St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-11-22

lery, also a gift, was from the chisel
of Sculptor J. @. A. Ward of New
York
A catalogue of about 400 pages
was issued from the Riverside press
in 1875, covering 1000 volumes
another in 1890 including 5000 adj
ditions, and since that date occas-
ional bulletins and brief annual re-
ports. The total number of books
as entered on the accession list for
forty years is 22,32O Of these per-
/ haps 1000 have been withdrawn
from circulation as no longer need
ed; much larger number are the
new books bought to replace worn
out orr Infected ones. Books exposed
to infectious diseases are promptly
destroyed). The number of new
books added has ranged from three
to six hundred annually, including
| bound volumes of current magazines.
There are probably about 10000
volumes in the library at this time
Registration for book cards began
Nov. 20, 1871, since which time 49,
! 1873 cards have been issued. Among
those now living whose names stand
on the first page of the ledger
are Henry G.. Ide and William S.
| Boynton, whose cards are still in
force. Of late years an increasing
number of boys and girls register
for book cards and make good use
of the library; care is used in secur
ing for them a plenty of attractive
and useful books. The original town
limit has also been slightly modified
so that under certain conditions res
idents of our neighboring towns are
having library privileges here.
With a view of stimulating the
habit of library research, especially
among young readers, Mr.. Rankin
in 1885, put out series of 40
questions relating to history, art and
literature. These were known as
awakened keen interest and lively
work among the books for some
months The publication of the
answers opened a mine of literary
information.
The first entry on the Athenaeum
guest book is the autograph of
Russian merchant, Mr.. Block of
Moscow, who was here investigating
the Fairbanks Scale Works. Through
him a great many St. Johnsbury
scales were distributed throughout
the Russian empire.
In August, 1891, President Har-
rison received the welcome of ST.
Johnsbury at the Athenaeum and
from the high balcony front
ing Eastern Avenue he address
ed $4,000 people. In the Art
gallery, receptions were given to
Henry M. Stanley shortly after his
march thro the Dark Continent,
to George KEENAN, with Siberian
shackles in his hand, to Commander
hi
A quasi reception was given, as
we may say to our Town Father,
Jonathan Arnold, whose face reap
peared to US on canvas 116 years
after his axes had begun to clear the
forests on the Plain. This portrait,
presented to the town by Lemuel
Hastings Arnold, Esq, of New York,
was unveiled Nov. %, 1898 in the
presence of an assembly OF citizens,
and hangs in the gallery on the wall
of the north tranSept 1t is not the
pioneer with his axe that We see in
this picture, but the courtly figure |
of the representative from Rhode |
Island in the Continental Congress.
Correspondence with the De Grew
ecoeur family of Paris in 1905 |
brought a portrait of our Town. God
Father also to the Athenaeum. 1t
is the likeness of a French gentle
man of the eighteenth century of |
honorable name and fame. 1t will
be of permanent interest here in the
town to which he gave his first |
name, St. John, contrived, as he said, |
into st. Johnsbury.
One evening in 1908 a stroke of |
lightning whirled the eagle at the
mast head to the ground and ex-
all the lights. The at
tendant, who happened to be alone
in the building, had the novel ex-
perience of closing up her desk work
in the darkness till William G. Tyler
came in from the 'neighboring store
with a kerosene lamp wherewith
suitable exit was effected. That the
only mishap during forty years
should have been so slight is fortu-
nate5 the, new, eagle a. apparently +
swings more securely on his perch
with a lightning conductor, and
the lively night hawks continue to
nest unsecured around the tower.
In 1902 the entire library was re-
classified and catalogued according
% the Dewey decimal system. This
work required the employment of a
,rained cataloguer and assistant for {
/ full year. This secured the listing
If all books under author, title and ]
subject cards. Eighty drawers are
for installing this card cat y
Llogue to which two or more cards
ire added for every new book acces-
toned.
The present annual circulation is
lot far from $1,000. The average
Iaily output has been less than 100;
N Saturdays more than twice that; t
ometimes 800. During the early {
ears every book taken out was f
harged with pen and ink, a labori- \
us process, which has left $4,000 t
oIumns of entries on the four big c
edgers that will some day be in d
pected as a curious relic of anti il
uated library methods. The pres
MT system of call slips and stamped f
ards does away with all this. u