The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-24
MODEL
FOR ALL CITIES
President Taft Aids in Dedication
OF New York Public
Library.
YEARS IN BUILDING
Endowment and Collections Pro
vided by Merger OF Three
Foundations.

New York. May 23.-The New York
Public Library. the Largest. the most
costly. and By many thought TO be
the most beautiful library building in
the was dedicated here this
afternoon by President Taft, Governor
Dix and Mayor Gaynor. The public
viewed the library after the formal
dedication exercises.
The President arrived here at l
o'clock and returned to Washington
at midnight.
The new library, Of white marble, has
been twelve years building, and cost
more than $4,000, o0f.s its endowment
and collections are provided By q
merger OF three private foundations
the Aston and Lenox libraries, and the
Tilden foundation. but the city gave
the land and betrayed the cost of cree
ton.
President Taft in his address said
in part:
NY fellow-citizens: This day
crowns a work OF national Importance.
The dedication of this beautiful struc-
ture, for the spread of knowledge
among the people, marks not only the
contamination OF Q noteworthy plan,
for bringing within the grasp OF the
humblest and poorest citizen the OPP
p%ortunity for acquiring information
on every subject of every. kind. but 1t
furnishes a model and example for
other cities. which have seen strug-
Cling with the same problem and
points for them the true way.
1T is not in the number of volumes
or pamphlets or manuscripts that this
library stands out first in the world,
for l believe considered from that
standpoint, IL is only sixth or seventh
the greatest collection; but IL is In
the facility Of circula ton. and in the
immense lumber of books that are
distributed each year for use to the
citizens and residents of New York
and vicinity, that this library easily
takes the first rank. When the story
is told of how this great organization
was effected, 1t seems hardly credible.
enent Distributed.
THE fact that 'mpresses itself most
upon me, that stand out in the his
tory of the whole movement. is that in
the short time since 1895 master minds
have conceived the union of all these
agencies into one, from which the pos
sible benefit for the Individual con-
tanned in each is now distributed. and
brought within the easy and beneficial
use of every New Yorker. A library
which affords constant reference and
reading room facilities to 1.70O people
and which circulates through sixty
branches It's books, at the rate of
5000, 900 a year. accomplishes so much
more in the popular dissemination OF
knowledge than any other library in
the world that the men who conceived
the plan. and who had the energy,
tact. patience and knowledge with
which to execute it. are those whom
/ would congratulate to-day"
The library holds shelf room for
3,5oo.ooo volumes: 1t has floor space
of $4,000 feet. as against $4,000 feet
in the Congressional Library at Wash
ington, and 1t has cost for erection
merely more than $40. 900. 900. a figure
which, when all details have been at
tended to. may rise to S12. 900, 900. The
land on which il stands-fronting two
blocks on Fifth Avenue. between For
tieth and Forty-second Streets-was
last valued at $50. 900. 900.
Endowment Of S3,446,50O.
The New York Public Library opens
with A total endowment of $3,446,5 soc
and $4,000 books on the shelves
Within the next twenty-five years. ter
CONTINUED on Second Page.5