Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-05-18
The City Library
By D. NJ. HARRIS.

BY D. NJ. HARRIS
| Leaving the question Of secret socie-
ties for the time being, we desire to
give short history of some other mat
ter which must not be neglected as .
part of the early history of Mo. Valley,
and first to be mentioned is our City
! Library. 1t had been q matter of re-
greet by many of our citizens, that our
young and growing city should not be
provided with q public library or read
ing room for the public, and stlsst the
subject msterislized, and an incorpo-
ration of The Missouri Valley Library
Association was obtained. and on tho
18th day of May 1881, the following
persons became legal body corporate
under the above name, viz: d. NJ. Har-
ris; Mrs. Anna Schultz; Mrs. j. r.
Marsh; NJ. Holbrook; Mrs. E. w. Hib.
bard; Mrs. G. H. Foster; and Mrs d.
A. Smiley.
The first officers under the incorpo-
ration we're as follows: Nc
Mrs Anna Schultz, President
Mrs F. L. Mandaville, Vice Pres.
NJ 8. Frlck, Secretary.
Mrs. q. II Foster, Treasurer.
We have often wondered what we
wanted with a treasurer when the en-
tire assets of the association was only
hope, but the record justified our faith
for soon the people began q generous
donation of books, and with the small
amount from the rent of books and sale
of tickets, the association managed to
pay the rent of room and other incl
dentals but the ladies took turns month
about as librarians without pay.
Those who had books not considered
valuable to them, donated them to the
association; and the book committee,
as fast as means could be secured, ad.
ded to the books on hand, and Col w.
P. Hepburn, our then member of Con-
gress from this district, placed the
name of our library on his list which
secured to it large collection of very
valuable public documents; and thus
in a short time the Association foun
itself in possession of quite selection
of valuable books, embracing history,
geography, science, literature, biogra-
ply, travels, &c. The library now has
about 1000 volumes. We must not for.
get the fact that the ladies took live
ly interest in its success, and by hold.
ing musicals, lectures. festivals, dane
ing parties, and various exhibitions,
and applying the proceeds to the libra
~ fund, they helped material IN the
good work.
After passing through many varied
vicisitudes, it at last reached , position
of sufficient Importance to receive the
attention of the City Council who gave
them room in the city building for
their use; and at the last election, the
the question of ownership was submit
ted to q vote of the city, and by . large
majority the city decided to accept the
library from the Association andjmske
it, as 1t should be, q City Library.
Thus it will be seen that the Library
has existed as one of the valuable In
situations of the city for the past 10
years, and has been of incalcuable ben
eft to the public, especially to the stu
dents in our schools, who have had full
and free access to all books at all times
when the room was open to the public,
and has been the means giving many
pleasant evenings to the public in the
library room, reading books furnished
by the ladies of Mo. Valley Library
Association.
AS the association, as q corporation,
will soon step down, and the manage
ment will be placed under board Of
Trustees to be appointed by the Mayor
and we are pleased to hear that he in
tends to continue the ladies largely in
control of its management, which will
be full guarantee that it will be we'll
managed and its usefulness will not be
abridged in their hands, knowing as
we do their trials and sacrifices made
to sustain 1t in the past, we feel salts.
fed that under their charge it will be
kept up to the standard of such instl-
tutions.
The largest contribution of books
was made by L. Burnett, who donated
about fifty volumes on literature, and
j. s. Wattles some twenty volumes of
the Scientific American, large and we'll
bound. while many others gave In less
numbers, but valuable.
And now, before closing this short
statement of our City Library, we de-
sire to say that to the ladies', aud al
most alone, is the city indebted for this
very valuable property, and in the days
to come, when this small beginning in
the building up this library shall have
grown to gigantic proportions, the
names of the founders will be held Ia
greatful remembrance by an intelli-
gent public.
Rose Hill Cemetery.
BY ID. NJ. HARRIS.
In the first building of Mo. Valley
lowe, the question of locating public
cemetery had not engaged the atten-