Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-01

- has arrived where a city's stage
~ of advancement may be de-
- termined by it's attitude toward
the public library. 1t makes a city or
town a far more desirable place of resi-
dence and thus attracts the best class of
citizens. More than any other agency, it
e~levates the general standard of intelli-
gence and brings the benefits of higher
education to the masses whom neither the
church nor the high schools are able to
reach"
These were the words of Frederick NJ.
Crunden of the st. Louis Public School
library before the Iowa Library s%ociety's
annual meeting several years ago. What
was true then is equally true today. That
a free public library was one of the chief
factors in the upbuilding of a city has
never been lost sight of by the citizens of
Council Bluffs. The library movement in
Council Bluffs, which received it's first
impetus when the city was emerging from
what might be termed a frontier Quitting
pest, has passed through successive stages
and many vicissitudes until within the
near future Council Bluffs will be able to
proudly point to a $4,000 building, the
permanent home of the city's free public
library.
While this building, when erected, will
stand as a monument to the munifcence of
Andrew Carnegie, it will also testify to
the advancement of the city. The offer of
Mr.. Carnegie to donate $40, 900 for a library
building in Council Bluffs was based
on certain conditions. The principal condt-
tion was that the city pledge the levying
annually of a sum not less than $1,000 to
maintain the library. Realizing the great
advantage of the building to the COM
munity which they represented, the alder
men hesitated not a moment in enacting
the proper legislation to bind the munich
pality to comply with this condition. An
ticipating the willingness of Mr.. Car
negie to donate a sum sufficient for a suit
able library for the city, the library board
with the acquiescence Of the city council
had taken the necessary steps for the
acquisition of a site by the levying Of
sufficient tax to purchase the requisite
property.
The library movement in Council Bluffs,
which had it's first start in 1866, has since
that date passed through successive stages.
The first effort toward a public library re-
suited in the organization of the Young
Mems Library association in May, 1866, OF
which the late w. H.. M. Pussy was the
first president. The succeeding year the
late Chancellor L. w. Ross was president
Frank M. Streamer was librarian and
the library was located in what was then
known as the Empire block, on Broadway.
Several hundred books were collected by
donation and purchase and the library was
in a fair way Of getting. a start when
disaster overlook it. On June 26, 1867, the
Empire block was destroyed by fire and
with it the library of the association. For
four years Council Bluffs was without a
public library. In 1870 Superintendent
Allen Armstrong of the High school formed
the nucleus for a library for the benefit of
the pupils from funds obtained by the
graduating exercises, and he succeeded in
organizing the Council Bluffs High School
Library association. This was in the lat
ter part of 1870. The late Horace Everett,
one of the leading spirits in the library
movement, assisted the association by the
donation of several hundred volumes from
his private library.
In May of the year following the scope
of the library was enlarged by its incorpo-