Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-24
Only a Favored Few at
Dedication Of Library
In New York City, al Which
Pres. Tati Makes Address.
when Thrown Open 10 Expected
Crowd, the Crowd Had Gone.

New York, May 23.-The public to
whom the New York Pubic Library
was dedicated today will enter into
possession of it tomorrow; they saw
little this afternool Of the dedication
exercises Behind closed doors. 70 a
selected audience of 500. President
Taft. Gov. Dix, Mayor Gaynor. and
the venerable John Bigelow, president
OF the United Foundations. from
which the library rises, spoke for two
hours. Then the doors were thrown
open for the $1,000 others to whom
invitations had also been issued Elab-
crate precautions Lad been taken to
landle the crowds, but there were no
crowds, the people had gone home
President Taft said.
The dedication of this beautiful
structure for the spread of knowledge
among the people rot only marks the
contamination of & noteworthy plan
for bringing within the grasp of the
humblest and poorest citizen the OPP
portunity fer acquiring information
on every subject Of every kind. but
1t furnishes a model and example
for other cities which have been
struggling with the same problem and
points for them the true way.
The accumulation of books how
ever valuable, however rare, however
great in number in a single library,
without facilities for their consulta-
ton. examination and distribution, is
like the deposits of great veins of
valuable minerals deposited in the
earth, known to be there, but with
out the mines and the transportation
needed TO make the materials avail
able for the use of man.
Ii is not in the treasures of the
various collections that go to make
up this library that its chief value
consists, wonderful as these are. 1t
is in the facility of circulation and in
the immense number of books that
are distributed each year for the use
of its citizens and residents of New
York and vicinity that this library
easily takes the first rank"
The President briefly reviewed the his
tory of the various libraries now united
into this one and praised the generosity
of the founders He continued
But the fact that impresses Itself most
upon me is that in the short tinme since
1895 master minds have conceived the
union of all these agencies into one, by
which the possible benefit for the indi-
vidual contained in each is now distrib-
uted and brought within the easy and
beneficial use of every New Yorker.
Everyone who has had to deal with
human nature knows the difficulty of Sc
curing from those who are independent
in control of any organization, however
large or small, willingness to subordi-
nate their own Importance and their own
freedom by union of that which is In
their custody with similar trusts in the
custody of others, even in order to rem
der all the trusts more effective in the
accomplishment of their original pur-
poses. To have secured the consent of
all the trustees of the various founda-
tons. to have obtained the necessary
legislation authorizing the union. to have
secured from the city authorities the use
of this magnificent site and the appro-
priation of the money Tor this magnifi-
cent structure, required genius and
craftsmanship and marks this day as
noteworthy not only because of the ex-
psnding usefulness to the people of this
library but also as concentrating a
most remarkable success of disinterested
human effort in the cause of philan-
thropy.''