The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-17

may keep it two weeks and have it re-
newed All we require of him is, that If
he lose it, he replace it; if he damage
it, he make it good. If any one desires
to read a particular book and the re-
quest is made known to the librarian,
and he reports it to the superintendent,
the book is at once sent there, if it
passes inspection. About 40 per cent of
the books are novels 90 per cent his
tory and travels, Is per cent scientific,
and the rest technical and general
All monthlies three months old, all
Weeklies four weeks old, and all dailies
one week old are sent each week to the
section foremen along the line for dis
tribution among the track men and
thus they go into families at remote
places, where the children seldom see a
picture or printed page.
We pay our librarians as q. rule $50 q.
month and perquisites and they are
regularly on the pay roll of the COM
pany. The baths are free to all en-
ployeS, though, if the librarian furnish
eS the towel and soap, they cheerfully
pay him ten cents for each bath Ev-
cry Friday night at Seligman they have
a club meeting of the employees and
their families. There is piano in the
room. They have recitatiOns, music,
cards and a dance till - O'Clock. In the
center room referred to above, we have
four large card tables, easy chairs, and
the librarian has a case in which he
keeps cigars and tobacco on sale to the
'
On the walls we have pictures and
add every thing to the surroundings, to
make it a pleasant resort for the men
and women. The mother brings her
children and often they have a social
reunion 1t IS truly an oasis the
desert and the men call it their heaven,
or haven. Along side OF the reading
room is a crOQuet ground and very fire.
quently men and their wives have a
tilt with the mallet. The Superintend-
ent of reading rooms and his wife have
gone there and mingled among them.
had a game of croquet and whist with
them and we were convinced that the
reading room at Seligmau was truly a
God send" Before this reading room
was built, an employee coming in off his
run, had to lie around the roundhouse
or on the platform, or be tempted to
frequent a gambling hole.
Whether he won or lost, he was nerv-
ously exhausted. lie got no rest and
became Indifferent as to his work. He
felt mean and was tempted to act
mean. Now he can take a bath and
have sleep, and get up to meet pleas
ant company. have a game of billiards
or cards. associate with his fellow men
as a man and consequently he is clear
in understanding his orders, and goes
| out determined to make the best run
| ever made. Thus is the business side of
our reading rooms, enabling us to keep
the best men in the most undesirable
localities for residence, and has a die
rect tendency to reduce wrecks to a
minimum. On top of the reading room,
we place a sign which reads: Santa Fe
Pacific Reading Room for the Use of
Employees
We are proud to let the public know
| that our employees are reading, think
! ing, and knowing class of people An
! eminent educator of the country said
| to the writer some time ago: Il feel
safer in riding with such men,
What is true of one of these reading
rooms, is true of all of them. One of
my duties has been to prepare all the
stationery for this department We
have system of reports, monthly and
! quarterly, by which We know how many
attend these rooms daily and how many
books are read daily.
Let me transcribe from my last quar-
terly report to the general superintend-
/ emit Mr. H. U. Nudge, some fact re-
! garding these matters. Take the three
months of August, September. and Oc-