Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1905-04-28
BY EDMUND BUCKLEY. PHI. d.
(The University of chicago.l

BY EDMUND BUCKLEY, PHI, ID.
(The University of Chicago)
Copyright, 1905, by Joseph b. Bowles)
To a properly civilized mind the in
comparable advantage of city life con-
sists in accessibility to library, music
hall and art gallery; though only a very
small minority of city folk take advan-
tage of these institutions, and those
who do so are rarely prepared to mako
adequate use of them. All three insti-
tutions need further democratizing; that
Is to say, need so interpreting that even
the Wayfaring man, though fool in re-
spect to these refined activities, may not
err therein Meanwhile, very much
provision of the sort is made in the Ii
braries at any rate; though here again,
unfortunately, the vast majority of
readers do not use it, for the simple rea-
son that they do not know of its ex-
istence
Suppose that person has suddenly
reached point where he wishes to learn
something; it may be to satisfy a bust
ness or professional need; it may be to
fulfill some social duty; or, perhaps,
most vital of all, it may be to reach the
next grade in his own personal develop
ment, for occasions come to all men
worthy of the name when they could
cry: "A book, book, my kingdom for
book" 1t may easily happen that an
hour or so at that book will preclude the
most awful fate that can happen to any
one, arrest of development; and it there.
fore becomes of the utmost Importance
to know how to find it.
The first aid in this direction is the
so-called finding list which is simply
topically classified catalogue printed in
book form, or it is a set of topically
classified cards arranged in cabinet of
drawers. Such card set may either oc-
cupy a cabinet to itself, or may share
it with other card sets classified for au-
thors or for titles. The card catalogue
is superior to the printed catalogue, be-
cause so readily kept up to date by the
addition of new cards as fast as the new
books arrive, whereas the catalogue can
only be supplemented after certain
period by bulletin.
BY use of such book or cabinet the
| searcher limits his field to the general
topic wherein his interest lies, for ex-
ample to art or sociology. So far so
good; but he still sees before him hun
dreds or thousands of titles, including
the good, bad and Indifferent, with no
means of distinguishing between them.
or course, a more recent date is no evil
dence that a book is superior, unless
| other things are at least equal, which is
what they rarely are. In fact every
great book is speedily followed by crop
of small books, which exploit it for the
unwary reader. These small books are
the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the
vines that waste time, and leave the
reader still in need of the confessed au-
! thority.
The second aid, supplied to meet this
special need, consists of critical bibli-
ography. The most valuable, compre-
hensive one of these is Sonnenschein's
THE Best Books" in second enlarged
edition since 1891, with its supplement-,
THE Readers Guide" published in
1895. In both these books the works of
exceptional excellence are marked with
an asterisk, and the readers estimate
of these starred works will increase as
he notes how very few they are relative
ly to those thought worthy of mention
at all. Only one subject, American his
tory, has yet been favored with such a
critical photography for itself alone.
Thisis Larned's Literature of American
History" in which every title has been
provided with an evaluation. The two
encyclopedias last published, namely
the New international Encyclopedia" in
1902 and "The Encyclopedia Americana"
in 1903, both furnish their chief articles
with photographers as excellent as they
are brief.
So much for books, but sometimes
even the greatest or most recent of these
must be supplemented by articles found
only in periodicals. Here again sur
vey of the vast and well-nigh trackless
region has been made by Poole's Index
of Periodical Literature" which forms a
continuous index to the chief English
and American magazines from the be-
ginning of the nineteenth century to the
year 1896 in five large volumes. Period
icals since that year are indexed in three
separate publications, each possessing
special points of excellence and all re-
liable.
The first and most generally useful of
these is the annual Literary Index,
which besides providing an annual in
dex to about $50 English and American
periodicals, includes an index to books
composed of essays upon various sub
jects.
The second index of this type is
1.-THE Cumulative Index" published
since 1896, with list of some go period
icals. and. cumulating its index each
month until the year is completed.
The third one of the type is the Index
! to Periodicals" published annually by
the Review of Reviews" (the English
not the American magazine), with list
} of over $50 titles, the majority Of which
are British. Similar indexes, though fal