The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-19
THE GROWTH OF LIBRARIES
Social Scientists Discuss Their
Present and Future.

Melville Dewey on the Effect of Car
ncgie's notwithstanding Discus
sion of the Education of the Negro
| Views of Prof. Kelly Miller.
THE future of the library movement in
the United States in the light of Andrew
Carnegie's recent gift was the subject
discussed by the American Social Science
Association al it's meeting last night. The
first paper was by Melville Dewey. State
Librarian at Albany, N. Y. The paper de-
clared that the gift made by Mr.. Carnegie
had, in addition to its materially bene
fetal effect on New York, a secondary
effect, namely, one of stimulus to ali
library movements. The gift came oppor-
timely just at the elimination of the
library age" an age which began about
the middle of this century. The paper
then briefly traced the development of
the library from its beginning as a closed
monastery collection. then a collection
open to the public. then the lending of
books, and finally, its present state, where
it is OF. the verge of being asked to dis
tribute its books through the mails.
AT present, the heads of libraries are
no longer merely bookish men," he de-
clared. 1T needs men of affairs, to earn
moral dividends on the money invested
in library-just as it requires men of
business ability to earn dividends on
money invested In business"
Mr.. Dewey outlined the special tech
nical developments in the administration
OF libraries which were to be expected in
the years to come. He predicted a CEN
tralization of libraries, resulting from the
increased cost of supporting such insti-
| nd
of the smaller ones Books would be put
in central library and be sent out to the
smaller distributing centres. Libraries
would become local book stores, in which
books could be examined and bought at
wholesale prices. Libraries would also be
publishing centres
THE time has come Mr. Dewey de-
clared, for the endowment of great Ii
brary press. 1t would aim to publish the
| best literature at a low cost and would
bring out such special publications as
catalogues or photographers In the COM
ing century the use of pictures as an aid
to books will increase and the libraries
! VIII recognize this in their work
t. Il. Samborn. of Concord, stated that
the first free library in the world was
! established at Peterboro Mass, in 1893
and that in Massachusetts the movement
and city in the State possessed at least
one free library. Mr.. Wayland suggested
that restraint should be put upon the
use of fiction in libraries
Mr. Wood, of North Carolina made
some remarks concerning the library ia
cilities for people living IN rural districts
He thought that the library system ought
to be so extended as TO take in the poorly
settled districts, which need even more
than the cities to be supplied with books
The general topic for discussion at the
morning meeting ofothe association was
The outlook for the education and pro-
gress of the colored race in the light of
the present reactionary tendencies in the
| South The work was under the De
partment of Education and Art, of which
the Rev. Joseph Anderson, D. D., is
| chairman. o.
The first paper was bysGeorge X Stet-
! son. of Washington He began by saving
that racial antagonism is inherent in the
| human race, and appears In all classes.
| under all conditions of civilization. The
| problem of the negro. of all those pre-
| scented, because of this racial antagonism
| he considered the most important in the
| United States, though less so in the
| North than In the South The domination
| of the negro in the South was recognized
| as having been very disastrous just after
| the war, as shown by the great increase
| in Indebtedness of the States IN which
| they had power. as well as by the condi-
ton of society
| There are gradations in the negro
race, as there are in other races" con-
| tinued the speaker. land failure to rec
| ogniZe this is the cause of much of the
| difficulty presented by the race problem.
Of he II.
| futile. He has not the stable qualities
! that would make him a good colonIst so
| he cannot be disposed of by being col
| onized."
Taking up the question of negro educa-
ton, the speaker said that the race as a
whole was suffering from intellectual in
digestion. the result of examining its rep
resentatives with knowledge not fitted to
them
THE education of the negro along lines
now followed in the South" he said. sis
an impossibility. He has been taught
astronomy when he ought to have been
trained in scientific agriculture.
This would release the negro from a
condition of practical serfdom, enable him
to have a family life and would increase
the richness Of the States in which he
lives. He should be taught the economy
of agriculture, and should be taught these
things in industrial schools, making ii pos
sible to dispense with the costly second
airy schools now supported by the whites.
The cost of this Industrial education
should be borne by the State The ne
gro's permanent field is agriculture. Sta
tistics prove that in negro educational in
situations a very small per cent of the
students are preparing to take up farm
ing. Yet is can be said that the percent
age is increasing"
The paper summarized the conditions of
racial prejudice in the North and South,
in the negro republics and islands Of the
Gulf, and concluded with a discussion of
the political status of the colored man,
closing with the statement that negro,
or any ignorant suffrage, is menace to
the Commonwealth. The negro citizen,
excep: in theory, has not yet been in
vented
sity, the next speaker He said the
education of the negro was not a sep
arate difficulty, but part of the general
pedagogical problem of the country. In
no way. he insisted, had it been proved
that the darker race was in all respects
the inferior THE waves of racial devel
opment overlap" he said. There are
plenty of whites on a lower plane than
many negroes. The negro has possibili-
ties and aspirations, and in the light of
humanity has right to the development
of the one and satisfaction of the other
yet the negro, il is, true, is in a back
ward state of development, but has im-
mense physical ability and persistence
The test of the capabilities of the race is
the emergence of the Individual. Had
the Indian produced one man of the abil-
ity of Booker T. washington he might |
have saved the race from destruction.
his head in the front rank of every art
and science and industry. 1t is short |
sighted. therefore, to declare one stated |
kind of educational system for the race.
THE industrial school, however, is the !
only means whereby the negro can come |
In touch with the current Of industry and |
reach toward the coefficient of facility I
and efficiency which The better developed |