The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1908-04-18
TRAVELLING LIBRARIES
Wonderful Gr5wth Of Past sixteen
Years.
By Cernelia Marvin. Secretary Oregon Library
Commission. Salem.

By cornelia Marvin. Secretary Oregon Library
Commission. Salem.
In 1905 travelling libraries had been
authorized by law in twenty five states.
In sixteen Of these, the libraries were
in the direct charge OF state librsries
or library commissions.
This wonderful record OF growth
from .he idea promulgated by Mr.. Mel
vii Dewey in 1892 is most significant
testimC nial, not only that illiteracy is
becoming unpopular, but that good
taste in reading is to become an Amer
lean habit. Time was when some Of
our scholars thought that bad reading
was better that none at all. A we'll
known teacher Of English literature at
one Of our large universities stated to
one OF his classes twenty years ago that
II would be better for people to read
even the "Fireside Companion" than
to have no reading at sll. In those
days our rsral population had little or
nothing to read. Magazines were ex-
penslve, and the almanacs and county
papers made a very meager literary
diet. Even the doubtful good of having
the cheap weekly papers thrust into
the dooryard was denied the average
farm home.
In these days, when the farmer Ia
Just as close to the heart OF the world
as the rest OF US, If he chooses to be,
he is greeted by bewildering oppor-
tunity for choice among mediocre and
even more vicious publications than
we're common twenty years ago. There
are capable men and women, highly
cultivated and useful citizens, whose
early reading was largely OF the char.
acter then current in the cheap week
lies but who shall dare to prophesy
that the youth OF today, whose literary
excursions take him into the company
Of "Buster Brown" and Happy Hoo
liga1" will have an even chance with
the youth OF a generation ago to devel
| OPP into a useful and law abiding citi
zen7 The influences OF the dukes
naughty countesses, staggering pirates
and common ruffians Of those days wa
certainly not 80 quickly TRANSMITTED
into bad conduct as that Of the curren
yellow favorite.
Isolation had its advantages for tn,
people on our farms. Today, the farm
er's lad. only less than his city contem
porary, has the worst that our time
afford thrust upon him. In the cities
the public libraries are live to the ne
cessity Of getting people to read, ant
10 read that which Is, at least, not die
tinctly harmful, with strenuous effort
to promote the more vigorous and help
full sort Of reading. That those II
charge Of travelling library systems ar
fully conscious that wise selection @
the books means much to the common
wealths whose interests they serve
may be seen from the character OF tn
books they are sending to the villages
country school and farm houses. 1t
recorded OF one we'll selected and com
bined collection Of 40 volumes that L
three years it travelled over 900 miles
and had 9l8 recorded loans in 2
pnonths OF actual circulation In differ
ent neighborhoods Only "a per GER
OF this circulation was fiction, so ths
these encouraging figures show that tn
, miscellaneous books are being read an
appreciated. What the general resu
of the circulation Of this better class {
books in more or less bookless commit
mites is, no one may definitely knov
but the librarian of any system (
travelling libraries could find in the Co
respondence of her Office innumerab
and eloquent testimonials Of the GOO
work that is being done. So general
r the belief that this class of literatuI
will help people to live on farms an
in villages more intslligently, an
: therefore more contentedly, that sta
: workers in farmers institutes have pc
y sistently acted as advocates of travelir
. libraries, with excellent and immedis'
: results in many cases.
Oregon now has 95 state travelling
d braries being sent to as many station
throughout the state. AS these libr
( ries belong to the state there lie I
charge for their use. Oregon peopl
wherever they may be located, ms
draw books from the Oregon Libral
commission at Salem.