Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-08

A library is most at home when most
abroad.
Are YOU satisfied With the use the
mechanics and artisans make of your
! library? Then are you content with
little They 90 not yet feel that the
| library is theirs. True the present
to use books But there is a touch
of hospitality, bit of adaptation
which libraries should have, and have
not, which w II lead many of these
workers to share in the pleasures 3
library can give Try more advertising
| less rule; more flexibhty, less con
vention. less o. the acaden and more
| OF the democratic. There are severa
! good things in the well-conducted sal
opn; there are several weak
points in the we'll conducted Ii
brary. Bear those facts in mind. You
| buy ten copies of the last novel, and
the publisher advertises ii for you. Try
| ten copies of a good boot. on civic inn
lprovement or on American politics
and advertise it yourself 1t is curious
to note how the fiction habit creeps
into our order lists. We hesitate over
one copy of a good book on
household economics and rush
to order ten OF the latest
thing on broken learth-s stones
| The readers of the latter are impor-
tunate; the users of the former are si-
lent; but they wish to be found
"A correspondence school in this
country has found $4,000 persons will
| ing to use good books and to pay for
-. ,.,..,.t fl,.,
schools methods; but we can FIND
many a broad hint In them. From
| schools. colleges and universities we
can get advice, assistance and prestige
which. with some disregard of such
presidents as our out of-siate old iron
clad one l4-days" rule, and with
mere appreciation of the fact that
while a book may begin and end its
days on q library shelf. it should not
live there, will help us to be of help to
many times $4,000 craftsmen.
THE railway the trolley the news
paper, cheaper books the telephone.
the postoflice, these and other changes
and Inventions have added to the inter-
est and attractiveness OF life in the
village and the isolated farm. But
they have not added so much relative
~ to village ana farm as they have to
city life. The difference between the
attractiveness of city and country life.
in favor of the former is even greater
than it WAS 80 or 100 years ago. The
house and barn raisings. the huskings.
the picnics. the donation parties the
soeiabies. the dances and other forms
of social enjoyment in the country
seem to have ilourished more In the
early part of the last century than
they do today In any event. there is
still a loud call for such movements
in village life as will bring people to-
gether in a social way and promote
happiness and good feeling among
them. ] do not mean thar there is an
opportunity for missionary effort on
the part of the outsider. This Is not
a question of carrying a gospel. The
very possession of a gospel implies
the existence of pagans who are with
out IL a bad implication. But 1t IS
comparatively easy, usually proper and
sometimes helpful. having discovered
wha; are the customs and institutions
which are giving TO the people
in certain community pleasure
suggest from a differing experience
with the same institutions, additional
ways of making them contribute to the
pleasures and interests OF life. The
public library. or the beginnings there
of in the shape OF q subscription Ii
brary. library in the public school,
a Sunday school library. or the librar-
les owned by few of the more bookish
citizens, are to be found in almost
every community. no matter how small
These beginnings. so a study of the de-
velopment of free public libraries de-
clares, can be so managed by the peo-
pie themselves that they will grow
simply and naturally into town or VII
lage supported institutions. the COM
mon property of all the people. used by
all the people. and serving them rs
centers, not only of intellectual re-
freahment by means of books. but OF
much social activity and enjoyment be-
sides Much is being done in this di
rection. Let us do more. The small IL
brary can put an open shelf of books in
many farmhouse in its town. under a
minimum of rules. and get them used.
The most remote school house of your
Every country church is an opportun-
ity. Don't go into these lines as a
missionary The community leaves you
TO administer its collection Of books. to
get those needed, and TO put them
where all can use them. TO do these
things is your business, and your
pleasure. If their doing profits your
employers. then your days work Is
worth while. hut whether TO their
profit or moths is your work.
Something is 70 be said Of the mer-
chants and their employees. Some OF
the former and not many of the latter
come to us yet. Partly, we must be-
lieve, because of too trivial and COM
pick internal economy; partly because
we DO not get the proper material and
rightly advertise it. A purely COM
mercial library lends books in Cleve-
land which are returnable in Omaha. |
Is that impossible for US? And If SO,
is ii impossible for substantial reasons
or because of the bonds of routine?
Every town ore may almost say, no
matter how small. needs an art collec-
ton a local natural history museum |
a local improvement society, a lyceum |
or debating society. and other like ms
titutions / say every community needs
these. l mean, that the work of es
tablishing and fostering things like |
these is interesting, stimulating, cheer |
ing and helpful. 1T is not the having |
them but the getting them that is SO
well worth while. Fortunate the IL |
brary which has The room. the energy, |
the ideas and the means to do a little |
towards the ACQUISITION by it's conSti- |