Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1908-05-15

Commission. Salem
In 1905 travelling libraries had been
authorized by law in twenty. five states.
In sixteen of tnese, the libraries were
in the direct charge Of state Libraries
or library commissions.
This wonderful record OF growth
from The idea promulgated by Mr.. Mel
vii Dewey in 1892 is most significant
testino nial, not only that illiteracy lie
becoming unpopular, but that good
taste in reading is to become an Amer
ican 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" thsn
to have no reading at all. In those
days our rural population had little or
nothing to read. Magazines were ex-
pensive, 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, II he chooses to be,
he is greeted by bewildering oppor-
tunity for choice among mediocre and
even more vicious publications than
were 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-
ligal" will have an even chance with
the youth Of generation ago to devel-
op into a useful and law abiding citi-
zen? The influences OF the dukes,
naughty countesses, staggering pirates
and common ruffians Of those days was
certainly not 30 quickly transmitted
into bad conduct as that of the current
yellow favorite.
Isolation had its advantages for the
people on our farms. Today, the farm.
er's lad. only less than his city contem.
porary, has the worst that our times
afford thrust upon him. In the cities
the public libraries are live to the ne.
cessity Of getting people to read, and
TO read that which is, at least, not dis.
tinctly harmful, with strenuous efforts
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 O
the books means much to the common
wealths whose interests they serve
may be seen from the character of the
books they are sending to the villages
country school and farm houses. 1t il
recorded Of one we'll selected and com
bined collection OF 40 volumes that il
three years it travelled over 2, 900 miles
and had 9lS recorded loans in 2s
months OF actual circulation In 8 differ
ent neighborhoods. Only "a per cent
of this circulation was fiction, 30 thai
these encouraging figures show that the
miscellaneous books are being read and
appreciated. What the general result
of the circulation of this better class Of
books in more or less bookless commu.
mites is, no one may definitely know
but the librarian of any sytsem Of
travelling libraries could find in the cor.
respondence Of her Office innumerable
and eloquent testimonials of the good
work that is being done. So general is
the belief that this class of literature
will help people to live OH farms and
in villages more intelligently, and
therefore more contentedly, that state
workers in farmers institutes have per,
sistently acted as advocates of travelling
libraries, with excellent and immediate
results in many cases.
Oregon now has 95 state travelling ii.
braries being sent to as many stations
throughout the state. As these libra.
ries belong to the state there is nc
charge for their use. Oregon people,
wherever they may be located, may
draw books from the Oregon Library
commission at Salem.