The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-21

demand. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn I should say lead all other books perhaps"
 The Elsie Series an dthe Rollo books, do they still engage the attention of chil- dren?' I asked.
 "The Elsie books are so numerous and so long drawn out that they are rather relegated 10 the back shelf now was the reply. And we do not have the Rollo books at all. The Colored Fairy Books, edited by Andrew Lang, are very popular with the children and book that a child will read three or four times over is The Foolish Fox The Little Colonel Series. the Little Cousin Series, being child life in various countries, and Little Pepper are among the most popular books with our young clientele. We can't get enough In- dian stories for the boys it seems, and all sorts of adventure appeals to them also. They like books of truvei as they grow older The little girls. of course. cling to Fairy Princes and stories where they live happy ever afterward but the little boys like to vary the fairy stories with In- dians."
 Why can't we have great big, beau- tiful library in Birmingham?' I asked in- terestedly.
 We can," said Miss Chapman, "and we must. The trouble has been so far that we haven't see our way clear to have library as handsome as Birmingham will demand 10 years hence. We might have had one ere now, but it wouldn't have met the requirements of the grow ing city,
 ''Mr Carnegie-he's always ready to lend a helping hand" I suggested.
 That's just the point" Miss Chapman said You see, Birmingham ought to have at least a s2o0,o0o library. and up to this time the City Fathers haven't been able to see their way clear to give the lot and the 10 per cent on the investment that Mir. Carnegie asks. I mean by that the kind of library the city wants"
 But Atlanta, Montgomery. Jackson vlle-how do they manager I asked.
 Atlanta really gives more than is demanded of her" said Miss Chapman
 Atlanta has s125.00o library. and con tributes s230o0 year toward It's support"
 How can we go about getting this li- brary building? It is such a necessity and Birmingham ought to have a mag nfcent one I ventured.
 The people must realize that they NEED a library and then they must de- mand it." said Miss Chapman Of course we will have it one of these days and"
 With you as Librarian interrupted
 Miss Chapman smiled and then went about getting up some data for me con- corning the beginning of the library and how it had all worked out
 The Birmingham Public Library had its origin. as nearly everything else has had that is connected with its intellectual de- velopment in the mind and heart of Dr. J. H. Phillips. through whose fineness of purpose public spirited intelligence. well equipped mind and transcendant ambi- ton for Birmingham to stand shoulder to shoulder with the cultured cities of the country. was gathered together a small collection of books which were housed upon an unpretentious little shelf in his office, several years ago.
 Growing to larger proportions, through funds arising from school entertainments, special room was rented and paid for by Dr. Phillips. Vicissitudes of many kinds beset the library which continued to owe its existence to the earnest deter imitation of its founder.
 In 1904 three small rooms were set aside In the new City Hall building, and for the first time the library assumed definite shape. A membership fee of g per year was charged. and Mrs. Daisy Wendell was installed as librarian.
 Such money as came in was invested in