Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-01-05
SCORES CARNEGIE.
Correlli Says Gift Library Desecrates
Stratford on Avon.

Stratto"d-On-A Avon. Jan. 4-Narin
torelli is defeated hut not beaten.
Standardization IS 10 have 4
carnegie library lv-pltp tir valiant
efforts Of Miss c"r.lli. Nevertheless.
she is strong in nor conviction that sh
is right in her contention that the cot
taSeS which Shakespeare saw and IryuJ
should not be pulled down to make
room for an unnoc ccs>rry library.
founded by d vu.ear lrilIionaj:
ANXIOUS TO advertise his philanthropy
Il knew. she saws. "iIrrlrv ,.rr. tt
was sacred center 10 the pilgrim.
who com" from all parts of the world
10 honor Shakespeare. in and down
that street the great poet walked thou
sands of times. and. despite many
changes effected fo" the verse in
undermining Stratfori. it had remninc.i
more or less simple. uDpre7entious. ana
unStained by the srnircn ~ the nlilIion-
airc. | sa! 'unstaincd' adyisedlv.
When ] fought to keep Carncgi,'+
library out IF Henley street | did So
for patriotic reasons.
II considered ard consider still. that
IN" man who ordered ont police furrr
to fire on his WOrkmcn when thcy were
on a strike has no right to be aS>n-
clated. even in tn" rrmotcSt .IcSrcc.
with tn" street VIII h'rr;n our greatest
poet was bonn. In the years to come
Statford. and perhaps England itself
VIII y" ashamed it ever accepted thr
gift Of the so-called pniianthrnrist to
ceScrratc Henley street. No phi!aa-
thr"pist ever ordered his own men to
be shot at save and eXcc'J this one
whose deed never will be lu.-,ltcn -"
hl"tt"d Quito. not if he were y, planI
Tree libraries on every nile Of ayaiabl..
soil. | am ashamed of the Strairurd
local authorities that they SHOULD over
nave accepted Mr.. Cdrncgi,'s git hut
III accepting it they might ut least
have had the dcccncy and sclf-rcsprct
10 keep Henley street sacred"
did YOU ever have an interview
with Mr.. Carnegie on the question:
she WAS asked.
Yes. ana l was much impressed by
his vulgarity.'' said Miss Corcli.
When l pointed out the antiquity of
the cottages which it was proposed To-
demoliSh. Mr. Carnegie said that if
they We're as old as Christ he would
have them pulled down. I think such
an expression used to me serves to con
vcy ii deeper impression of the hero of
the Pittsburg strike than the most
lengthy description. On the whole.
was sorry for him."
sorry? Why?'
because he had not the moral
courage and Il sufficient sense Of JUS
ticc TO inquire into the matter for nm
self He trusted the man who FIRST
had begged the free library from NM
Deputy Mayor Archibald Flower. quite
implicitly. He said in kind "l IT.
relevant way: I have no use f"r i n";'
that docs not bring nc game ~ y"
mouth I may be wrong. but pre-
sumo he meant that Mr.. Flower was
the dog i'll question. and the 2au''
the site for his library III h'''iay
street
"Thc library is built but ] under
stand there are no books was suS-
scstcd.
Many Americans come here during
the year :nt; / have yet to hear one VI
them approve of the Carnegie library
she answered. Most Americans seem
to consider Carnegie one of the bound
crs' The American 'b0undtr pre-
tends to be Intimately acquainted wlth
cOuntesSes duchcsscs. and all the tlt'th
persons in Europe. He never See'"H
to realize il is the worst possible taStr
to boast of the wealth and position %
ones friends and acquantances.
What do you think of American ar
and American lteraturc?'
In literature, America is IKE
promising youth who is in the hobbi"-
dehoy stage and who has done noun
ing great as yet. The greatest Ahet'-
can writer is Emerson. and wheh oi'c
thinks of Holmes. Thoreau. and others
one is struck with the fact that tic
best work Of the American HtterateuF
has been done in the direction OF bfoac-
minded and wholesome philosophy.
Perhaps this was to be expected "i a
new country limited to the literature oi
older nations. but inspired toward tnc
broadesL view and a keen dellght III
fresh air. by a spirit in harmony win
the length and breadth of it's vast ana
expanse."
Preparations are being made for the