Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-11-26
Their Value and How They
Should Be Preserved.
State Librarian Carver Speaks of
Their Great Worth.
no State More Free Than Maine in Distributing
Public Documents.

OF the Maine State library upon ! ei,h
ject of supreme importance. He tr.ai,
the matter of Department reports IN
such an able manner that the art,cL.
Is here printed in full:
II discussing this subject il seems
necessary to give 4 brief history OF tn,
evolution o. the department report
and 70 note its gradual development
from a small pamphlet to a goodiy-
sized book of many pages
In the beginning the state publica-
tions had their origin II the lemand Of
the taxpayers to BE- Informed as 10 tho
proper and economical expenditure of
money appropriated for the malnte-
nance ana use of tho departments a. d
institutions Of the state At that carry
day these repot IS We're few in number
diminutive in size. and contained lttl..
besides the financial statement ot .x-
rendtures.
AS the field for work and usefulness
of these institutions enlarged an,.
greater sums Of money were required
TO maintain thcm. the size OF ttt IL re-
ports increased ANA We're found t. con
tain not only the financial report. hui
also brief accounts Of the labor per
formed aEd the results obtained III.
"fncer IN charge soon cam" To see that
he could easily reach i large numhe,
| Cf people through the reports of his
department. ana could enforce. his uut
notions ana the results cf his eXpr..
ences upon the people. and thus in
| crease the Importance 0f his depart
| mcnt and broaden its field Of useful
| ness. He had An honest ana com.
| merdable ambition u cNalt his Office
| to make his own calling and election
| sire. and I" STAMP his theories amc
| personality upon th, minds ana hearts
| Of his constituents. hence in the du,
| course Of time vas evolved the pad
| ded report, I'VE or tentold the size %
| its predecessor. lie soon began Il
| clamor for Il larger numh.r Of ports
! and by a careful and discriminating
| distribution Of these created an in
| creasiag demand for them both at
home ana abroad.
The gradual change that has taken
place in the social ard Industrial lii,
of the people soon caused demand
| for new departments ana bureaus ~
voted to special interests. 10 TIL. .raui-
cation OF ole abuses, or to th. work
! Of sorle new reform.
H. this manner developed thr il-a
that the state departments. institu-
tons. and bureaus had educational anG
| reformatory functions as Well Js ok
ecutive duties 10 perform. When this
thought had maured into fixed pur-
pose. new departments and bureaus
We're erected, which while to so.l.c -
tent executive in their powers. w"rr
1 .I Z.
character. Such are the offices "f tn
state board Of health. superintendent
of schools. commissioner Of lahor. state
librarian. ana Comm Ssiorer of aGr:-
| culture. At the present time the orig
inal purpose for which a report was
| REQUIRED Of a departing mt has been
| overshadCwed and obscureu by tn tf-
| for.S made TO render il work OF ed
Iucation and nstruction. SO far has
| this feature of state publications been
carried, that III some departments the
| weekly or monthly issue Of BULLETIN:
/ has tended % the usurpation OF the
legitimate field Of the daily and week
lv press. II our state this featur" ~
department publica tons has caused
| much hostile criticism.
! In the more progressive states %p'-
| cial reports and bulletins are now fr'--
uuently issued apparently for the Soit
purpose of educating md instrucunG
the people at large. These works are
| given on request to institutions o.
learning and to individuals throushou'
the country. The fish and game re-
ports. and the mushroom book. pup
lished by the state Of New YORK, ar
notable examples of this Kind OF work
These. ESSAYS are the best text and ref
erenca books to b. obtained upon th'
subjects Of which they treat.
wish here and now to render
Thanks TO the librarian Of that grea
, STAT. for the timely aid received by
+ba librarian and the Legislators %
, Maine from his bulletin on the com
narrative lpgislatio Of the states
N-i,bont the aid and suggestions con
tai,ed in that pamphlet. the successful
, atta,ont of our legislature to equaliz
. staxatiou Mt it's last session would nav
? | been a failure
: MANY other works OF a purely eau
: .,,ional character owe their origin AM
I continued existence to ms beneNoieti
/ lireniration and high purposes. ~
: \,.- York has not been alone III III
e ,y,,.l, of educating the people at ials
. -. disseminating accurate knowieds
' .hrourb IFS publications. PennsyNani
: ;eeued IN exhaustive work on IN
n;,.,s of that state which is of lnest'
$ ,,,aI,,.. value to the student of nature
: ,,.t;i.. in. report Of the geologist'
4 ,;,.h IN mineral wealth. has added mus
Y ,i ~. Fascinating study of that pra,'c
,u,,an knowledge. Many othe
ototas have given rs department r. =
r,s and special publications worm
III. among the textbooks OF sto
r. in ,,;r colleges and universi'e
~ H.. scholar and man Of a'la"S
p. y. readily seen that the vi'i"e
:, fhns. reports has been srea'S
= ,a nv the change in their ch"' q.
e .'a and the increase of material cor
i ,ained in them. ,s. ,
't '',i NJ present time no course
], ',l;oaI economy or of sociology 20 -,
Il ,..,rcessfully pursued without =,
e 'c ar,tive study of the reports enc !,
.'.inr from the departments i.
H. u" .ne while in noting the lhdus',
IS ~" ,,,o,al growth Of the people ~
J. th.y have become the OF
% as So. Of authority. The human,