St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-21
THE LIBRARY NOT BASED
ON FACTS.
INSTITUTION OPEN SUNDAY.
mas. M,CAINE SAYS BUT ONCE HAS
A DRUNKEN MAN BEEN
SEEN.
a READING ROOM FOR LADIES, TOO,
The Existence of Which the Rever-
end Gentleman Seemed to Know
Nothing About.

Rev. Addison Moore, of the Woodland Park
BAPTIST church, made some statements in his
Sunday sermon derogatory to the manage
ment of the public library. Mr.. Moore char
acterized it's reading rooms as ''loafng places
for drowsy and frowsy individuals, who have
imbibed so deeply at the fount of Bacchus
that they have lost all taste for the pure
waters of literature or any other sort Of
water" The preacher also complained that
the library was closed on Sundays, and ut
tered general protest against what he termed
the Encouragement of the public library.
personal investigation of the public
library and the manner in which it is con-
Quoted does not bear out Mr.. Moore's state
ments. Mrs. Helen j. McCaine, the librarian,
when seen yesterday, expressed her surprise
at the statements made by the Rev. Mr..
Moore and added that she was at a loss to
know from what source he obtained his in
formation.
I'm the first place." said Mrs. McCaine,
s'Mr. Moore says that it is strange the library
should be closed on Sunday, the day of all
the week when citizens have time to read.
Now, as a matter of fact, the library is open
every Sunday from a. m. to 9 p. m. 1t is
open on Sunday, nor is that of any library
in the country, that know of. But the read
ing room and reference room are open for
twelve hours, just they are on week days.
The only difference between week days and
Sundays is that on Sundays no books are
ISSUED to be read outside of the library.
''Now, as to the statement Of Rev. Mr..
Moore, that our reading room is frequented
by 'drowsy and frowsy individuals who are
under the influence of drink. That is not
true. 1 will not say that a drunken man
never entered the library, but that never
happened but once, to my knowledge, and
upon that occasion he left Immediately, with
out causing any disturbance. The intima-
ton that the gentlemen who frequent the
reading room are accustomed to going to
sleep at the tables, has no foundation in
fact. 1t is against the rules Of the library
to permit its readers to use it as a lodging
house. The instant a reader is seen to be
asleep, an attendant arouses him. That does
not mean, however, that every time a man
closes his eyes he is shaken by the attend
ant and told to wake up, or else vacate the
library. person may shut his eyes and
still be awake. He may be thinking 1t
would scarcely be reasonable to compel every
visitor to the library to keep both eyes wide
oreny upon pain of being elected from the
room.
ut is evident, too, from the comment of
Rev. Mr.. Moore regarding the ladies' table in
the large reading room at the east end of the
building, that he is not aware that there is a
reading room at the west end of the build
ing exclusively for the use of ladies. The
small table in the general reading room is
for the use of ladies who go there to read
English periodicals, of which the library has
no duplicates. 1t seems to me that Rev. Mr.
Moore is inconsistent in criticising the lib
rary management for allowing idle persons
to use the library, and at the same time, in
sistfng that the library should remain open
on Sunday for the use of the Citizens who
have time to read As I have already said
the library is open every Sunday between
the usual hours.
AS for the tobacco-stained floors and the
snail-like movement of the elevators, of
which Mr.. Moore complains, 1 give him cred
1t for not holding us responsible for the man
agement of the entire court house and city
hall, though the language Of his sermon
seems to hold the library management &C
countable for everything"