Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-21

49, 1919
results have had their origin
in tritles. Mythology reveals
the beginning of the Roman empire in
the story of the infant twins, Pomulus
and Remus, who received tactical nour-
from a she wolf in the forest
where they had been abandoned. This.
of course, is fable. Western men are
endowed with vivid imaginations, and
may be pardoned for allowing fancy
free invasion into local history and
weaving stories about Butte and what
made it great. Hence. if the genesis of
the empire of the Caesars. with it's
Pantheon and Coliseum, is traced to a
wolf. nc blemish is cast upon the great
public library Of Butte when its ORR
gin is traced to the inspirations of a
reformed prize-fighter, Ben Hogan, who
got religion one day in the Bowery,
New York, closed up his saloon and
started out to preach the gospel.
Ben arrived in Butte about 1882, ac-
cordins to recOllections of old-timers.
Among the other things he did, along
with conducting a revival. was the col
lection of ancient BOOKS, old magazines
and newspapers to supply a reading
room which some well-disposed citi-
zen gave him, rent free. This reading
room was the rendezvous of such con-
verts he had made who happened to
be down on their up2ers." and others
who sought the place to escape temp.a-
tons which met them at every corner
of the great mining camp. Ben Ho-
cams reading room, alas, has skipped
the attention of newspaper reviewers
of the camp and other literary men
who published Butte histories on specu-
lative ventures. Yet Ben Hogan's Ii
brary is no fiction. The library build
ing, which included a chapel. was a
frame shack afterwards torn down to
: make room for the Columbia block on
West Broadway. Crude as may have
oeen its appointments along with it's
poverty of literary material. yet it
should so down in history that Ben
Hogan's library was the first public Ii
brary in Butte. OF course a public Ii
hrary would have been one of the in
situations of this city did Ben Hogan
never get religion and never come to
Butte. But it was the reformed prize
fighter who first furnished the object
lesson and got other people to reflect
that when men get interested in a book
they would rather spend a quiet even
ing in a reading room than a boisterous
night in a saloon.
EFFORTS OF CHRISTIAN WOMEN.
Next came the Women's Christian
Temperance Union, composed of zeal
Gus ladies whose social position enabled
them to transcend the work of the
erstwhile Bowery saloon keeper. The
court house had just been erected and
it's interior finished. Civil litigation and
criminal prosecutions at that time We're
handled by on judge only. Room was
found in the building for a library to be
~, 49, IL -
grew to be so popular because of the
better class of literature and the larger
number of volumes from which to Sc
lect, that Ben's institution was neglect.
ed and in a short time collapsed. More's
the pity, for there was room enough in
Butte for two libraries; and when Ho-
CANS reading room collapsed, many of
his converts collapsed also. They found
thell' way again to the saloons.
In time the requirements of court
business demanded the room in the
building occupied as a library; SO the
books and paraphernalia were moved
over into the Lewisohn block. Patron
age increased and the attention of pub
lic-spirited citizens was awakened. The
zeal Of the Christian ladies never flag
ged. Among the men of that day who
perceived the need of an institution bet
SCi CIuippSu lHdIlClduy anu which
could be more thoroughly planned and
directed as al important educational
force was Charles X. Larrabee. now a
resident of the state of Washington.
He became deeply interested in the
work of the ladies. He perceived the
good results and gathered an idea of the
possibilities growing from a generous
ly supported library. To this end he
made a deposit of $40, 900 in the bank of
Hoge, BroWnlee & Co. (now DAILY,
Donohue & Meyer. successors), as a
NUCLEUS for a public library fund. The
donation became public information,
but the name of the donor WIS not
made Know until some years later.
1t was just like Larrabee. He made
the deposit subject to the check of
Judge w. w. Dixon, when the eondi-
tons We're fulfilled. The most import
ant of these We're that another $40, 900
should be raised by subscription and the
library assured of sufficient support SO
as to allow the total fun of $40, 90 to be
devoted to the purchase Of books. The
ladies at once appointed a committee
and pdoceeded to solicit subscriptions.
THE PUBLIC TAKE HOLD.
While fully approaching and recog-
nizing the zeal of the Christian ladies,
the public generally got it into their
heads that the work could make greater
progress, the library would be better
supported and it's usefulness enhanced.
should the direction of affairs be vested
in the city and conducted in a manner
consistent with the statutes of the
state. Accordingly, in the winter of
1912, a committee consisting Of Judge
NJ. kirkpatrick, F. E. Sargent and D. J..
Hennessy was appointed to take the
matter in hand and secure the estab-
ishment of a public library.
Contributions came literally from 90
individuals, corporations and bankers.
The Anaconda Mining company sub
scrSbed 1000. SO did the Boston & Mon
ana, w. A. Clrak and Davis and Tai
bot. Baker & Harper gave $500; over 4