The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-07
il Anl,rjRDAjY. JAIN UA1sy 1 1905
d The Value Of Libraries.

n,he following article from tine SAT -
I, Ara American, OF yesterday CONNIE 'n ny;
Il q to, ali citizens who are opposeu - :
library for Richmon El1e Aine ss's s
some time ago Nj. Andrew Car ., ss 1
,,[o IA lust 1rlnde a lllunificehI Z,
ma Marylnnd institute otfereo 90
a ptlblic library for Richmond plo..as
That city would contribute q cot ~,
II sum for its support Ylrs, .sar a,,d
sital has not yet accepted the ollel, <
sti,ere IL manifest some oppo ition Gto NY
Il ANS nroposed " by the great phlianT
RI tLronist. The matter is now before 5tlo
Rstit,, Council for final action, and u nose
* nrnosing the plan are working hard ., g
"a ~, ,,ra fife Council5fto refuse to raaKe Z
81 ne & necessary appropriation. One 8 On of
A. these has written a. letter to the SeW vs.
"A 1,ea der. Of Richmond and Manches 'l
tin{$which he argues that s,ch an outlay s.i,l,
u would be a waste OF public money tl: W q
THAT the experience OF Eothcr GILES
4 ni,bllc libraries does not warrant q ae q.
"a ancn,i,a % ,rnent "a Iii his letter this wri ler
\ makes the following remarkable state
ieye every cit that has
n free library the fcwest number u OF OF
.neonle 4. ID tronize 4. lived three years
IN IA fillmore before the Pratt library
I,as hull, but While the Peabody and
s.the M ercar,tile libraries we're bboth IN run
ope11a ton. had IN oc sion very t sci Sc
n dom to visit either of these but when
az did $50. whether lriorni noon e III; y y
nigh t. there were II ever more = ma Two NO
d or three people n In the library, either.
reading or being served the ilnfa 4
Iri;Ln.''' ss$t II Ii Isl .5
g The writer OF X this art cle,B though he he
resided Il IN Baltimore 81 for three y ears.
r ~ iI,ed Sin4 that h time but VERY faint
4 Conception Of the aims and score ~ 81
%citherbthe Peabody or Us he \; Mercantile
libraries The Peabody, though a pubs 11,1tr
Ylic institution is not q loanlng} library. /
but ID 1 ma gnificent collection OF gt books.
intended for the use Of tnoso. desir1nss
TO make q special study of any nart 1cW-
lar subject. Though its daily pa tfonaEo
may not compare In numbers with that
u or 4 public loaning library, the fact does
not sdetract from It's value as an edit
Gator 1T has become q close ally OF,
Sthn Johns Hopkins and other local uni
versitcs and colleges, tho students Of
which make frequent use Of Its great
collection OF standard works. The NJ en-
4 camille on the other hand, is lonninE
library, maintained by private suhscrlp-
lions. and thus cannot be compared with
public institution. open TO the use OF
p all, free of cost. /, 5y5 4 !ta
ag fiau ZIG oIlpullcllL5sO " IVY I.Silllu'
library continued his residence In Bal
ftimore until after the I5noch Pratt Free
Public LibrarM was. established, he
would have sseen" the popular apprecla-
/: tipn and Immense patronage OF such an
institution. This III library, with It's
& branches. loans many books to thou
sands OF people every year, constantly
increasing its list Of patrons and becom-.
I ing more and more useful as 1t grows
older. Such a library every city should
have. and Richmond wills make a grave
mistake If 1t fails to take advantage Of
Mr.. carnegle's very liberal OFFER.