New-York tribune., 1902-03-14
FORTY LIBRARIES IN A DAY
MR.. CARNEGIE ARRANGED TO GIVE
THEM YESTERDAY.

ONE Is FOR ALBANY. TO COST s75ooo-AN-
NOUNCEMENT AT LIBRARY AssO-
CITATION DINNER.
Andrew Carnegie made possible forty more
public libraries yesterday. Most of them will
be established IN Western cities. the result
of requests to Mr. Carnegie from their inhab
itants for the money to start them.
Albany is one of the eastern cities included in
the lot, and $4,000 is the sum it will receive
from Mr.. Carnegie
Mr.. Carnegie announced the result of his days
work at the dinner of the New-York Library
Association at the rooms of the AIdine Associa-
ton last night.
Mr. Carnegie. when seen after the dinner
said he unable to furnish a list of the libra
ries he had endowed.
1t was my library day. you know" he said,
smiling These libraries mostly all for
little communities scattered all over the Coun-
try. The amounts all small, and cannot
remember where the libraries to be situ-
ated."
Was Albany among them?" he was asked
Mr.. Carnegie for some time has had an applica-
ton from the capital
Yes" Mr.. Carnegie replied Albany vas one
of them"
The endowment for Albany was for
$175,0O
Something like that yes said Mr.. Carnegie.
4 really cannot just recall the amount, but
am inclined think that it was"
Mr.. Carnegie was the guest Of honor and
principal speaker at the dinner. There were
present about three hundred Librarians from
New-York and its vicinity, and many distin-
guished guests. DR.. Henry NJ. Leipziger, presi-
dent of the club, postmaster At his right
sat Mr.. Carnegie while Mrs. Carnegie occupied
the seat at the left. Next to Mrs. Carnegie sat
MelvI Dewey, while Mr. Carnegie had on his
right Miss Mary W. Plummer. librarian of the
Pratt Institute, of Brooklyn.
The speakers besides Mr.. Carnegie were Mr..
Dewey Charles c. Birmingham, president of the
Board of Education; DR.. John S Billings. John
Kendrick Bangs the Rev. DR.. Merle st. Croix
Wright Justice Samuel Greenbaum and Miss
Mary E. Hazetine president Of the New-York
State Library Association. The dinner was in
formal and there were no set speeches.
President Lepziger. in his Introductory re-
marks. said:
The % h67raTy is no longer an institution dependent
every public educational system. and 70 no one
generosity Of the patron saint Of Libraries, Mr..
Carnegie. He is the type OF the trustee Of wealth,
opporuhtes for his fellow men He Gives gives and
stimulates communities 10 give He combines in
dlYdual philanthropy with municipal expenditure
in the wisest way. and each library founded under
caese has t done % eeR no6er duy lie has
aug from the ground the base metal by his magic
wand has transformed it into gold and transformed
forces.
Dr. Leipzger introduced the principal speaker
as st. Andrew MI Carnegie spoke as fol
lows:
have said a great deal bout the bill in Con-
gress for rural delivery II is a great thing that
the letters Of the rural dweller should be delivered
hrarian that there Il practical way I'm
which literature could be circulated to rural com
applications Of small communities In the West FOR
libraries And in this connection VIII say that
as l knew would have the pleasure of dining
mere to-nlghJ feit that ought 10 DO something
TO deserve that pleasure I have dealt with about
forty OF these applications to-day and am glad TO
say that in all, except perhaps two cases, / have
seen my way clear TO grant them
We hear a great deal about the influence Of hc-
ton, have considered the case most carefully. 1
ANY sort Of book. except which exercises bad
influence, is better than book
10 endow Libraries. he might do Wen bar notion
less than three years old. II book does not last
three years there might well be written on IL.
II soon he done for.
What on earth was ! begun for?
IF YOU have a Shakespeare a Marcus Aurelius
human thought II does you good 70 look their
backs only; they exude noble and elevating in
huence. | spoke 70 one of the most learned men
of Europe last summer, Lord Acton. He told me
that there were only about four thousand books OF
all those which have been written during all the
years of the world which could Law claim 20 i'm
tude Of the world II he can ma ke an imprint
on his own generation
John S. Billings. director of the New-Yerl
Public Library, was introduced as the chief ad-
wiser of Mr.. Carnegie in library matters" He
advocated the introduction Of courses in after
aTd toT IA he 1hl u0hnn