The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-28
POWERFUL Z REASONS
L LOGIC AL LLY URGED
Writer Gives Fact After Fact in
III Support Of the View View That NJ
Richm ond Should ';t,yi II \. Accept N
the Carnegie Gift His
tory 81 Public Libra
5ries in Other Cities.
BY John P. Kennedy State IL
brarian.

III III ldIl
n a public library ist q monument to the
abilities ana learning 8of those promoting
It's welfare. Tho citizens nor Richmond
are therefore face to face with q a pro.
inent factor to the student Of the future
III determining tho reasoning 6. (. powers LOT
to-day. Unlike tho Puritan. who re fused
|$tosdo and #forbade others the RIG ght OF dis
erection ;5who held $l1i,nselfsaoof from lie
Joys Of life and apart from lie S synlpn-
thles OF ofihumanity, ! our will is rectpro clty,
Fellowship and N advance. IL Ours is not Il
qualification narrowed after iminatlire
fanclcs. nor Is the expod lency 5s Of so ur
Ideas unsupported II by example; $s wic ;lrc
prepared, our sta pie; resour q ro5 4, .,ll,-
questioned tteref fore it. deyolves upon us
to act in concert I, and create concrete re-
suit which We $willSbe wi ling to submit t
2 to 8posterityS as S.lndca Tive OF our afolest
decision and llturesssI t: t:isF therefore, most
that we consid er not ourselves
alone, but Great q under tho most IA For-
;able auspices a II ours command an lnsti-
3tution8that Will no + onl u he NJ toy fix o
infancy to ollr people, but t an educat !onal
monument for all time. " VI S.
Ss, In connection VII 4 al, great projects,
however. whet t1ler tile result bes as ar
5aBphysical belefi ! to smnnkind, q 1t is most
that rca sons for all Jun dertAk- !
ings should be k known..5 q The question @tO-
day then is why do Hc need Sas5 public IL
Ebrary? The simplicity q OF this & que cry
Is sufficient reason for entering into8its
Thorough ex planatio lon. IN order that NC
may discern separat tel 81 and collectively.
the $yari ious Snutnral d cmands for an 5inst.s
tuition of his kind ,slet discuss the r lr-
tdiFidual nc cessities I'LL ~ Y W.
5s:1 The public library IS \ the banking
institution. yins tl,hi largest interest on
money Invested in public schools.
& q r Richmond has u school population OF
"a o37 II. enrolls ~ 2, ,2o3 spupis, which Is
40 per cent Of 3clig bles.f Ten tousaild is
the number daily attending schools in this
icty.5whlle the small number of 4, 174 are
studying higher branches, vet conparu- =
lively Few have access to library faciE-
ties In their preparation for lifc's work.
8. M true teacher feels satisfied with
the results Of his work, ,5s5i if through the
lack Of library benefits the child must
Econfine study to the mere convcntionali-i
ties or school room ! fe. KS
81 4. Elementary anu secondary education
is predatory, and without the public IL,
4brary not infrcquently causes the child
to- underrate It's bilty. Success In n life
depends in large measure onfcomparisons
Ia facil!tySof the library. 35i
What Education M Means.
SS& 5. Education means higher wage bet
ter citizens Il perfect contentment, con-
Stinued prosperity, culture and $ss4 efine-
3ment.H 5s NJ a n 85ii isisS
d G.. "A state llbrary&is primarily a IL.
brary for reference, and Its position is
distinctly advisory. Its creed urges tho
formation OF public Libraries, and as q
path finder to education its duty is to
promote all literary byways leading to
the homes Of the people ,55s N
| !. a public library con talns books Q {
general; literature and is never designed
to Include other than ordinary books Of
reference. 1t reaches the homes OF the
people through its department Of clrcu-
5lation, which is no :; a feature of STATE
institution. s * q s IS s3is
81 }Thrce thousand dollars Is annually
paid II In Richmond II for tho privilege of
reading books, and tho proporti ton Of our
population seeking to be & assessed from
{$5 to $12. rs each, is one III, three nundrsd
and ten. lsaa I3S W lys
o. i Many citizens of Richmond have If
Ffercd to pay any reasonable amount of
money fortthe privilege of securing books
from tho state library, sg 4
3.510. Three thousand books were clrcii-
lated In this city by tho Stato Library
during tho year ended October 81. 1904,
and these lalgoly#to teachers and he
clergy, .i5
"a H. Seventeen thousand, seven hundred
md twenty four readers were served In
tho State Library during tho ynnr ended
October 3lst. While a5.15s books We're hand
cd thenl. This as an apprccln ton O.
library opportunltics clearly Indicates a
great Interest lii. reading In this city
I2. ASlocal library is naturally tho
civic centnr2of tho community, Is around
which frt,volycs locnl lies, local ~,
stcrcst aud PRIDE For tho want or Y
FRlcllnond's history is bettcr known, In
library ccntcrs3 hnil here and hooks ihea ar'
Ing early Richmond Imprint ARE curlos
to all ollr citizens save tlln blblioGrApI,'
,els, @ s.8
Proportion Small,
II S13, Twelve Thousand, two hundred ;.l.l
7threo nplls attend puhlic schools IN
Richmond. while fifty is a fair lily aver