The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-19
HOUGHTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
READY TO SERVE PUBLIC
Opening Ceremonies Held Last
Night and Yesterday After
ca noon Well Attended.
ADDRESS BY MISS STEARNS

The Houghton public library is now
open to the public From o'clock
This morning until the same hour to-
night the building win be open for the
drawing out OF books or the use of the
reference works on The shelves. Each
day hereafter the building viii be open
from in the afternoon tin o'clock
at night. with the exception of Satur-
day when the building is opened at 9
I'm the morning.
The formal dedication of the new
building and its contents TO the use of
sthe entire public occurred last evening
and in spite of the bitter cold and the
impending storm. large crowd as
sembleJ 10 assist i'm the dedication. Be
cause of their inability 10 attend the
place on the program allotted to the
high school orchestra was filed by the
Twin City Mandolin club and they fur
'nished several pretty selections during
the evening Mrs. T. W. Nichols con-
,tributed the rest of the music for the
occasion, singing a beautiful solo.
President Miller Presided.
William f. Miller. president Of the
svillage board, and secretary of the
Portage township board OF education,
presided at the meeting and delivered
The address OF welcome in which he
told brief history of the getting OF
the library together. He rendered to
the Women's Library association thF
thanks of the entire population for
their generous contribution Of over half
'of the books on the shelves, declaring
that the work Of these women long be-
fore "a library building was thought OF
had made possible the accomplishment
OF the task.
- He also praised the public spirited !
business men of the village for their !
generosity in supplying the funds nee |
essary 20 purchase the site upon which /.
the building now stands. At the close 1
iof his remarks he introduced Miss L. |
4. Stearns of Milwaukee and a mem-
Der of the Wisconsin Free Library I
commission. who delivered the princi- /
pal address Of the evening her topic /
being, "The Library and the People"
Miss Stearns' Address.
Miss Stearns is q very interesting
and vivacious talker. In part she
spoke as follows
al" "Our concern tonight is with the eyo-
. luton of the modern free public IL
brary. This is, the same as seen to-
night in Houghton the result Of the
subscription library. tho. first one OF
which in America was started by Ben
jamm Franklin. The first public IL
brary was established many years ago
in Boston and from that beginning has
grown the free public library move
mcnt 20 such proportions that now IL
braries are being opened au over the
United states at The rate of three per
week TO say nothing of 10000 travel
ing libraries Michigan is second I'm
1.-THE matter of travelling libraries in
athis country.
.i About Fiction Reading.
Fe IN commenting upon the craze OF the
present generation for fiction. Miss
Stearns said: Good fiction is the ,
best relaxation found for the monoton-
Gus lives OF the poor Public Libraries
are centers not only of public educa-
ton but of public happiness that Is .
common To as. AN. They teach without
arrogance To- the ignorant and without
patcry 10 the wlsest Tho public /
library s the only bing that every n
one in community can work FOR" II I
lis The only thing Ia the community {
that is entirely non-sectarian and non {
political"
The speaker was very profusc in her D
praise for tho Houghton library, It's
building. the books, the arrangement. {
especially Of the department for the
little children.
Miss stearns closed her address by +
gurgins the people OF the village 10 not !
only use the library but to support it :
and To- assist the librarian.
Supt. Doelle Speaks. IN
Supt. Doelle then spoke, telling Of ]
the help the business men had afforded d
him ion the raising of the money and q
declaring that not one penny that was q
pledged was not collected. although it d
IS customary in such subscriptions to 6
figure off q certain per cent. He ex-
planned that this is "a township library