Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-16
Valuable Testimony as to the Free
Circulating Library.
BELONGS TO OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
What Thinking Writer Has to
Say About the Institution.
BOOK READIN AN RT

From '"rhe Choice of Books" by c. F. Richardson.
Every town ought to have a library con-
tanning as many volumes as the town has
inhabitants. Such a library becomes at
once the center Of the Intellectual life of
the town, and affects the morals and man
ners of the entire community. And more.
It's influence stretches out into the whole
country. wherever it's readers may chance
to go: and its Importance is not for mo-
ment to be compared with the entire sum
of the mercantile and manufacturing in
terests by which it is surrounded. 4 town
with library can be distinguished easily
from one which lacks any such collec-
ton of books; and those parts of the
country in which town libraries abound
are the parts which are most influential in
every department of intellectual and even
material labor. Let those, says a recent
writer, who pride themselves upon their
devotion to the so-calied practical reject
that the advantages Of a library are no
longer of a purely literary character, ana
are becoming less and less So that me
arts and mysteries of manufacture are no
longer taught by word Of mouth alone to
indenturcd apprentices. but that the mas
ter workmen' of the nineteenth century
speak through books to all; and that In
proportion our workmen become intel
ligent and skilful does their labor increase
in value to themselves and to the state
What Il Library ia Good For.
The usefulness of a public library to
all classes of the community, and some
of the methods by which that usefulness
may be extended. have been well stated i'll
an address to the people of Springfield.
Mass, on behalf of the city library of that
place. Here" says the address, are more
than 10000 volumes of books, old ana
no
made Catalogues lying upon the tables
will aid you in your choice; If you DO not
readily find what you want, the Hordrldi
and his assistants are always reauy 10
help YOU Those who frequent the library
will testify that the Intelligent ana pains
taking service CT these librarians IN aicihS
those who are selecting books ana STUDY
ing subjects is of great advantage 10 tnen-
Here are many books OF reference OF "hiGl
all our reading people ought to dFail 'hcH-
selves. Here are the great encEciopealas'
the dictionaries, the 'gaZettearS' me con
COrdances that will throw light on the puZ-
Ziiug questions you meet IN your
reading. You have only TO step mo the
library as you pass and obtain the lhlorhd-
ton You desire.
Many of YOU might turn the library to
good account in your several callings Me-
chancs VINO seek TO perfect themselves III
| the industrial arts may Obtain II ere ICONS
some OF them finely illustrated, on physics
OH mechanical engineering and drawing
and on various topi"s'ih which they are IN
tcrcstel Architects, builders and land
sCape gardeners may gain from the treat
ises on these shelves hints that Mill be CT
use to them in practical work as we'll as IN
design Those who are engaged. whether
on a large or a small scale. in agricultural
or horticultural pursuits, may derive con
siderable assistance from the trcatScS and
leDorts filing a large department OF this
library. Students of art will find here not
only a variety OF. critical and practical
treatises, but good collection OF prints
II.
whct Their c!ergymeu, physicians. lawyers or
Journalists the library affords many adj
vantages. 1t contains> a fair selection Of
books repre- -enting the literature of each
of these professions, and valuable books
| that individuals are not always able to
procure for themselves are added from
time to time Those who are interested in
the study OF the Bible may consult in the
library a large and admirable selection of
Bible dictionaries, Commentaries, introduc-
TONS histories. etc, covering ana illus
trating the whole subject. Those who are
studying any question OF immcdiate popu-
lar interest-temperance, labor. finance.
tariff. woman suffrage, education-may
easily, with a little help from the libra
rams. supply themselves here with ample
information. The teachers in our public
and private schools may make the library
very serviceabe to themselves and TO their
pupils by consulting it frequently, and by
directing the reading of students. Upon
many of the topics taught in the grammar
schools, and upon most of those taught in
could gain hare much additional informa-
ton that would freshen and confirm their
acquisitions in the school room. The libra
~ is used in this manner. to some extent,
by teachers and pupils. but the benefits
thus arising might be indefinitely increas-
ed. Some of the teachers. by arrangement
with the librarian. make themselves re-
sponsible for books which they loan to
pupils who make good use of them, as sup
plementing their textbooks.
Everybody Is benefited.
"To the general reader as we'll as to the
spec ial student. the lib Try offers an ample
provision. History. biography, social sci
ence. travel anil discovery. poetry, fiction
essays, sketches-all are here in great va
liety. And all this is free to all. This
greet array of books. this pleasant hall
lighted and warmed and kept neat and or
DERBY, the service of these polite libra rians
is without charge to the reader young or
old. Our citizens are Justly proud
of their noble library. They have received
already, great benefit and pleasure from
the use of it, But it might be used much
more freely. and with greatly increased
profit. 1t ought to afford not only diver
sion to our idle people, but instruction and
stimulus 10 our working community To
the young, especially, it should be of in
caiCulahle advantage. To these who work
in our shops and factories and whose priv
i!eges of education have been limited, it
offers a great opportunity. None of them
as its hospitahle doors are open. To bring
the library before their notice and encour-
age them in freely using it, is one of the
obvious duties of those who have any re-
sponsibility for those young men and wo-
men,
Public Libraries and Public Schools,
The connection between public libraries
and public educational systems has at
tracted new attention Of recent years. The
superintendent Of the Boston schools saws
that the public library stands Of right at
the head of the educat onal system of the
city. of which it fbrnts a true part, And
on. the other hand. he urges that the
schools should give, instruction in the best
methods of reading good books: Reading
Is an art which, with a little of almost
everything, has betn taught in the public
schools immemoriadly;'ihut how to read
book-an entire hpokvis an acquisition
made by few. and never. so far as l am
lie schools" Y Il
The public librarian, indeed should he a
public instructor. Much of what may be
said of the value of the teachers influence
upon individual Scholarships Charles
Cutter, librarian ofethe Boston Athenaeum
and of the satisfactionoand announcement
hicb f-oy, fio