Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-22
TO- INCREASE G|FTS|HOW FLAG WILL LOOK
Public Library Trustees Tell Eight Rows Of Six Stars on
How to Make Bequests. Blue Union.
CIRCULAR TO LAWYERS lFORTY-EGHT STATES NOW
Recently Lead Change Not to Occur Before July
suance of Statement 1911, at Earliest
MR. B0WERMAN GIVES VIEWS MAY BE MUCH LONGER DELAY
Of
Added to BY Possession Of En- When
Public Library Trustees Tell
How to Make Bequests.
CIRCULAR TO LAWYERS
INQUIRIES Recently Made Lead to Is
suance of Statement.
MIR. BowERMAN GIVES VIEWS
Saws Value of Institution Would Be
Added to by Possession Of En-
dowment Fund.

Because several inquiries recently have
been made regarding the approved plan
for making requests to the Public LII
brary. the library trustees are taking
decided interest in what may easily prove
to be field of greatly increasing useful
ness for the institution. Two such in
ouries have been received and answered
during the last few weeks, and II is
known that in each instance wills have
been prepared, in which the library even
tually will fall heir to considerable sums
of money.
The board OF trustees has issued a cir
cular letter to all the members of the
Bar Association about 80 in number).
giving information which, ii is thought,
may be transmitted by the attorneys to
their clients In connection with the prep
aration of wills.
Text Of Circular Letter.
This letter, issued yesterday. reads as
follows:
THE officers of this library have re-
Gently received from certain attorneys
and from officers of trust companies re-
quests for information concerning the
method of making requests for the bene-
1T of the Public Library. The fact that
certain citizens are. through their attor-
neys. canvassing the question of draw
ing their wills in favor OF the Public
Library has led the library trustees to
furnish the necessary information TO at
torneys and trust officers. in anticipation
OF similar inquiries. and in the hope that
in some cases opportunity may be offered
OF bringing the needs of the library to
the attention of clients who are making
their wills.
The Public Library was created by act
Statutes at Large. p. 24D, which provides
that the library shall be the property Of
the said District and that the
Commissioners of the said District are
authorized on behalf of the said District
to accept and take title to all gifts, be-
quests and devises for the purpose of aid
ing in the maintenance or endowment Of
said library
this point, it should be explained that Mr..
Carnegie's benefactions to this library
are. as elsewhere, confined TO funds for
the erection of buildings and do not cover
maintenance. Expenses for salaries,
books and supplies are met from con-
gressional appropriations. and these are
always far too meager to meet the needs
OF our growing work. Many American
municipal free public libraries have large
endowment funds. in some cases yielding
sufficient money to buy all needed books,
periodicals., etc. The Public Library's
permanent endowment is but 81 900, yield
ing $50 a year. In cases of endowments
established for the benefit of this library
the trustees would give suitable credit in
each annual report, and in cases where
the funds are designated for the purchase
of books further acknowledgment would
be made by the use of special book
plate inserted in each volume bought
from the fund
THE trustees or librarian would be
glad to furnish further information con-
corning the special needs Of the library
Your interest in its behalf is earnestly
solicited.
Plan Before Commissioners.
The determination Of the plan by which
the library might receive benefactions by
Will was brought before the District Com
missioners about two months ago. and. By
direction of Commissioner Rudolph, Cor
poration Counsel E. H. Thomas prepared
the forms of both a gift by will and a
devise by which money real property
might be decided to the institution. Ac-
cording to the phraseology used by Mr..
Thomas. the form of gift by will should
be as follows:
Il give and devise to the District of
Columbia for the Public Library and read
Ing room, established under an act OF
Congress approved June 3. 1896 90 Stat
utes at Large, page 2f4) the sum of -
dollars
The form of a devise should read:
Il give. devise and bequeath in fee
simple to the District of Columbia for
the Public Library and reading room es-
tablished under an act OF Congress ap-
proved June g. 1895 GO Statutes at Large
page DAD. the following described real
estate situate =. viz:
To these two forms the corporation
counsei appended notation in which he
stated: IF a gift or devise is to be used
for any specific purpose, or IL there be
any other condition. the condition should
be expressed in the will.
Opinions of Librarian.
permanent endowment fund or funds
for the library. Librarian George F. Bow
erman this morning declared the END
sought by the board Of trustees was mere.
ly that the whole system Of the institu
ton might be made more elastic
ITO my mind 1t is wholly undesirable
that an endowment fund should be 81
large that it would provide for the entire
Or for any material portion of the main.
tenance of the library This is an educa.
tional institution, and 1t Is right that the
people, by their taxes. should help Il
provide for IL. It would lose one of its
most potent factors-that OF the appeal tt
the people which is carried in the knowI
edge that it is their library, maintained
largely by their own money-if it SHOULD
be made a charity.
But under our system we are bount
within the limits set down by the appro
priations by Congress. Without entering
into discussion Of the small size OF tn,
appropriations. which hamper us mate
rally because Of the impossibility of keep
ing our employees niggardly salaries
after they are trained so that their earn
ing power outside Is greater than il is in
side the library, it is yet possible to poin
out how great an Inconvenience ii is no
to be able to purchase sometimes yer,
desirable books simply because the avail
able appropriation will not permit us [,
incur the expense.
II have just prepared our estimates TO
the new year. and in so doing I hay,
taken occasion to refer TO the figures con
tanned In the census publications on Ii
braries, and to show that IL we operatef
on the same basis as Cleveland. Ohio OF
Newark. n. j., cities OF nearly tn
same size as Washington, our expendi
lures for the Public Library would b,
larger by many thousands of dollars.
Would Increase Library's Value.
But the possession by the library O
endowment funds. which would produc,
given sums in annual interest, woul,
mean that we might have money to b,
used at the discretion OF the board O.
,r,s,aas for prrnoses which The NON, .;-l.