Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-26
CARN[G'['S GIFTS
REACH A MILLION
His Public Library Gifts In
Iowa Alone Amount to
$1,o76,ooo
'olTlzENs HAVE GIVEN s241,2oo
A Van huron County Legislator Re-
signs Local Office SO as Not to Have
His Seat Declared Vacant - Some
Feeling Against Senator .spooner
Trying to Save Iowa
Special to Times-Republ,can.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. 26.-Andrew Car
negie has rendered assistance to fif-
ty-three public libraries in the state
of Iowa in the past few years, and
when those that are under way now
are ready there will be eighty-two free
public libraries in the state. Mr.. Car
negies gifts aggregate $1,076,000 in
Iowa. He gave $4,000 in the past few
months for Libraries at Cherokee, West
Liberty, Winterset, Odebolt, Storm
Lake and Tama. There are now twen-
ty-four Carnegie library buildings In
course Of erection In Iowa, several Of
which will be opened in a few weeks.
In the past year library buildings have
been opened in Atlantic, Maquoketa,
Jefferson, Davenport. lndtanola, Mon
ticello. Upton, Ames, Denison, Vim
ton. Perry and West Branch. Since
the statistics for 1903 were made pub
lie five towns have voted for free pub
lie libraries, namely: Harlan, Laurens,
Storm Lake, Tama and West Branch.
This Is a part of an interesting rec
ord presented by Miss Alice S. Tyler.
secretary of the Iowa library commits
| sion, at the fifteenth annual meeting
Of the Iowa Library Association, which
convened in the Iowa building st, louis
last week. The meeting was held there
because of the more important library
meetings Of the week in st. Louis
The Carnegie record is not all, for
citizens Of Iowa have given for IL
brary buildings in the past few years
a total of $241. 200 and the gifts were
scattered among sixteen towns. The
tax levy, although voted, has not been
~ tde at Harlan, owing to some orpo-.
sttion. At West Branch a new build
i Ing was donated short time ago, tha
gift of Mrs. Hulda Enlow, costing o.
| 500. OF the towns having municipal
| tax for library purposes Hawkeye is
| the smallest and Laurens is next in
size.
The work of the Iowa library COM
mission has followed during the past
year the lines laid down previously.
| Announcement was made at the st.
Louis meeting of the appointment by
Governor CumminS to a place on the
| library commission of Mrs. I'll. j. Howe.
of Marshalltown, the president of the
state association. AS she Is also of the
ladies' auxiliary committee of the Iowa
commission at st. Louis, the reception
| to the American Library Association
at the Iowa building was made very
easy and pleasant. Miss Tyler re-
ported that the travelling library has
continued to grow in size and useful
ness and it is possible now to attend
to requests more promptly than be-
fore. The summer library school was
interesting, and twenty-four students
attended. The work being done by the
| library commission includes the work
with school libraries which is an in
viting field but it is impossible to un-
dertake new lines of work without a
larger appropriation to provide larg-
er staff of workers. The secretary has
attended many Of the district meetings
of the federated clubs Of women, to
talk on libraries and has found keen
interest on the part of the club wom-
en- of the state both in the establish
ment of local libraries and in the trav-
cling libraries.
Miss Tyler in her report spoke Of the
fact that the commission now has am
, pie room for its work, having been as
signed good rooms on the basement
! floor of the capitol where there is
shelf room for the 12,800 volumes Of
the. travelling library and other con-
veniences. "The future is full Of
promise for the work in Iowa." said
Miss Tyler, "but there is much earnest
work to be done More libraries and
better libraries is our immediate task.
Earnest, capable, and enthusiastic IL
brarians and library trustees abound
in Iowa, and still we need more ana
mission Of the library is practical
one; it makes better citizens
| Miss TYLER had the pleasure Of an
nouncing at this st. Louis meeting
| something of special interest to the
blind people of the state. The COM
mission more than a year ago started
the innovation of a special library for
| the blind, and included books In the
raised letters to be sent out TO bllnu
persons in the state. But the COM
mission was handicapped from the
fact that it had to pay the expense or
postage or express. Now notice has
been received from the postmaster
general of a law by congress under
which these books and in fact literary
matter for the blind can be sent thru
the mails free 1t will greatly add to
| the usefulness of this branch.
! Now it is announced that DR.. Sum-
mers, representative in the Legislature
from Van Buren county, has resigned
| his position as pension examiner, and
| will not take the risk of having his seat
declared vacant. The democrats OF
the county made q nomination for the
alleged vacancy The name OF tneir
nominee could not go on the ticket
at this election. but 1t Is certain that II
DR.. Summers had retained his position