The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-30
CARNEGIE GIFTS
REACH $39,325,24O
Nearly s3O,oOO,OOo Spent in
the United States
PRAISED BY HORACE WHITE
Poor People of Present Cities Have
Access to More Books Than
Did the Wealthy of
Fifty Years Ago.
PRAISED BY HORACE WHITE

Beloit, Wis, January 29.-(SpeciaI.)-
Andrew Carnegie has given and pledged
$39, g25, 240 for the erection of 1890 library
buildings These figures came out today
in an address Mr.. Horace White of New
York, at the dedication of the Beloit Col
lege library one of Mr.. Carnegie's bene-
factions. 1t was the first time the fig
ures had ever been announced and they
were furnished to Mr.. White by Mr.. Car
negie's private secretary.
The statistics are particularly interest
ing as showing that IS per cent of the
English speaking population of the world
has been given zee access to books, fifty
housed. through the generosity of the
iron master.
OF the 1870 libraries thus established ITO
are in the United States, and the cost of
the institutions in all countries is appor-
toned approximately as follows: United
States, $29,O94.0SO, or three-fourths of the
whole; England, 100000; Scotland So
100000; Canada, $1,4755OO.
In commenting on the field of Mr.. Car
negie's beneticent labors and of the class
es of people reached Mr.. White said:
These are mostly jewellers in towns
and cities. 1t is condition of library
activity and usefulness that there shall
be some density of population at the
nucleus, and it is condition of Mr.. Car
negie's gifts also that the communities
supplied shall expend annually sum
equal to 10 per cent of the cost of the
building for the maintenance and upkeep
of the Libraries; that is, for books, Ii
brary service and repairs. In other words,
town accepting a $4,000 building must
pledge itself to expend $1,000 a year to
keep the library going. AS this money has
to be raised by taxation 1t becomes q
common interest. Everybody has share
in 1t, everybody feels at liberty to use
the library, and everybody is interested
In its good dministration."
Great Good Accomplished.
AS to the good accomplished by the Car
negie libraries and the interest taken in
them by the benef1ciaries, Mr.. White had
this to say:
81 attended the formal opening of one of
these branch libraries few days ago. 1t
was In the east side of the city, In the
midst of a working population. The day
was cold and snow was falling but the
new library was surrounded by large
group of children and youths of both
sexes, eager to get a glimpse of the in
terror OF this commodious and we'll pro-
vided structure, which was to be thrown
open to them on the following day. I
called DR.. Billings attention to the
throng outside. Yes, said he and IL YOU
come tomorrow you will see them inside
here, all holding out their hands for
books
1T was an ispiring sight, and I could
not help contrasting it with the scarcity
Of books in my own boyhood days The
poorest family in New York or in Beloit
has greater wealth of books at is COM
mand than the richest family In either
place had fifty years ago. No fact mark
ing the progress of the world has more
significance than this"
Continuing in this strain, Mr.. White
made these deductions:
How idle, then, how wide of the mark
1t is to say, as some persons do, that the
ii.discriminate giving of money for free
libraries is enfeebling the minds of the
people by putting in their hands the
Astounding trash of the day. How are
we to know what is trash and what Is
not? Dante did not become famous till
some centuries after his death. Jonn
Runyan was derided by all the critics
of his own period, and the poet Cowper,
who fourished nearly a century later,
said that In polite society the Pilgrims
Progress was mentioned only with
sneer.
mo COMMITTEE of experts or censors
can infallibly distinguish between the
diamonds and the PASTE Of literature
Only the sitting of the ages can do this.
Therefore, I say that any books which
are not obviously immoral may be safe
~ placed within the reach of the multi
tude and that the intelligence of the
communities which support public libra
ries by self-imposed taxation may be
trusted with the selection of the books
to be placed on their shelves"
How Gifts Are Distributed,
In the report of Mr.. Whites speech.
printed in the Evening Post of this city
is comprehensive table showing among
other things that the total populations
OF the countries where Carnegie libra
ries have been installed amount to more
than S0,000,000, of which more than "a
100000 have access to the Carnegie libra
RES: