is 100000. In lS11 the law WAS
made applicable to all towns and cities OF the
State and at present the public libraries OF the
State have 4.6JO.0OO volumes. or more than one
sixth Of the whole number OF volumes in the
nublic libraries Of the country. New-lork mas
enacted most liberal library laws, and mas the
credit of having first adopted the system or free
Travelling libraries but II has not as many puDllc
,ihr,ries relative 10 It's size as Massachusetts,
2,s of whose :I.3 towns and cities have free
uhr,rics About twenty Northern and Western
States have enacted free library laws, under
which about 500 free libraries have been opened
IN this respect the United States Is far ahead or
cro,, Kritoin. for Mr. Gladstone is authority
for the statement that from the passage OF the
n,accs had ayailcd themselves Of the privileges
granted by the act
In IN. South there are comparatively few free
libraries Of any kind but the Interest or me
nc,nlc in the matter is being aroused, and Presi-
dent prehcr believes that before many years the
larger towns and cities in the South Will come 10
fine point of establishing free public libraries by
t,xotinn A good example in this direction mas
already been set in the erection OF the hne
Howard Memorial Library. In New-Orleans.
great point gained in the promotion OF popular
intelligence Is the growing recognition or the
fact that public libraries are Il necessary ele-
mcnt in the education If the people Thcy take
tho Mace Of high school and college for large
numbers Of bows and girls who are unable 10
attend such Institutions; and even those VINO
are college graduates may by reading deepen
and widen the culture they have gained IN the
cnllrcr The riches Of scholarship. the beng
mites of ltcraturc said James Russell Lowell.
in his address at the opening of The Chelsea IL
brlrv. defy fortune and ouilivc calamity. Ih"y
are beyond the reach f thief or moth or rust
As they cannot be- Inherited 50 they cannot De
..llcnatcd Eut they may be shared they may
.b. distributed: and il is the object ana once
..of free public library To perform these beneh-
..c.nt functions" Indeed II may he said thar the
iIetl rluc1ion Of the future Will not be gained III
the school ana the college. Already the avenues
81 KNOWLEDGE are many and 50 complex mat
rn Institution Of learning can include them all
in it's curriculum; AMI the function Of such In
sii,utious in the future will be- simply that or
training and discpnng the mind Of III" pupil
80 hat he may have enough intelligence 10 "1u-
,,tn himself through reading and study In the
I,tin tongue the word for book and for free
WIS the same namely. ''ber." The fact Is sim
plv m chronological coincidence; hut II may DO
taken nevertheless. to indicate profound trnfh.
Books do IRE" mems minds from the shackl"s or
Ignorance, and. What j. quite ns Important from
h,u,lasc io ouiworn ideals and falls" conceptions
II life and 81 mans relation 10 the universe III
which he Is placed THE young man. SAIL John
Hri.hf. IN speaking 81 library. "who drinks
"lf il shall still thirst. and ihrstlng for knowl-
",.le, AMI -;.ll drinking We may hope mat ne
will grow t. a greater mental and moral stand
card mor- useful as citizen. and more noble
"a a man.