The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-02-22
oCALA's OPPORTUNITY

a. -
Sunday. Strange to say. We believe.
or pretend to believe, in public schools |
are willing TO tax ourselves to main |
tain them and make their services !
more effective yet men Interested in |
our schools say our first necessity is |
TO provide for our schools and their |
enlargement and the library can wait. |
IL the library is the nursery OF schools, |
through the sentiment created there /
and their use for the promotion of edu-
cational interests, then why not foster
the nursery" Libraries are as much !
the nurseries of the public schools as
the Sunday school is 10 the church and /
who In this day and generation Of pro-
gress and enlightenment would think
OF skimping the wants and necessities
OF the Sunday school "a a factor in re-
cruiting church membership and sup
port and say let US look after the
church's necessities first and some
time in the future we will think Of
building up a Sunday school?
sOcala has an opportunity to create
library that will be credit to the
town, IL only some one will take the
trouble to write half a dozen letters
and renew Ocala's request for a dona-
ton from Mr.. Carnegie. He has al
ready offered the town $4,000 to erect
a suitable building for library pur-
poses IL the town will maintain it on
the basis of $4,000 and il will take say
$500 a year to maintain it. If we can
secure $4,000 from Mr.. Carnegie for n
building. it will take a thousand dol
lars a year In taxation. 1t is an offer
that may some day be denied and
then like a hundred other good propo-
sitions that came to Ocala and were
not embraced, it will be too late and
we will have our regrets.
And of. opportunities passed by in
Ocala we can recall the one made TO
the town not many years ago in the
location of the conference college. 1t
was then said by its trustees If Ocala
would raise $4,000 the college would
be brought to OcaIa. What was the
result! "A few citizens met. discussed
the proposition, but said they couldn't
see how could raise the money
What has been the result and loss to
the town? Hundreds of thousands of
dollars in actual cash and an educa-
tional uplift for the town and county
that cannot be estimated in dollars
and cents. We said then-we say 1t
agaln-every man in Ocala could have
afforded to have banded together and
by their cooperation bonded them
selves for the raising of that sum and
no better investment could have come
anywhere in the wide world to the in
dividual citizen and the town. The
history of the college during the past
ten years has demonstrated that fact
a hundred times over. But Ocala. pen
ny wise and wisdom foolish. passed the
opportunity by.
SO we say with the free public IL
orary proposition. a gentlemen at
night said. Mr.. Carnegie may die and
another person may not quickly rise
with wealth and inclination to dupli-
done for the inspiration and infusion
OF general intelligence. Let some one
get busy on this proposition. We could
give a hundred reasons why a library
would be material and educationa
asset to our people and town. No in.
telligent mind can gainsay the benefit:
TO be derived from such an institution
The thought was fully expressed by
fifty OF the leading people of Tampa
when they urged the city council Il
accept Mr.. Carnegie's generous offe
OF $4,000 to establish free public
library in that city. They said the cit,
council could not afford to ignore o.
reject the generous offer. The council
accept similar offer and in the pass
ing years the spirit of intelligence tina
has made Tampa great made its peopl
ashamed OF the mercenary spirit show
by It's local law makers a decade ag
and said the act could not be repeat
ed and SO the council, with the excep
ton OF one man, said let US not pas
this opportunity and Tampa will nov
have a public library it can well b
proud of and it will be a prime facto
In its growth and improved citizen
ship.
1t was said the other night that W
were in debt; we couldn't afford I
support a library when our childre
needed school facilities so badly. T
these gentlemen who spoke we respect
fully suggest the situation in Ne7
York City, when the friends of popula
intelligence in that great city appeal
ed to Mr. Carnegie TO donate some
his wealth for library purposes. H
said he would donate in 1895 five mill
ion two hundred thousand dollars fC
that purpose. What did the brain an
citizenship of that metropolis do, a
though they were burdened with del
and staggering under 1t, ten thouSan
OF its children of school age erwin
for educational bread. without scho
buildings TO house them? Did thos
intelligent and far-seeing citizens sa
We are in debt, need new school hous,
and can't afford to accept so generol
gift? No; but on the contrary sal
We accept and by our united efforts "
will make the gift OF so great a Walt
to the coming generation that the
will rise up and bless us for our raj
common sense. The result of the a
ceptance of that gift is read in the hi
tory of today. in the advancement
increased education in that metropo
itan city. and the improved condition
along all lines OF school work
What makes towns and cities desir
BILE communities? II is not the banl
and commercial houses but the ella
OF men and women of character al
education. Education is a great fact
in creating these. and these in tut
stamp in high. noble, pure and unse
hsh citizenship the quality and pow
OF your people.
We append a paragraph from q
Short Talks column of the Time
Union. II tells the story of what 4
Carnegie library has done for JAG
sonville. Mr.. J. r. PARROT is preside
of its board. a Yale graduate. a mi
of cultured mind. man of marvelo
grasp of business propositions: y
Flagler's right hand man as preside
of the Florida East Coast Railwa