Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-04-26
GENEROUS GIFT
BY E. c. BURKE
Postmaster of Santa Fe VIII
Furnish Children's
Reading Room
EVIDENCE OF CIVIC SPIRIT
Public Playground Made Pcs
sible BY A. Staab and
DR. J. II. Sloan.

The public library built ana main
.taincd by the Woman's Board of
Trade will have a childrens reading
room and that soon. This is owing
TO the generosity OF Postmaster T. c.
Burke, who without solicitation from
,the board, has offered to pay for the
furniture including a library table.
and comfortable chairs for the young
folks. The expenditure OF 500 will
meet this expense and Santa Fes pub
lie library will thus enlarge its sphere
Of usefulness in the community.
1t is not only the idea OF giving the
boys and girls a place in which TO
spend an afternoon or an evening in
the best Of company, that Of books
but it is also TO lead them to realize
the usefulness of knowing where to
/ find authorities and references. IN
school work, when writing essays and
/ orations, when studying special sub
jeCts. teachers can refer to books to
/ be found in the library and the pupils
can broaden their knowledge and cul-
/ ture by learning how to use books
/ how TO find authorities on special sub
/ iects. In the study of literature espe-
calIy the children's reading room will
I become invaluable. 1t is one of the
most important compensations in
! life OF toll that the things most worth
while are to he had free: The sun.
the air, the forests, mesas. flowers.
, water, good friends, noble impulses
and books" The man or woman who
has learned to make the best use OF
these, does not miss the tinsel and
tawdryness OF most OF the mXuries
that wealth alone commands.
4 Cozy Room.
The library committee has set
aside a comfortable room in the IL
brary for the childrens department.
Il will select the furniture at once
and as soon as it can be placed, the
room will be opened 10 the children.
There is already a large selection of
Juvenile Literature among the $500
volumes at the library There is 10
doubt, that some one or the other.
will freely donate toward filing NJ
the shelves with the most modern
productions in that line and also with
reference works. The gift of another
one hundred dollars by some person
interested in the work. would prove
very acceptable for that purpose. and
there is no other object that would
give such satisfaction and do as much
good, The book plates in each book
would carry the name of the donor
just as silver plate in the library
table will commemorate the giver OF
the means to furnish the room Per
maps. others, will give framed pic
lures worth while that will harmon
ize with the furnishings and the oh.
Ject OF the room. Each such picture.
too, would bear the name of the donor
and at the same time have a perpetl-
al educational valne In time. the
children's room. will be the most
beautiful, most attractive place in
Santa Fe. 1t is the intention of the
library committee TO have the school
children instructed in the use of the
library so that in time, children will
seek their reading room as eagerly as
they seek the playground or 90 to
the moving picture show
Civic Spirit.
This gift of Postmaster Burke. is
but another evidence of the awaken
ing CIVIC consciousness in Santa Fe.
which manifests itself in the erection
OF fine public and parochiaI schools
in the introduction of manual train
ing, IN the organization of the Ameri-
can Boy Scouts, in such gifts as those
OF A. Staab and DR.. j. H. Sloan for
public playground in the city limits
and the furnishing of children's
reading room in the library Let this
good work go on and Santa Fe wiz
become more and more the best resi-.
dence city in the United States yea
in all the world.
Two Parks.
A 20 acre playground and park for
the children of Santa Fe and a "a
acre park for the grown ups of the
city-those are the twin problems
which Mayor Seligman now is work.
ing on.
Discussing them today he said:
Santa Fe needs more parks Every.
body knows that and we have got to
get them. Efforts now are being made
to get ten to twenty acres for a CITY
park for the children The land lies
south of DR.. J. H. Sloans bungalow
and ends on the north side of the
penitentiary wall. The owners of this
iand are DR.. Sloan, \. Staab. Julius
Gerdes, Chief Justice W. H. Pope and
Max Bernstein. DR.. Sloan and Mr..
Staab have already given theirs to
the city for its children's park. and
do not think the other owners will
hold back when they are acquainted
with the plans.
1T is our idea to make this an ideal
park and as it is within mile of the
plaza it ought to prove such. Swings,
rings and other contrivances to amuse
the children as well as give them
healthful exercise will be installed
Trees will be planted. too, and in ten
years the park will be a delight well
worth the effort.
There has been a complaint that
there are too many children roller
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