Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-30
SUCCESS AT LAST

Continued from Fourteenth Page.
women. the good Americans of the future.
Is demanded in the name of the 60, 900 chill
dren Of school age In the District, and es-
pecially in the name of the 5000 of this
number who are over twelve years Of age.
Twenty Thousand Government EN-
ployes.
Investigation Of the departmental libra
rfes shows that very large percentage OF
their 100000 volumes is composed Of tech
nical books and books Of reference. which
have direct bearing on the work Of the
department which possesses them; that
there are only between 10000 and $1,000
volumes suitable for a general circulating
library, and these are confined mainly to
three departments. The Interior Depart
ment. with 10000 volumes, and the War
ana treasury Departments, with 5000 vol-
umes each, possess nearly all these books.
The clerks in the departments which have
no libraries need and demand them, and
the favored departments need q wider
range OF reading material than the small
collection at the disposal of each provides
There are, in round numbers, about 10000
persons residing in Washington who draw
salaries from the government. Many OF
these represent families, and the number of
readers in this government constituency
can therefore be estimated only by the Gus
tomary multiplication of the number OF
government employees. In the name also,
OF tnls numerous and book-loving element
OF the population the creation of the pro-
posed local library Is demanded.
Iwenty-Three Thousand WORKING
men.
Last, but not least, comes a powerful
appeal from the District workinsman
sometimes IN view of the notable absence
from the capital of dirty, noisy factories
which would tend to reduce the city's at
tractlVeness as a place of residence the
question is raised. Is there any such indi-
vidual as the District worklngrnan? The
census G. OF 1890 discloses the fact that while
1t Is the policy Of the capital to encourage
cnly light and clean manufacturing, like
that or Paris, over twenty-thfee thousand
adults were engaged in the District in lines
OF work which are classed as manufactures
emitting from consideration entirely all the
other numerous forms of labor. Nineteen
Thousand OF these are engaged in purely To-
Cal industries. Over four thousand are dis
covered 10 De in government employ MAIN
ly in the government printing office and the
bureau of engraving and printing. 1t ap-
pears from this report that there were in
1880 In the District twentythree hundred
manufacturing establishments with cap
ital of $2S,S ,25S, paying in wages S14638
40, using materials costing SIT, 1877 1872 and
with products of the value Of $50, 296 259
ITO the census figures must be added the
thousands OF workingmen engaged in other
lines of work not classed as manufactures
and then this number must be multiplied,
since many are the heads of families, to
ascertain the number of readers and in
behalf of this great multitude of people a
free lending library and night reading room
are now demanded.
All Washington Appeals
While attention has been called to GER
tain elements of the population standing
in special need of library facilities 1t is to
he remembered that only a small fraction
of all the people in Washington have the
leisure to utilize and enjoy public library
during daylight hours, so that practically
a whole city of 100000 inhabitants makes
this appeal
The committees report then proceeded 10
discuss the ways and means Of organizing
the library, pointing out various methods
or accommodating the requisite books, by
purchase, by contribution, by donation
from the surplus of the Congressional
Library and by the transfer of the books
or general circulation in the several de-
p&rtmental libraries. 1t likewise touched
uron the question of housing the collection
thus formed. suggesting that space In the
re W post office building might perhaps be
spared Tor this most Useful purpose. Like
wise the suggestion was advanced that if
in the course OF time the District should
secure municipal building worthy the
name and the capital space should be given
in such structure to so worthy and aD-
piopi ldtS d PURPOSE as a municipal library
The Original Bill.
On the basis Of the facts set forth the
committee recon- ended that an effort be
made to secure from Congress the proper
legislation, and submitted the bill that be-
came the subject of so much controversy in
the later stages in the fight for library ia
cilities. 1t provided for the establishment
of free public library in the city of
eShi zinc -
the District and the employees of the var
ious governmental offices and departments
1t intrusted the management Of the library
to board of eleven trustees to be ap.
pointed by the President, and provided for
the location of the library in the new post
office building, directing the architect to so
arrange his plans as to accommodate this
Institution, with capacity for not less than
i1,oU volumes. 1t also provided for the
transfer of such books, periodicals or other
literary matter might properly be spared
from the departments, bureaus and offices
to this new library, and authorized and di-
rected the librarian of Congress to turn
over to the free library such duplicate vol.
times as might not be required by the
Library OF Congress. After empowering
the trustees to administer the affairs of the
library, 1t specifically opened the privileges
of the collection, both for reference and
circulating purposes, to all citizens of the
District and employees of the government
on duty in Washington, and directed that
equally between the District and the gen.
eral government the Commissioners sub
hitting annual estimates in accordance
with their usual custom. The bill thus
drafted was later introduced into both
houses of Congress.
Departmental books.
1t was estimated that there were approx
mately in the various departmental libra
ries 100000 volumes of all kinds, of which
only about 10000 were of miscellaneous
circulating character. Thsse were divided
77;a11zzIe
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