The Washington times., 1911-07-08
Work for Return of Books
to Place Occupied Four
teen Years. |
SENATORS PROMISE
TO AID MOVEMENT
The Request Seems Reasonable
and JUST" Declares
Curtis.

ing not merely literature for the blind,
but various projects for the ameIiora,
tion Of the condition of the blind
d: Inc maintenance at the library
during a portion of each year of lee
lures, readiness and musicales for the
instruction and incidental entertainment
or entertainment and incidental tnstruc-
tion Of the blind residents Of the Dis
trict Of Columbia who could attend
them. The participants in the pro-
gram have been Invariably volunteers,
so that the service of the library has
consisted merely in furnishing accom-
mOdations and arranging for tks pro-
grams.
Except for item 2. all the above serv-
ice benefits exclusively the blind resi-
dents of the District OF Columbia. It Is
service not to research or to scholar
shipv, but to the general reader, albeit
a particular class of general readers On
both Of the above grounds, 1t Is there
fore a service logically rather within
the province OF the Public Library Of
the District than of the Library Of Con-
gress.
The accident of its inauguration here
should not prevent its ultimate location
there any more than did the project for
a children's department in the Library
Of Congress prevent the adoption Of
work with the young as the exclusive
task OF the Public Library. The books
are chiefly used at home, and 1t Is the
public library rather than the Library
Of and for the District"
The last Congress also passed appro-
priation bills that put the assistant IN
charge Of the reading room for the
the rolls Of the District. instead OF on
the roTls of the Congressional Library.
Not Satisfied
With Present Quarters.
But the blind people are not satisfied
They say for one thing, that their nt-
erature is not miscellaneous" but the
most highly specialized in the world.
They do not like the basement In the
Carnegie Library. George w. Bower
man, librarian, has told them he cannot
buy any new books for them. They
miss the light and the beauties they
saw with spiritually seeing eyes and
knew with understanding hearts. Tho
dampness of the basement ruins their
"tactile' books, they say.
They have some mighty good friends,
who think that way, too. Not only
Senator Curtis, Senator Martin, and,
Senator Gore, Of the Senate Library.
Committee, but Thomas Nelson Page,
president, and Miss Eta Dorsey, re-
cording secretary, Of the National Lii
brary for the Blind-an Incorporated
society that will some day build a
great library for the blind in WASH
ington-called on the Senators. The
Senators are going to talk the matter
over with Librarian Putnam and see IL
an arrangement for the return OF the
library cannot be made.
AS 1t is now, the reference works OF
the library for the blind are In the
Congressional Library
The library for the blind ought to be
brought back to the Library OF Con-
RTpSS - Senator Curtis said today fTTn-
til we can have talk with Mr.. Putnam
II Is impossible to say what we shall
do. But as l see it now, l am going to
do all 1 can to have the matter ar
ranged as the blind people wish. Their
desire seems reasonable and just"