The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-29
mn yREspAY, ECEN1B11R g, : 1904
Another Director

Another Objector,.
sa,,or 81 The Times-Dispa OH I. S s.
IN ar. While not violent opponent o. ny -.
,hrary, / think IT cdedl IN
,,nod ant to erect one at the presei's 49,
Your article regarding street u,lu
,.Ies ia ono vulnera bio point Whacn
have doubtless overlo y, -
Win Richmond's Ill paved and ~ !, MI ~
y !, raat s hat in wet weather they a. -,
n ,,arfact hogs. and In dry weather tl =,
crush cd granite being constantly asi..lss1
4 ~, ~ sinu vehicles; Is held III slspeltl-
ia, II, fe atmosphere as hlgh as the stops
of tho houses, particularly So on
like Grace and Franklin and Ihlr .,,, 81 =,
where there is much driving : ~ l,
dnstsis athed into the lung ana VIII ~
,arso Subject to throat trouble It causes
n III; ,,.enso main n and irrtatesi the mucous
S,narnf3ra no 81 the eye, throat and nose.
wa streets paved with aspnalt OF ~ !,
lied brick this would bo5A eiin!lll't !, 80
,rherefore, say pave our > NJ
and let the library come later. q A l,oa
Spoint is that well paved streets ehh.,., ,os
$athe value Of propert but q = l 9 - -
n not.5 S IS IL /, !, a., o,,arv
The point you have overlo oKed ~ eseis
ono ofthe cities you men tion--NV orces yer.
4 Ma Nh e q Grand Rapids Mich, &c--is that
n ti,e, !, re- far Northern cities, Their street %
fre covered with snow for the NOS puiI,
eight months in the ne tlills ~,
u when tho sand dirt ana Ell
M most are the months Of February,
\ NJarch9nnd APRIL, before the streets are
Il snrinkled. IN Montreal, Canada, pralcetl--3
callyG,one Of the principal stree IS q are.
4 nayed they being of the same con constr.
lion as our Richmond Streets out iIoll l
y5 November to May the streets ar coVere =.
with snow, which becomes firmly Pipc;k fl'i
So there is a smooth, even roaa way ally
10 dust. The same thing applies - esI.
81 na,nf lthe nor cities you mention with
ross,bly the exception of Dayton ono,
4 n tbe same conditions applied here "a!
would also say let our streets alone aflu
nave = : q CIVIC IMPROVEMENT
We welcome the views of all obtectoolr's ss
51f there DO good and sufficient reasons re ''l7
~ 1phv Richmond should not have a pubic pubic
l;brarv We desire 10 know them. We are
omen to conviction. and II the DIRECTORS
can convince lis that they are right ana
$t hat the friends Of the library movement
are wrong, We promise to abandon on the l1t
project.
e a5 Rut We are not convinced by the argu-
ment Of this correspondent. We agree
with him that 1t Is desirable to nave
clean streets for Richmond, but II he
b means to say that Richmond cannot have
both clean streets and public library,
We disagree. Indeed, we believe that
public library in Richmond would be
wholesome and powerful influence for
cleanllness.ain the. full and varied mean an
ing Of that term. Cleanliness Is one OF
the surest signs and expressions Of CIV
ilization, and II libraries doInot promote pro I'
civilization and civic progress IN all oil
rections they are failures
Several days ago we pointed out that
the cities OF Worcester, Fall River scran'
y ton, Lowell. Grand Rapids and Dayton
each and all manufacturing cities, man
aged TO maintain public libraries. as well
as 10 keep their streets clean. We
showed that Richmond compared favor
ably with these cities in the amount O
money expended for street cleaning. bu
not in the amount expended for libraries
a. Richmond spends nothing on that ac
count Our correspondent says that W.
have overlooked that these cities are 10
Gated at the North. where the street,
are covered with snow for the most par
eight months in the year, thereby pre-
venting the dust from rising. and argue
Ebv Inference that they do not need q
much money as Richmond needs TO kee
her streets in order. It Is a pretty broa
statement that the streets OF these elite
arc snow covered for eight months In IN
year We had supposed that ehterprisin
cities removed the snow from most Q
their streets, and that snow storms wcr.
for that reason. most expensive 10 III
street cleaning department. Our CORE
n spondnnt seems to think differently. II
regards snow storms AS economical bless
ings TO The Northern cities we shall NJ
argue the point. but IT IL fact ttf
three OF the cities named spend consIt
ernbly more money than >RIchinon
spends for street cleaning, and two
them spend nearly as much. AT the gan
time they manage 10 spare eoodly sun
for maintaining their libraries.
our correspondent makes another broi
statement when he says tina, well pae.
streets enhance the value Of propert
while library does not In this atat
,nent ne IS not borne out by the lcahe
of thought in this day and generate
nor by the facts and figures. II IS n
too well known now 10 De cpntroYrttc
5S fact too well established % be ars4t
3 that education means wealth. Ailaen
property ~ the creation Of mems haht
Education enhances Ethe ABILITY Of IN
to produce. A library T. an essential u
of our educatinnsI system, i>ct our cor
spondent assume these simple and r
4. pgnized premises, and then $50 ifftc 9
reason from them 70 the coneiusinn Y