The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-12-03
PRESS OF FUTURE
Hope for an Endowed and indie
pendent Newspaper.
FUNCTION Of THE LIBRARY
A Strong Factor in Educational
Work-CoiIege Graduates-Bos-
tons Great Library.

>
Statistics show that one man in two
hundred and fifty in the United States
is a college graduate. Though each
State is richly supplied with the high
er institutions of learning yet the pro-
portion OF college bred men continues
10 remain small Thinking men or
wealth have noticed this fact and have
concluded that our colleges cannot
reach tie masses. In seeking true
people 5 coiIsge, one that shan appeal
10 ali Classes OF society, uhey nave OF
late been serecClng the public library
as the best agency for this WORK Con-
sequentIy adj over the United States
large fortunes have been gwen for The
establishment of public libraries. A
few OF these are the Aston, Illden ana
Lenox, of New York City; the Forbes,
OF Northampton, Mass; the Bronson,
OF Waterbury, Conn; the Crerar and
the NeWberry, of Chicago, and the
Carnegie libraries in Pittsburg, Allie
gheny and Homestead. During the
past five years one new public library
has been opened in the United States
for every three days. For the first
the world in the number, size and ell
cheney Of its public libraries. The Cir
caation OF our great city libraries, OF
which the finest example Is the bOStOn
Public, runs up to enormous figures.
The Central building of the Boston
Public circulates 600 books an hour
and its eighteen branches, scattered
all over the city, the circulation aver
ages from 500 TO 200 books an hour
for eight hours each week day. But
Boston is Il great reading community
and it is doubtful if any other Ameri-
can library can produce such a record.
The training of librarians has created
special technical schools, the largest
of which are the New York State
Library School, located in the Capitol
building at Albany; the Pratt lnsU-
tute School, of Brooklyn; the Library
School of the University of Illinois,
and the Los Angeles Library School,
in California. Librarianship has be-
come a profession. The American
Library Association is IA we'll organ
lied federation Of librarians Of the ma
ton. and this association has as its
official organ the Library Journal, and
it holds a national convention lasting
one week each year. The last cOnVen-
tion was held in June at Lakewood, on
Chautauqua.
In this great movement the underly-
ing motive is to supply the best read
ing for the largest number at the
smallest cost The average lnteIll-
gence of "a city or village is general Y
in direct ratio with the development
Of it's public library.
The twin sister OF the library is the
newspaper which circulates IN the
home and supplies not only the news
Of the day but also Information OF a
permanent and general character
through its special articles. Both the
library and the newspaper give read
ing matter TO the public and the pub
lie is educated by what it reads. Inc
average boy and girl finishes his or
her formal school education at the age
of Is, but by the library and the news
paper they are enabled to continue the
accession of knowledge throughout
their lives.
Unless the newspaper attempts 10
fulfill its mission OF an educator 1t oe-
generates into an advertising medium,
whose existence is only maintained Dy
its reflection Of the ephemeral lie OF
the locality The whole field OF I'D
rarv work was benefited b. the action
OF the Government in spending S3,oOO,-
600 Oh its new national library build
ing. Such an impetus will be gwen
to newspaper work with the advent OF
the endowed paper We shall never
come to the point of inspired papers
as they are called in Europe, put Uh9
day is not far off when we shall nave
perfectly free and independent papers,
possessing an endowment which VIII
enable them to strike fearlessly at all
questions, regardless of money consld-
erations. At first mention OF an en-
dowed paper the idea seems qulXouc,
but the signs of the times point IN thaC
direction We have seen papers go
under because their management
could not be bought. Such papers are
a real power for good in any commun-
ity but they don't pay. The money OF
many papers comes through the chan
nels Of political me- chimes and the pa
pers are then controlled by the ma
chine. Men of wealth are thinking or
these problems and one day we snail
read of Il million of money being LETT
to found an Independent newspaper.
This paper Of the future will print only
the most authentic news, its editorials
will be inspired by conscience, It's at
titude toward the public will be to IL
Illuminate rather than TO lead. 1t VIII
win the confidence of the people and
will prosper by virtue of its reliability.
This Will cause a reaction against the
yellow journals and will create a
demand for honest newspapers. The
off IF De