Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-13
NEW LIBRARY Is DEDICATED
General Grsnville N. Dodge Principal
Speaker of the Occasion.
REVIEWS LIFE OF ANDREW CARNEGIE
Public Reception I'm Library building
I'm the Evening Completes the
Formal Exercises of the
Dedication.

Formal Exercises of the
Dedication.
The dedication ofthe new handsome library
building donated to Council BLUFFS by An
drew Carnegie was carried out yesterday
with BETTING exercises in the afternoon
at the New theater and in the evening
by public reception at the library, both
being attended by large gatherings OF in
terested citizens
For the exercises in the afternoon the
stage Of the theater was tastefully deco
rated with the national colors and a canopy
of Japanese lanterns, while an immense
bouquet OF American Beauty roses graced
the speakers table in the center of the
stage. Seated on the stage were: General
Grenvile NJ. Dodge, the speaker of the
afternoon; Congressman W. l. smith, Presi-
dent Rohrer and the members of the IL
brary board, Mayor Macrae, members of
the city council and other city officials,
members Of the park board and other
prominent citizens.
Following the opening of the exercises
with music by Prof. Covalt's orchestra,
Rev. II. w. Starr, rector of st. Paul's
Episcopal church, delivered the invocation.
President Rohrer read letters OF regret at
being unable to attend from several promi-
nent persons to whom invitations had been
extended and then General Dodge, who was
rendered a nattering ovation by the large
audience, delivered his address
Andrew Carnegie" General Dodge took
as the subject of his address, which was
an interesting sketch of the life Of the
man with whom the speaker had been on
terms of intimate friendship since 1870,
~, tor
in the work of the development Of the
south and southwest inaugurated by the
Pennsylvania railroad. His address clearly
showed his admiration for the man through
whose generosity Council Bluffs now owns
a magnificent library building complete in
every detail General Dodge said in part:
Tribute to Andrew Carnegie.
Mr.. Carnegie, in letter to Judge Dillon,
! formerly a distinguished citizen of this
| state, explains how he took such an inter
| est In the establishment of libraries. He
said: Il am a library builder through
weavcrs who organized the first library
! in Dumfermline. They concentrated their
| few volumes and opened them to less
I boy I'm Allegheny City Colonel Anderson
opened his library, consisting Of 400 vol
| and attended every Saturday to the ex-
1 change of books, and in this way the por-
tails of knowledge were opened to me, and
| then l resolved that II ever fortune ia
vored me 1 would use it so that many
! another working boy would have access
| to books in which is preserved II by
| magic everything worthy that man has
| said or done"
Peterborough, n H.. is stated to be the
| first town In the United States to establish
a free library. In the year 1888 it voted 10
| employ certain sum of money voted BY
ee library N q e be ee IS the pSop
| of the town The success of the expert
ment brought about the legislation of l&:
states established free town Libraries
! Since then they increased slowly until
| Mr.. Carnegie decided to spend his mil
! lions in erecting the buildings where cities
| and towns would furnish the books and
| provide for the maintenance of the library
70 bTs G FOR arnegie tS mas
| people; 40 of these are in the United
States The aggregate cost of these build
ings is $Ss S25,24O Three-fourths Of this
sum has been spent in the United states
| the balance in England. Scotland and
Canada The total Population he has as
| country. Think what a permanent bless
| ing for all time this is to the English
and to those without means or ,oppor.
| tuuity TO obtain knowledge except through
the use Of libraries.
No Use for DonOthinEs.
He is firm opponent of class distinction
and holds in contempt the privileged classe;
| by forced industry or voluntary service tC
the benefit OF society. For America he +:
| an out and out protectionist for the British
Isles he is an out and out free trader hold
ing that the conditions existing in the two
countries demand this great difference II
their commercial methods.
Mr.. Carnegie's one supreme ambition II
life Is to weave together the interests o
, the United states and England. He is al
enthusiastic advocate of the federation o
all English speaking peoples He look
upon this union as the one great hope fol
/ no md q ha RI
Wealth, he says, should be held in trus
for the benefit of the whole community
not so much to raise the submerged tentl
as 10 help the swimming tenth to Keep thei
heads above water.
Mr. Carnegie,s treatment of labor haa
had many criticisms; His own belief 70
smooth working in the industrial arena Il
co-partnership, and where that Is not pEac
which ne put in operation in his owl
works, His experience, he says, goes u
prove that the Arm which has the reputa
ton for taking the best care of its mel
has the best chance, because the best mel
all gradually grayitate 10 that firm an,
stay with II.
At the conclusion OF General Dodge's ad
dress, which held the close attention o
his audience from the opening TO the las
sentence, followed the formal presentation
OF the keys OF the new building to Mayo
, Macrae as chief executive OF the city, ant
the return by him TO the Board of Librar,
, Trustees, the ceremony being accompanies
by short speeches by the mayor. Secretar
Baird OF the Library Board who presente
the keys to the city, and by Trustee ]. NJ
Calvin, who accepted them back on behal
OF the board, President NJ. f. Rohrer O
the Library board presided
Reception in Evening.
To those who visited the new librar,
during the reception last night for tn
; first time since IL was completed tn
building presented strikingly pleasing
picture. Every room and hall was ablaz
with light while potted ferns and palm
met the eye at every vantage point an
beautiful boquets Of roses and other Gu
flowers graced the center OF each table an
were massed in profusion around the hand
some counter facing the main entrance
The receiving party, consisting of Presi
dent Rohrer and the members OF IN
library board General G. NJ. Dodge, Mayo