Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-17
WashingtOn's Library Facilities

| The library propositions of Mr.. Dockery
| involve not only a continuation of the
How not to do it, policy that has prevail
| ed in the past, but threatens the undoing of
| the very little that has already been accom-
! plished in the direction of securing library
| facilities for the capital.
For many years the people of the capital.
! permanents and transients, struggled vainly
| for full access to the Congressional Lii
| brary. 1t was held that under the copy
right law the books were in the library as
depository, and were unavailable for cir
cuatiiig purposes. Every effort to increase
the usefulness of the collection for refer
| ence purposes by opening the library at
night also failed.
The hope of securing this access handi-
capped municipal and private labors toward
free libraries. AS result Washington's
population. with the exception of its COM
| paratively few men and women of leisure.
has been kept in disgraceful libraryless
condition, enduring the Tantalus expert
ence of the sight of million books, which
may not circulate in the peoples homes
and all access to which is denied at The
only hours when it is possible for the aver
age citizen 10 approach them.
Last year June s. 1886 a law was passed
TO establish and provide for the maiuten-
ance of free public library and rea ling
room in the District of Columbia" which
enacted that a free public library aid
reading room is hereby established and
shall be maintained in the District of CO.
iumbia which snail be the property of the
said District and a supplement of the pubic
educational system of said District" This
legislation nominally gave to the people of
the capital benefits that are now enjoyed
land towns.
The establis hment of nearly six hundred
of such libraries, containing about six mil
lion volumes, in the states from Maine to
California, shows the extent to which the
republic appreciates their Importance as
supplements to the public schools. The
District Commissioners estimate for small
appropriation to carry into effect last year S
wholesome Law.
Mr.. Dockery now proposes to repeal this
law and to start the people upon the old
merry-go-round, in which they CHI &c the
ever-disappearing Congressional Library.
AS early as this in the present session the
appropriation to enable the Congressional
Library to be kept open at night, propo-
sition for which there are thousand good
reasons and to which there is not single
valid objection, has been knocked in the
head by the House.
OF course the proposition to introduce
popular circulating features into the of
the Congressional Library shared the fate
of the less debatable suggestion concerning
the enlargement of its reference usefulness.
Mr.. Dockerys proposition now is to give
up the only practical library legislation
which has been actually secured, and to
seek other library facilities, which would
not be d substitute for the municipal
| library if obtained.
The Congressional Library should be and
probably will be at some time opened at
| night for reference purposes. Tho copy
right law may be altered or 1t may be SO
construed to permit the use of the Con-
gressional Library to limited extent for
| circulation purposes. But the modest field
| of usefulness of the municipal library as a
| supplement of the public schools on the
same basis six hundred such libraries
| elsewhere in the United States, will not be
affected in the slightest degree.