Smyrna times., 1901-11-20
FREE LIBRARY MOVEMENT
RECEIVES FRESH IMPETUS
INTERESTING MEETING FRIDAY EVENING
AT THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB.
Miss FlOreuce Bayard Kane, State Travelling
Organizer, the Principle Speaker-Re-
marks by Mr.. Janney and Others.

The Free Library Movement for
the town of Smyrna received fresh
impetus on Friday, when number of
the citizens of our town met in the
cheerful drawing room of the ladies of
the Twentieth Century Club to hear
the address of Miss Florence Bayard
Kane, recently engaged as travelling
organizer by the State Library Com
mission. The meeting was held under
the auspices of the augmented Library
Committee composed of Mrs. Frank F.
Evans, Mrs. James W. Anthony, Mrs.
j. W. Clifton, Miss Laura Bell and
Miss Cora Tschudy, of the Twentieth
Century Club, Mr.. W. H. Janney, on
the part of the Smyrna Library
ASSOCIATION "a subscription library,
and Principal J. P. Burdette, and
Vice Principal A. S.Grifith, on the
part of the Smyrna Public Schools.
Mr.. W. H. Janney ischairman of the
Committee, and Miss Laura Bell is
secretary.
Mrs. j. W. Anthony, President of
the Twentieth Century Club presided
over the meeting, and introduced Miss
Florance Bayard Kane. The latter in
very able and enthusiastic manner,
talked of the advantages of free pub
lie library, the legal steps to be taken
IN obtaining State aid, and the man
ner in which it can be established by a
vote of the people at the next Town
Election. Since graduating from the
Drexel Library Course, she has given
the subject much study, and what she
had to say was listened to with close
interest. At the conclusion of her ad-
dress, Miss Agnes Carrow and Miss
Mary LeFevre sang a sweet duett.
Smyrna Citizens Encourage Movement.
Mrs. Anthony than called on Mr.. w.
ID. Janney, director of the present
Library Association, to say a few
words concerning the methods adopted
by the committee toward converting
the present subscription library to
Free Library. He was followed by
Messrs. Burdette and Griffith, on the
relation of the Free Library to the
Public Schools. Remarks were also
made by Rev. J. L. Estlin, Rev.
Vaughan S. Collins and Mrs. l.. NJ.
Price.
1t was figured.out during the discus
sion that there need be no alarm on
the part of the tax payers of an exhor-
bitant tax rate to establish a free pub
lie library in our midst. The State of
Delaware will appropriate S1OO yearly,
under the provision of the Lib
rary Act, and the town of Smyrna
must do the rest. If the funds of our
Town Treasury are not sufficient to
bear the expenses of this movement,
an additional assessment If q cents on
the hundred dollars, would meet the
condition very satisfactory In fact
the laws limits the tax rate so that it
cannot be more than ten cents on the
hundred dollars. Surely no man in
terested in the cause of education, no
man having family of children, should
object to paying this light extra tax.
Let Smyrna take a step forward and
have free public library.
The entire meeting was one of inter
est throughout, and the hearty words
OF encouragement spoken was gratify-
ing, not only to the Library Commit
tee of the Twentieth Century Club,
but to all those who see and feel the
need of an institution of this kind in
our community, in helping to better
educate our boys and girls especially
those who have not the advantages of
home libraries, and in uplifting our
common humanity.