Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-11-06
KANSAS CITY.
THE MID CONTINENT ME-
TROPOLIS.
Public Buildings, Fire Department, Lii
brary And Schools.

brary And Schools.
Special Correspondence to the Evening Capital
Kansas City has several libraries, but
her new public library is the one which
attracted US, and OF which we shall speak.
The library was opened to the public in
1895 in a new and handsome granite
building of two and a-half stories, built
after the Greek style of architecture, and
occupying half block.
Engraven in granite around the ex,er-
ior of the building are the names Of fa-
nous poets and men OF letters, such as
Bryant, Whittier. Irving. Emerson. Agas-
siz and others. The library contains AZ
900 volumes. 5000 of which are juvenile
books. The school board keeps the
Children's Library in tact. appropriating
funds to that end. 1t is customary in
the children's room to placard the dates
OF celebrated historical events.
On October 10Th, the day of our visit,
at the entrance to this room was display
ed placard telling this was Cornwall
lis Day." and the anniversary OF the
close OF the Revolutionary War. In
Annapolis it was celebrated as Peggy
Stewart Day." The idea is good one.
and calls TO the mind of the school chill
dren, large numbers of whom visit here
daily, the important events in history
We were delighted to see so many chill
dren reading historical books in this room
and looking for references on some school
topic, with their school books beside
them.
The establishment of public library
is the chief event in the history of a
city's intellectual progress. From the
amount OF money expended in this way,
more healthy entertainment is to be had
from the reading OF books and newspa-
pers than from anything else. Society is
what men and women seek. and a good
book is the best companion one can gen.
orally find. Kansas City's library cost
$500, 900. In the rotunda of the library
is handsome brass memorial tablet to
George Sheidley, the Kansas City phil
anthropist, who bequeathed $4,000 for
the public library. We were impressed
with several inscriptions painted in con-
spicuous places in the rotunda, one OF
which was: There is nothing that So
lidihes and strengthens nation like
reading OF the nations own history;-
whether that history is recorded in books,
embodied in customs. institutions or
monuments.
The American people are greedy for
knowledge and eminently recognize that
the printing press is the greatest agent in
the dissemination of knowledge. To this
end there is reading room, where be-
side books, are TO be found files of news
papers of all the prominent Eastern and
Western cities. Here the traveller, pro-
vided he halls from city of any degree
of importance, may 60 and read his
towns papers to his hearts content. On
the second floor of the library is the Art
Gallery, Woman's Club Room, these
Western cities revel in women's clubs, OF
which there is any number High School
room, Board OF Education room, and
rooms OF the superintendent and assistant
superintendent of schools. In the Art
Gallery are collection of handsome
paintings loaned by the Art Association
here. In this collection are 23 oil paint
ings by Raphael, del Sarto, Titan, Fra
Angelica, Rembrandt. Nelasquez, Muril-
10 and others; all the works of the best
European copyists. and are from the gal
lery Of L. Pisani, Florence.
The paintings are the same size as the
originals. and framed identically. The
collection. which is known as the best
collection OF art in the West, was pre-
sented to the Kansas City Art School by
William X. Nelson in 1896, with the es-
sential conditions that all fees charged
for admission were TO be devoted to pur-
chase additions to the collection, and
that the gallery be open on Sundays.
The painting of the Sistine Madona is
the best copy in existence. Another very
handsome painting in this collection is
an allegorical scene of "Wind, Showers,
Spring. The Three Graces. Venue and
Mercury. Ii cost 81, 500 and weighs geo
pounds. The basement of the library
building is set apart as museum, and
is filled with all kinds OF curiosities, war
relics. Indian curios, &c. Kansas City
is proud of her public library, and she
need be as it shows the great strides she
has made intellectually as we'll as in
every other way. She has seven other
Libraries beside this one, OF which we
have spoken.
What shall we say OF the Kansas City
schools1 Indeed, there is so much to be
said we scarcely know where TO begin.
The first public school house was erected
in Kansas City in 1868. Think of it,
only 81 years ago. and today no State in
the Union has better schools and greater
educational facilities than Kansas City.
Boston, the Athens Of America, as old as
she is, one of the first Puritan settle
ments. had better look to her educational
laurels. lest the infantiie city of the mid
continent wrest them from her. The
present number of Kansas City's school
buildings is 26 white and 8 coIored.-
There are in all 500 teachers here. The
white children attending school are 49,
oIz, the colored z,6o8. The assessed
valuation of the public schools in Kansas
City is S64. .ooo. 900. Among the schools.
Ward Schools as the grammar schools
are called. it was our pleasure TO visit,
was the Whittier" school. This is one
of the best conducted and most thorough
ly equipped schools in the city, and is
situated at the corner of Indiana and
Peery avenues. There are enrolled here
between goo and I, 900 pupils, with an
average attendance of 85o. The princi-
pal is Mrs Josephine Heermans. whose
salary is SI75 per month. She has II
assistants, whose salaries range from sos
to f7s per month. The teacher of the
kindergarten department, whose hours
are from 9 TO II q. m. receives $50 per
L Il