The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-19

was formally opened last evening by
appropriate exercises, followed by a
reception and an inspection of the Ii
brary Invitations We're sent out to the
general public. and the attendance was
as large as the spacious quarters now
occupied by the library in the city and
county building could accommodate
The rooms were tastefully and profuse-
" decorated with flags. flowers and
evergreens, and Christeusen's orches-
ira was in attendance and during the
evening rendered a number OF choice
selections.
SOME OF THOSE PRESENT.
Among those present were: Mayor
Clark, Colonel T. G. Weber. City
Councillors Wallace. Fernstrom. Weller,
Siddoway, Diehl and Callister, Mrs.
Callister, DR.. Chapman. Dr.. Taimage,
DIR. and Mrs. a. @. Plummer. DR.. Jo-
seph s. Richards, Mrs. Richards, Judge
Cherry Mrs. Margaret L. Caine, Mr..
Isaac =. Mcfarland, Mr.. T d. Rees,
Miss Clara Ferguson, DR.. and Mrs.
Dart, eX-COngressman Allen, Mr.. and
Mrs. d. b. Hampstead, Mr.. and Mrs.
William Igleheart, F. w. Hills, Dr. Tai
mage, Colonel Stephenson, Rev. May
nard and many others.
The proceedings We're opened with
prayer, which was offered by the Rev.
Mrs Mia Upper Maynard Of the
Unitarian church.
COLONEL WEBBER'S ADDRESS
Colonel T G. Weber, president of
the library board of directors, delivered
the principal address of the evening,
as follows:
There is a familiar adage to the eff
feet that AL things come to those who
wait" The citizens of Salt Lake have
waited, and their waiting is now re-
warded by the possession of a free pub
lie library and you have been invited
TO join with US in defeating it under
what / believe to be peculiarly happy
circumstances. Each one of you has
the good fortune to be his own host
as well as his own guest, so there can
be no question as to the pleasure of the
occasion-no doubt as to its complete
success. This library is the joint prop
erty of every man, woman and child in
Salt Lake, and the gathering here is an
assembly of stockholders, meeting to
further the welfare of their own enter
prise.
About 20 years ago the Ladies' Lit
erary club had a collection of some 200
volumes, which they turned over to
the Masonic fraternity of this city.
These, with the books they then pos
sessed. formed the nucleus of the Ma
sonic library. Year by year additions
were made. until the library became
quite large. 1t was then transferred
to an incorporated organization known
as the Pioneer Library association.
Again The Ladies' Literary society rem
dered valuable aid to the new associa-
ton, contributing something over $4,000
worth Of new books. The Cleofan. the
Women's club and perhaps other ladies'
clubs also gave substantial aid. How
much the Masonic and Pioneer libraries
old Tor cultivation and education is so
we'll known that it needs no elabora-
ton on my part. Its books have slim
ulated and entertained hundreds of
people who would otherwise have had
but little resource in q literary way
1t is not the intention TO weary you
with the obstacles it encountered or
the circumstances that have delayed
until now the establishment of a Ii
Drary by the people for the free use of
all old and young, rich and poor alike
The directors of the library, although
confirmed on Nov. 16, found themselves
occupied at the outset with negotia-
tons for the possession of the Pioneer /
books. which of necessity We're pro
Ionged until Dec. % of last year On
that date, in consideration of 81 400. OBJ
legations incurred by the old associa- !
ton, the city became trustee of the /
books you now see about YOU There I
were in all some 10000 volumes. reDra- Z
sentlnS, with the fixtures, an outlay of
$4,000, and an actual cash value TODAY
of at least $4,000. For this liberal Gift
the city is indebted to the generosity
OF the Masons of Utah and those mem /
oerS and officials of the Pioneer. asso-
citation who promoted the negotiations
me only condition of the transfer was
that the collection of books should be
maintained as free public library
a condition which was gladly accepted !
ana which we all feel sure will be full /
filed
On Dec. IS the former council granted /
the directors the free use of these
rooms. and on New Years morning the
DOCKS were removed from the Board 7
OF Trade building to this ROOM The
confusion incident to change of adj
ministra ton resulted in a further delav.
out on Jan. Is the new council confirm
ed the action OF its predecessors. and
the work of installation was begun i'm
medldtelY- The council committees on
control and library, his honor, the nav
or, and the members of the council
collectively. have provided for the IL
brary with a liberality that leaves
nothing to be desired. They have de-
voted the best rooms to be had. the
heat light and ianitor service. all free
and with generosity and good will
that has made their bounty doubly ap-
pfeciated Even the city recorder Mr. /
o. II Backman. who was crowded out
10 make room for the books, paved the
way for his own Inconvenience and will
lingly sacrificed his own comfort to the
general good.
With such announcement at the out
set 4 was an easy matter to do the
rest As you know, the library was
opened for business at 10 o'clock last
Monday morning. The developments
of the three first days astonished and
gratif1ed me most sanguine friends of
the library. On the opening day over
200 people visited the rooms During the
three days 23S borrowers cards were
issued, and nearly 500 blank applica-
lions for cards were taken away for
the necessary grantors' signature. II
is not unusual to see the reading rooms
so crowded that the seating capacity is
exhausted, and readers are compelled
to use the window lodges for accom-
mediation. In those three days 195 books
have been taken out, and the record
shows constantly increasing demand.
The record also shows that of these
i35 books, % have been juvenile works,
a sure index Of the book-hunger. pos
sessing the rising generation A glance
at the vacancies in the juvenile will
show you that the board has responded
to an urgent demand in placing its first
order Of about 500 volumes, most of
which are for the school children es-
pecially. 1 may add that the call for
books is so pressing that the boards
first business. after the completion of