The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-15
n REMARKABLE LIBRARY
NEW HARMONY, WITH 1,s0O INHAB-
ITANTs, HAS $4,000 BOOKS.
The Little Indiana Town shows the
Result OF Long Familiarity with
Best Literature.

pressed first of all by The remoteness-the
isolation of this classic little town far down
in the pocket of the State For example.
If he attempts TO get there from Vincennes,
a distance of less than fifty miles as the
pigeon flies, he spends the better part of a
half day exploring Hooser thickets and
sucker swamps, where, not to be too
facetious. the engineer loses his way and
wanders and ever and anon stops to climb
a tree and get his bearings. He goes around
corners, changes cars no less than three
times and finally is landed far out in the
brush" at a terminal station and here,
at the outposts of the universe. on the banks
of the Wabash far away is New Harmony.
If our hypothetical visitor stays there a
few days, gets acquainted with the people,
and sees something of them in an intimate
way he will receive another very decided
impression. New Harmony is unique. We
all know the almost invariable ear-marks
of the little town that stands aloof from
the world-the narrow intellectual horizon,
the set provincial ideas, the absorbing in
terest of everybody in every other bodys
business as the great line of escape for
mental energy. New Harmony is unique
because of the notable absence of this spirit.
Instead of it one finds people on all sides
who talk of the large and the current af-
surprising. and along with a knowledgs..ef
facts is the thing we call culture-that re-s
fnemsnt which, like poetry, is the finer
breath and spirit of knowledge. If you go
there feeling just a little bit superior be-
cause Of your cosmopolitan breeding you
will be chagrined to find them quite on
your level and will have to make the most
of the humiliating fact.
To one who is healthily inquisitve about
such matters the question at once occurs:
How comes it that the people of this little
place. so isolated and dependent on their
own intellectual resources, have. along with
certain cordality and simplicity which
make the charm of village life, the breadth
of view and the modes Of thought that are
usually found only in large .centers where
the social forces are fermenting. OF course
an answer that at once arises is that this
unusual town has had unusual history
that it has been a focus of learning, an
abiding place Of men notable for their cul-
ture and ability, and the Mecca of distin-
guished travellers from afar who came and
left their impress But all this was gem
Grafton or more ago, and though it was
doubtless a factor it can by no means ac-
count, except in uncertain dergree, for the
status of the present generation. The past
can never make the present any more than
the ancestor can make the scion. 1t may
transmit influences and be stimulus, but
growth, development, demands a present,
active force, working with it's own power
and to its own ends; and so it is safe to
premise that something besides prestige has
made tho New Harmony of to-day.
1t does not take long to see what there
Is Of the little town--a few squares In any
direction will take you into the country
and our visitor will quickly notice the con-
trast between the picturesque old Rapp
buildings sprinkled here and there, and a
large, handsome modern edific occupying
spacious lot adjacent to the schoolhouse.
This is the public library building-the hous-
ing place of treasures as usual, for small
community, as is the town itself. The
structure is of brick, two stories high and
SO by IS feet--a substantial building with
modern improvements that cost $1S,500.
There are four large apartments-two in
each story. One Of the upper ones is de-
voted to a museum and is filled with an ex-
celIent and most interesting collection OF
curios and natural history specimens, nota-
BILE among the latter being a cabinet or
Wabash river shells which is, perhaps, the
most complete in existence The other
upper room is an art gallery, on the walls
of which are ranged about two dozen oil
paintings. These are reproductions In the
original colors of works that have q pieces
in the great European galleries, and their
merits as real works of art are unques-
toned In addition to these is large as
sortment of excellent photographs. chiefly
of noted places and famous pieces Of art.
These are perpetual free exhibit to who's
so cares to come and look. Down stairs one
room is a comfortable little lecture hall
with seating capacity of three hundred,
and. the other is the library room.
AN ANGEL UNAWAREs.
Before speaking of this at length little
story which was told me is in order. Many
years ago there wandered into New Har-
mony poor boy, friendless and penniless.
People were kind to him and cared for him;
he was taken into the printing Office and
taught the trade, and by and by he studied
medicine. The sequel is very interesting.
In course of time this boy, as DR.. Edward
Murphy, became wealthy and he seems not
to have forgotten his early benefactors.
Most of them are dead long since, but their
children and childrens children live, and
Dr. Murphy lives, and he is revered ia the
town because the library building, the art
collection spoken of and other donations OF
value have been free and gracious gifts
from him There is, indeed, much OF this
public-spiritedness in the town. Mr.. Arthur
Dransheld the librarian, bricklayer by
trade, and a simple, unaffected man who
would seem to be William Maclure's ideal
of the hand-worker equipped with knows
edge, superintended the erection of the
building, and now has charge of its con-
tents which he controls as a free service.
though he has one paid assistant who at
tends the desk when, three times week.
the library is open to the public
Those who know anything of the history
of libraries in Indiana will know something
Of this one. 1t may be called the one full
hnment of William Maclure's dream of IL
braries for the masses and of his planning
to that end. It's origin and history are not
coincident with the other libraries once
scattered over the State that bore his name.
These did not come into existence until
several years after his death, while the one
at New Harmony was established before his
death and under his direct patronage In
1898. at his suggestion, some thirty citizens
Of New Harmony organized themselves into
a society, which took the name of The
Harmony Workingmen's Institute for
Mutual Instruction" Mr.. Mcclure was
then living in Mexico. but he was inter-
ested IN the venture and did much to pro-
mote it. II was a theory with him that
easy access to books was the greatest of all
educative steps; that the reading club
among working men would be cheap and