The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-08
WiIIiamstown's Well equipped
Building Opened to Public
BY APPROPRIATE EXERCISES
Mrs. Laura L. Ainsworth Gave Building
and $4,000 for Maintenance, on Condi-
ton That Libraries of the Town Be
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Of Building

Williamstown, Dee. Son Dec. vii.
Jamestown people of all ages met in the
Congregational church for the dedication
exercises of the Williamstown public Ii
brary. This library is the result of the
union Of the ll0-year-old social library,
the four-year-old library of the Village
Improvement society, the town vote last
March, and the gift by Mrs. Laura l..
Ainsworth of a building and $1,000, in
terest TO be used for maintenance.
L. II. Martin, chairman Of the new
board of trustees, called the meeting to
order, asked M. NJ. Wilson of Randolph,
chairman of the state board OF library
commissioners, to preside. After prayer
by Rev. j. O. Angel and song by Mrs.
r. M. Poor, Rev. John Irons made a
few remarks of welcome.
Prof. Raymond Mcfarland of Middle
bury college made an address on the adj
vantages OF library, alive to all the
varied needs of its community. He
spoke of how everybody would crowd
to hear Moses or Columbus or Marco
Polo tell of their deeds and thoughts,
# they should appear in Williamstown
to-day. But their deeds and thoughts
are in the library. He said that it is
the business of the library to snare the
public into better reading, to make them
better citizens, of greater usefulness,
The farmers should profit by the many
books now written for their benefit.
Ministers and teachers who consult
books on many subjects, not restricting
themselves to theology. and pedagogy,
become more alive and gain breadth Of
outlook. Business men and mechanics
may increase their knowledge, thereby
their efficiency and wages, by reading
books. Boys and girls, reading If fine
and brave lives, OF splendid adventure
of steadfast application in duty, in in
venton, will be carried through the
formative period and be tillcd with right
ideas as to what is worth while in life
Cooks create for us the many-sided
world" The orator, the actor. the sing
er, the preacher-all pass, but the book
lives. inspiring age after age of readers
After song by Mrs. William Jones,
Mrs G. 4. WILDER spoke for the Will
Jamestown Social library. 1t was found
ed January %, 1901, for the promotion
of useful knowledge and piety," by "a
men and one woman. At that time the
town was only l6 years old. It is par
tieularly fitting that a granddaughter of
Cornelius Lynde, one of the original pro-
moters, should now greatly increase the
library's powers by her generous gift
of building At first the books were
stored in a chest, and moved to the
place where each quarterly meeting was
held. There they we're auctioned off to
the readers. After a short stay in the
hotel, they were moved to the third story
in the town hall. The average number
OF books "sold" at each quarterly meet
ing was about 200. OF late years, the
meetings have been held every two
months The library celebrated its cen
tennial with appropriate exercises on
Aug. l3. 1901 New times. new methods.
Concentrated of the towns population,
increased needs Of the children, make
changes necessary. Therefore the Will
Jamestown Social library gladly gives
its books and pledges it's hearty support
to the new library "for greater bright
err. and better Williamstown"
Miss Mile j. Drury then spoke for
the Village Improvement society. which
was formed in 1906 and in 1907 bought