River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-12-10
Christmas gifts for young,
Christmas gifts for old
Christmas gifts for silver
Christmas gifts for gold,
At Levings Sisters
Public Libraries,

1t is a self-evi dent fact that the
popular government is founded upon
an enlightened civilization and the
highest intelligence of the common
people. In recognition of this fact,
advanced thought is constantly and
untiringly engaged in efforts to
elevate, in every practicable way, the
standard of intelligence among the
masses. The success of these efforts
has been marked in educational
institutions throughout the country,
both in methods of teaching and in
frequent additions to the courses of
study, not only in our common schools
branches are taught. Experience is
demonstrating the fact that the
public library, wherever found, is
proving a very valuable auxiliary in
the educational field, and as means
of disseminating knowledge among
the people which should so largely in
crease their number that every town,
village, and city would be provided
with one. This may at first thought
seem like a somewhat startling prop
osition, but under a system which is
now being developed would be entirely
practicable at comparatively small
cost. The State Library Commission
recently met with a convention of
librarians held at Ashland, where
various matters connected with
libraries were discussed, and ideas
brought out which cannot fail to be
productive Of good results. At the
convention to which we have referred,
the Northwestern Wisconsin Free
Travelling Library Association was
formed, with headquarters at the
Vaughn Library, Ashland. While the
Association, for want of financial aid,
cannot hope to make very rapid pro-
gress its ultimate object is to bring
about conditions which will provide
the people of every neighborhood and
hamlet in northwestern Wisconsin
with an opportunity to read library
books at cost that win be insignifi-
can't when compared with the privilege
enjoyed. The attainment of the end
sought must necessarily be by evolu-
ton, briefly summarized in this way:
Donations of books and periodicals
are to be solicited and the collection
of reading matter thus obtained
divided into lots of say forty or fifty
books each; books so parceled out are
to be sent to different villages whose
people express a desire to receive
them, paying cost of transportation:
the books to be retained in the village
a given time, until all who wish to do
so have read them, proper limitation
as to time and care of books being
obseryed: then the books thus read
are TO be sent to another village, and
another L r17eiyed, the books being
passed ON one village to the next
indefinitely or until worm out or unfit
for use. These cases or parcels of
books are called travelling libraries
because OF the itinerant character
thus given them, and are designed to
stimulate a desire upon the part of
the people by whom they are read TO
unite in providing themselves with
public Libraries, either stationary or
travelling within such limits as may
to them seem desirable which they
can themselves prescribe.
The idea which we have outlined
above embraces principle of CO.
operation which it seems to US would
be entirely practicable under proper
restrictions, and if carried out would
provide all with a great amount of
reading matter at very small annual
cost. We may take occasion again to
refer to this subject latter on. and in
the meantime those of our readers
who are thirsting after knowledge
and literary matter OF a valuable
nature at trifiing cost should reflect
upon the possibilities Of the near
future in the matter of public library
privileges at present enjoyed only by
inhabitants OF cities containing a
population Of thousands