The San Francisco call., 1903-01-08
GIVES OPPORTUNITY TO MAN

But every man of US needs help--needs more
himself the stuff that is in him and thus the
free library is doing in the world of cultivation
the world of scholarship. what IL should be our
aim TO do I'm the great world-political and So
cial development7Ithat is II is as iar as may
- 90 & l,erIsaylas 70 show, how thew
are able to take advantage OF them. Thls Is
the kind of gift that steers the happy mlddie
course between the Charybdis OF failure TO show
public spirit the one hand, and on the
other the ScylIa OF showing that public spirit
those who take advantage Of it. To quote an
expression that l am fond of--this is equally
far from the two prime vices OF our elvIlization civil
l am not here to make a speech The / 4qfoT PreeI-
dent has several duties 10 perform nave
come because | feel that the movement Tor Sc
curing better facilities for selftralnlng, better
est and deepest sense. Is one of such prime i'm
portance that the President of the United
States could nowhere more appropriately come
than to this building Mr.. Carnegie, at this
time to thank you for the gift that you have
made to the people of the national capital.
When the applause had subsidized Presi-
dent Roosevelt left the auditorium, the
audience rising as he passed out and the
Marine band playing America"
CARNEGIE MAKES REPLY.
In a brief address H. D. F. MacFar-
land. one of the commissioners of the
District of Columbia, turned the building
over to the board of library trustees.
President Noyes responding on behalf OF
the board. Noyes speech was an elo-
quent tribute to the liberality OF Mr.. Car
negie He referred to him as a
Santa Carnegie, the patron saint OF
public libraries. who transforms by word
or touch of the pen, a crampled, crowd
ed makeshift of a library building into
the marble palace in which we are as
sembled to-day.
Carnegie next was introduced. He was
given an ovation by the great audience.
He said in part:
The free library. maintained by all the peo-
pie for all the people knows neither rank
nor birth within its walls. Even he who
honors us to-day by his august presence,
the honor of the highest position upon earth.
Speaking race a position compared with winch
all inherited positions sink into insignifcance,
within these walls has no privileges which Is
not the right of his poorest and humblest fel-
low citizens.
Free libraries maintained by the people are
cradles of democracy and their spread can
never fail to extend and strengthen the dem
ocratic idea, the equality of the citizen, the
royalty of men. They are emphaticaliy fruits
of the true American ideal. But while even
the President thus stands on the common Level
+ her that in the free library the man has a
place denied to the official as prince IN the
republic Of letters tor in the ranks OF those
I who constitute the chief glory OF the nation
/ Theodore Roosevelt the author Before ne
/ was President he had. Caesar-like, not only
: caused his fellows TO mark him and write his
speeches III their books but had mace books
for himself 1 doubt not that of the books
/ taken from this library his will rank high in
/ the list We hail him to-day. therefore, in
/ the dual capacity of President and author
! positions unsurpassed In their several spheres
rare and wonderful in combination.
Carnegie said that he had given. chiefly
within the past two years, $50 libraries
! During the month of July last 276 appli-
! cations for library buildings were re-
/ ceived by him from all parts of the Eng
! lish-speaking world. When he arrived al
/ New York last month from Europe he
/ found awaiting him applications for 65(
additional buildings. To-day he had Of
hand 3S5 new applications, making in al
under consideration now more than 500
.the great majority of which" he said
"will no doubt be given"