Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-22
FOR SUNDAY OPENING
PROVISION REGARDING THE CON-
GRESSIONAL LIBRARY DEBATED.
Paragraph of the Legislative Bill APP
propriating $4,000 Opposed
by Senator Gallinger.

During the reading OF the legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation bill in
the Senate yesterday afternoon the para
graph appropriating $4,000 to keep open
the Library of Congress on Sunday from 2
until 10 pm. reached, Mr.. Gallinger
said he wanted to express his disapproval
of this proposition, as he thought the IL
brary should not be open Sunday.
MIR. GaIlimger's Objection.
IT do not care to be hypercritical in the
matter" said Mr.. Gallinger THE clamor
has come from citizens of this District that
this library shall be opened on Sunday, and
yet they have done very little for them
selves in the establishment of libraries. In
the little state of New Hampshire we have
over 200 town libraries. In the state OF
Massachusetts there are only two or three
towns where a town library does not exist.
but the great city of Washington did not
have a library until Congress came to its
rescue and provided to pay one-half the
expenses of it; and Congress is paying one
half its maintenance. For that municipal
library the nation gave the land and MIR.
Carnegie gave the money to build 1t. That
will be a city library, and 1 am glad Wash
ngton is to have it. The people of WASH
ngton will take great pride in it as city
institution. The Congressional Library Is
a great national library, built and support
ed by the nation. We have dealt very gen.
ment, and in it's maintenance; and SUD-
NIT Mr.. President, that 1 think we ought
to go slow in reference to opening 1t on
the Sabbath day.
Mr. Gallinger read a communication from
a lady of this city in opposition to opening
the library on Sunday.
Mr.. Allison said the amendment did not
originate with the committee on appropr1a-
tons but was proposed by Senator NC
MILAN and had been strongly Endorsed by
Librarian Putnam, to whom 1T was referred
by the committee on the library
Favored by Mr.. Allison.
THE library cost more than $6,0000OO,
continued Mr. Allison, land the whole sum
was expended by the Congress of the
United States from taxation paid by the
people. l can conceive of no better way for
the good people of the United States who
happen 10 be sojourning in Washington to
spend time than to spend two or three
hours or more on a Sunday afternoon IN
the library, either reading or contemplating
what is to be found there. There is always
a time, during the sessions of Congress
especially, when there are a very large
number of strangers in the city who would
be obliged otherwise to remain at their
hotels. 1 think 1t would be a great service
to them to have an opportunity to spend a
portion of the Sabbath day in this way. l
am sorry that it shocks the sensibilities of
the lady correspondent of the senator from
New Hampshire. There are a great many
clerks in this city, and while they work
only seven hours a day during the week
days it certainly will do some of them, and
perhaps all of them, who are willing to
spend the afternoon in the library as much
good as it would to spend the time in any
other way that 1 know of.
when the committee found this amend
ment coming from the chairman of the
committee on the District of Columbia and
then from the chairman of the library COM
mittee, strongly recommended by the libra
rian as wise measure, the committee
adopted it,
Mr.. Gallnger said he merely wished to
put himself on record as opposed to this
proposition, as he was aware that it was
likely to remain in the bill. He said very
few books are read seriously in the Con-
gressional Library during evenings, and he
thought there would be very little serious
reading on Sundays