The herald., 1897-04-11
Business Mems Views on
the Public Library
THE CONTEMPLATED CHANGE
FRANKP. FLINT BELIEVES GOOD
FICTION rs ELEvATING
Mr.. Scott Agrees With The Herald.
Charles d. Willard Has No
Use for Trashy Reading

est in the ideas of the new library board
on the restriction of fiction in the public
library, discussed, through a represen-
tative yesterday, this subject with a
number of business men, all of whom
are readers of some fiction and are also
patrons of the public library.
Frank P. Flint, member of the old
board and a hold-over until the return
of Mr.. Burbank. was first seen. Mr..
Flint has had ample opportunity of
studying this question. He said: THE
demand for fiction by the people who
patronize the public library has been
far in excess of the purchases by the
policy of the committee to purchase fic-
tion of a high order in accordance with
the demand The book committee has al
ways believed that fiction was demanded
by the greater mass of people, and II
simply resolves itself into a question
whether or not the library can, by re-
fusing to purchase, educate the people
to reading higher class of literature 1
nave always been of the opinion that it
was possible to do so, although believe
1t would result in great complaint from
the people. The highest class of books
are not called for but the new books
are. and one must provide them. When
book is demanded day after day, it is
the duty of the librarian to furnish it,
AS an educational factor for a busy
man, good fiction has a tendency to de-
velop and elevate. 1 am reading now
Ten Thousand a Year ! think every
lawyer would enjoy it. The working
people have no library. Their only liter
ature is the newspapers, and books
should be furnished them as they re-
quire. More or less fiction should be in
every public library. If you stop placing
popular books in the library the tenden-
cy will be to drive the people to getting
a cheap and low class of books. If one
reads the hundred books recommended
by Lubbock he would be better off, but
the public must have something else. To
my mind. the magazine of today, the
cheap magazine. is far more injurious
than books. The flooding of their pages
with the details of Lincoln's barn, Ma
poleon's room and Grants house month
after month is nauseating. Fifty pages
of any OF these men are all one should
ever read"
JdiHeS D. OCOlt Sdlu. i QOn tnlnk
fiction injurious If read in moderation,
but it is very serious subject for con-
sideration whether a public library
should foster or pander to the demand.
Historical fiction may cultivate a love
for history. the unreal may suggest the
real, but it is open to the danger that
the ideas given are perverted and the
history sought to be derived from such
ral HI fats
real and ideal situations it is not a
good thing for young people who are
imaginative. We have imaginative lit
erature in poetry of unequalled value.
The literature, or so-called literature
Of fiction. is bad; novels as a rule are
badly written. They are made to sell,
not to educate. Libraries should be edu-
cative institutions not as school or a
church, but they should give culture to
those who have not had opportunities.
1t should go down to the masses and
bring them up to a higher level. BY
purchasing books of scientific, his
torical, biographical or critical nature,
it is possible to foster the intelligence
Of a community. The Los Angeles Lii q
brary does not do this. The reference
books are not attainable; there is no op-
portunity for the public to know what is
in the library. 1t is dry work to look
over catalogues. One should have ac-
cess to the Shelves should become IA
miliar with the books by handling
them"
Mr.. Scott further touched on the fact
that Los Angeles has 1900 Germans,
even Italian element, yet there are
! 5000 French and large Spanish and
/ scarcely any books of any of these Ian
guages in the library There is no en-
couragement for the foreigner to read
Il am told" said Mr. Scott, that the
most of the German books in the library
were bought at auction. Ephemeral
reading should not be in the public Ii
brary. The idea suggested by the Her.
aid that book should be published a
year before being placed on the shelves
of the library, is good one. think the
new board have entered upon their work
with the idea of giving the best possible
educative qualifications to the library,
and that they will accomplish much in
the future"
N. P. Conrey thinks a library cannot
be governed by iron-clad rules in the
purchasing of new books. The public
is entitled to have placed in the public
library as promptly as possible the new
works Of our own best writers. The ones
who select the books should be wise and
trustworthy and able to meet the require
ments of the best class of readers. In
stead Of meeting the demand of the one
, who reads for excitement rather than
fer intelligent pleasure. the growth of
| the library should be along those lines
which improve and elevate the public
| taste.
| Standard authors, the English classics,
! essayists, ETC., are all desirable. OF new
| fiction, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kipling
and other writer's delineate the nature
and life of the people, and those who read
these works find them conducive to the
| best thought.
Most Of all, I should say" concluded
Mr.. Conrey, "the city of Los Angeles
| in it's aspirations for material prosper
| ity, and all that goes with civilized life
| III modern cities, should have good rep
resentative library that would be help
| to the scholar, the artist, the critic, and
at the same time provide the masses
with entertaining and instructive read
| ing"
Percy Wilson says: Fiction is good
thing for young people If their reading
| is properly directed. I read Marion
Crawford, Howells, Kipling, Stevenson,
Lew Wallace, and guide the tastes OF