The morning times., 1897-01-27
IT WOULD BE APUBLICBOON
Opening of the New National hi
7a~ brary at Night.
superintendent Of Schools Powell
Says 1t Would Be More Benefi-
...is eial, Than the Night schools.

The quest on Of opening the new Library
o. Congress at night is Being discussed gen
orally Throughout the city, especially by
teachers, students and investigators. supt
William b. DWELL, Of the public schools,
said last night in answer TO Times re-
rortcr's question:
The opening OF public library like the
Library of Congress would be more bene-
flcial to the city OF Washington than are
it's night schools, which cest in tie rCiEh-
orhood of $1,000. About 2,560 per
folS, mostly of comparatively mature years,
present themselves every year for .nstfuc-
ton at the night schools. They Come from
lat or after hasty meal. They are willing
to devote two hours to hard work in order
that they may Know more than they 20
and thus bee oMe more useful TO thefl-
selves and 10 society | have no doubt
that the number OF persons who would
seek similar radvancemcntin apubliclibrary
at night w ould be double those who are
taking advantage OF the night schools.
Such an addition to the educational forces
OF the city would be of great value very
much wish the Congressional Library
might be open q: night both for the benefit
OF the schools and III citizens"
OF the relation of the schools To library
work Superintendent Powell says, in his
annual report, just issued: THE teach
ing that fails to train the learner how
to use books adyantageously and 10 give
him decided liking for the use OF books
fails in one OF its most important pur-
poses. The kind OF teaching that ac-
complishes these desirable results, how
ever, cannot be done without books. L
think it may be truthfully said that IL
large percentage of the value OF teaching
in many schools is lost because OF lack
of this means of properly training the
learner
Prof Powell then indicates what should
be done as preparatory to library read
ing. After learning from contact with
the object itself the next step is to read
what others have said about it:
"A public library in the city may be
made to subserve the interests OF education
in a corresponding, though much broader,
way. The public library, if properly
selected and intelligently used by those
who manage and teach the schools of
the city, will be not simply great ad-
be made u correlatiye branch of educa ton,
! second in value only to the schools them
selves--;l powerful elevating force that
| will steadily and surely though silently
| and unostentatiously, raise the peopl'. to
| higher intellectual plane, a plane OF
! sounder Judgment and greater efficiency"
| 1.-The child, or the man, reads on a plane
| of his ability to appreciate. His ability
to appreciate is Influenced, If not deter
| mined, by the way he is taught. that is,
by the way he is made to get information
| and by the way he is made to use it after
| he gets it. If one arm of each school and
| one arm OF each high school and one arm
OF each department of grammar, inter
| mediate, and primary school can reach q
weIl-selected free library, the child who
is taught will look upon that library as
| his greatest boon, his best friend, and The
| place of his most fascinating occupation
| 1t is not enough TO teach child to read
he should be trained to the habit OF in
vestigation and acquiring knowledge by
| reading" a.