The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-25

| tloHS ranging from q rev thousand
given some small, struggling town to
s35o.ooo given washington. The con-
ditions attending such requests are
that the city which Is the beneficiary
furnish the site and guarantee the
library an annual income ct at least
ten per cent. of the gift. The majority
OF the Carnegie Libraries go to newly
settled districts. and many have found
place In the south.
| In the North. where public schools
| were almo3. contemporaneous with set
necessity. In the South the public IL
frary camo twenty-five years after the
public school. and the movement Is
traceable to the influence OF the press,
nrary Association and the Southern
educational Association. In olden
days. when sort OF feudal system was
In vogue. and the Southern man the
best read OF his times. each planter
had his own private libraries, his tu-
tors and governesses. and there was
Colonel wiliam BYRD yri's Of W " ,se
| had. in the early eighteenth century.
the finest American library. about 1000
volumes 2nn ,es,a IN al. Jsttersen's library q
tby Congress. the foundation for the
famous Library OF Congress. The
Southern novelist. smma, had a library
OF 1000 volumes. and IN South Caro-
sate collections of books OF consider
able size before the civil War,
isuffered srom the vandalism that fol-
lows on the hee of war. Rare, books
were burned. cafried away or torn up
/ to furnish pictures for the decoration
lof negro cabins, many went as legits-
4 mate spoils OF war, ana many We're
sold to Northern Libraries by mpover-
iished owners. SO that the best South
ern Americana is to be found now in
the British Museum or among English
state papers. The Southern planter OF
Colonial and post-Revolutionary days
dollars from every cargo OF tobacco
to buy books for his private library.
Now the purchases that count are made
by the public libraries, the pas, two
year for North Carolina, $500 for
Massachusetts,. $4,000 for California.
and 100000 for New York.
i The aim OF the libraries is to reach
and upiift all people. One.third OF
/ the books issued are for children: SO
there arises the need Of placing before
i the reading may supplement- the school
4 work; that IL may be clevating to home
life; that picture books capable of
that fairy tales keep alive the dream
! world, and that nature books and hero
tales are plentiful The modern IL
i brary that has not It's children's room
Is rare. Special work, as recently done
In various public Libraries OF the land.
i includes the development of State
archives in Connecticut. Pennsylvania
In Connecticut; document collecting In
i Maine. oregon and vermont; travelling
libraries In Tennessee. Washington and
Wisconsin,. and books for the. blind in
i Colorado. Harvard library has long
been noted for It's folklore collection.
and the. Public Library OF Boston for
ine ton state Library has1 several
branches OF work. including a summer
library school and womens study clubs.
The nra5ss have been Of anso1a
.Iput books in their hands, but they
been directly and indirectly responsi-
and are now even going TO the eS-
|pense OF acting out catalogues for
i them in Braille. Led by the Free LIZ
. OF libraries are doing special work for
A thelblind. It Is the great hope Of the
public libraries to reach all the people
OF the nation. Among the poor whites
! even when tlliteracy has 5een over
come. the Anglo saxon eonser,yatism
end opposition to paternallsm IN any
Il come Those are now being reached
.Iby travelling libraries. system OF edu-s
cational effort that was born Of the
Estate Library Of New York. and had
Its beginning in that State In 1882.
:|ThrouEh State library commissions the
library workers hope eventually to
i place libraries In reach of the mem
4 bers Of rural communities as we'll as
j those OF the city and town.
4 The work OF the public libraries n
4 social and moral as we'll as tntellec-S
Il tual betternient is considerable. 10
Il these leading thinkers point for a help
lin solving the Sunday problem" All
the leading. free Libraries Of the coun-
Library Of Philadelphia, are open Ger e,
j tain hours on Sunday. havens for. the
4 homoless and diversions for idle min Ids
u The way for the library worker has
invariably led uphill, but the measure
OF progress between John Haryard,ss
small collection Of books end the liz
braries of Itoston and New York. 1T
y philadelphia. or washington Is the
measure Of the nation. Its greatest
;exempllflcnt ion is found In the Library
4 of Congress, housed In the most COM
'hplete library building in the world.
The 6.700 volumes bought from JefYer-}
son have Increased to a. million and u
,thalf, and the building. designed by
the nations leading architects. built
4 OF its most beautiful stones and mar
Il bles and decorated bysttss leading ar
4 fists, stands as a monument to the
i progress IF the nation,
i Copyright, 10 os, by F'rederictJ tfIaslsin.)
To,.morrow--"G citing the Nonina-
| ltion." II. ssEGs ~ ~