Smyrna times., 1900-04-18
TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB.
Preparing For the Annual Meeting of the
Delaware State Federation of WOmen's
Clubs.-Free Library Movement.

Clubs.-Free Library Movement.
There was an excellent attendance
of the members of the Twentieth Cen
tury Club Friday afternoon. There
will only be two more meetings before
the club will adjourn for the summer,
and IN winding up the affairs of the |
club for the ensuing year there is nat
urally more or less interest manifested.
The following is the program as
rendered:
Paper-"Land of the Midnight Sum.
Mrs w. H. Baggs.
Paper-'Ole Bull". =. Miss Gertrude Smith
Paper Jennie Lind". Miss Lizzie Hall
The third annual meeting of the
Delaware State Federation of Women's
Clubs will be held in Milford on Thurs
day and Friday, May 3rd and 4th.
Special arrangements for hotel accom-
modations at the rate of 81. % to $1.50
for the Federation session, non dele
gates will apply direct to National or
Windsor Hotels or Mrs. G. Kem's
boarding house. The Pennsylvania
r. R., will furnish special car at
tached to the S.42 a. M, train on May
3rd and 4th, has granted special ex
cursion rates based on cents per
mile, from stations below Wilmington
and Newark. Coupons can be OBJ
tanned from the President, Mrs.
Evans.
Mr.. Montgomery, a prominent Ii
brarian of Philadelphia, will be at the
Federation on Friday morning and
will talk on Founding Town Libra
ries." Mrs. Florence Howe Hall,
daughter of Mrs. Julia Ward Howe,
will give an address in the evening of
May 3rd, on personal "reminiscences
of Distinguished People"
There is one thing above all others
that the Library Committee desires to
put before the taxpayers of the town
of Smyrna, namely: any information
that will help to a fair and unpreju-
diced decision in regard to it. Opin-
ions or decisions based upon half
knowledge or drawn from a One-sided
view are never wise or just, enter as
l regards the question or the individual
forming them. There is much more
in this enterprise than its present
money valuation. The public spirited
and progressive citizen will ask why
l and what? In reply to this question
as to the establishment and main
tenance'' of the free library of Will
, mington it is thought best to give in
!, brief the statement as made by its
= librarian, Mr.. Enos. l.. DOan.
~ "In the first place it may be we'll tt
. state that Delaware has no general Law
providing for public libraries. Th'
= law under which the Institute Free
' Library" is operated, is a special act
which was drawn up by public spirited
citizens of the town in the winter o
1928, In consultation with the mayor
. and city council and of committee o
the board of education. 1t specific
" that "from and after the time that tn
III Institute Free Library" shall be opel
to the free use of the Inhabitants 0
Wilmington, the board of public edu
e cation shall pay each year an amour
% to the treasurer of the library to
l. applied solely to the maintenance an
io support of the library; which SUI
- shall be for the first year $4,000, an
~ shall thereafter be increased annuall
!, by 5 per cent. thereof; but in no cas-
- is the appropriation to exceed ~ cent
L, a year for each inhabitant of Whining
~ ton. The whole law ended in pre-
~ vision that it was not to becom
% mandatory until it was approved b
g the Wilmington City Council. Ths
- body accepted it promptly and unan
W mously. The library now receive
:" about $6400 annually from the boar
, of education. GAS for our turning
y subscription library into an institutio
that would be permanently free, thi
" % was done, briefly, as follows: A M
n0 jority of the shares of stock were a
''' signed to a perpetual trustee, lin tn
,e n case, the Security Trust Co., } with il
~ structions that the votes representa-
10 these shares should always be cast fl
0n managers pledged to the maintenant
'oo of the library for the use of the inhal
- itants of Wilmington.