Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1913-03-22
DIR. TORREYS TORCH |"
ReIi6hted in Woodstock by the
Elm Tree Press So Friendly
Comment on the . Father Of
Free Libraries"
From the New York Sun.

site of the Elm Tree Press. publisher
of divers scholarly. fanciful or enter
tanning works which he perpetrates
or abets. Therefrom comes reprint
from the edition issued at Ballston
Spa. 1917, Of 1.-THE intellectual
Torch. Developing Plan for the
Universal Dissemination of Knowl-
edge and Virtue by Means OF Free
Public Libraries" by Jesse Torrey.
Jr Who was he? We never heard
of him, and his Torch +" was exiin-
guished long ago. Il consider
myself the first protector of free
libraries" he writes John Adams in
1920; he cant conceive Of any better
way for Governments or philan-
thrapists to use their surplus funds
to7prevent vice and poverty or pro-
mote virtue and prosperity than to
furnish every town or parish with
u well selected moral and philo-
sophical not much like our town
libraries of fiction, that library
either at prime cost or Rrafnitously !"
He seems to have been horn near
New Lebanon. n. Y lin 1887 when
he died nobody knows. He studied
too hard in youth, and recommends
modest eight honr day to students !;
a facetious suggestion our modern
boys will find that. He Was great
quoter his style is priggish. pedan
tic. virtuous. enough to drive any
bat the strongest reader into vice.
In 1904 he established at New Leb-
anon the Juvenile Society for the
Acquisition of knowledge, a free
circulating library, most of whose
clients subscribed from twelve and a
half cents to dollar. Let US read
by the light of his smoking Torch -
his catalogue of model library:
"The Looking Glass for the Mind,
The Newtonian System of Philosophy
Explained, Burton's Lectures to Young
Ladies', Lady's Library, Mayor
Abridgment of Natural History. His
torical Grammar, Blsir's Grammar of
Chemistry, Joyce's Scientific Dialogues,
/ Seneca's Morals, Translation of Keno
phon's Socrates, Priestly's Considera-
lions for the Use of Young Men, Baron
Knigge's Practical Philosophy of Social
Life or the Art of Conversing with Men,
Beauties of History, History of Sanford
and Merton, Universal Geography"
Add Rollins Ancient History y
and the Works of Flavius Jo-
sephus and perish of ennui But
stay What follows this lassitndi-
nous list?
"While in health taste not single
drop of distilled spirit, for, except as q
remedy for some diseases, it Is posi-.
tive poison for man or any other animal. -
| Not ours to make reply to this
theory or fact. hut is not the empha-
sizing Of "sinRle drop" intention
ally comic ? Does it not carry the
Implication Drink hearty" We
abominate the innuendo. il one there
| is, but how can we regard seriously
this note:
An individual who was formerly ad.
dicted to the use of distilled spirits
stated that he compelled fowl te
swallow tablespoonful of rum, which
l s,x,v., a<1sofs, +Haofh.
! On the same page is this admoni
,ition:
sBeware of Syren snares of Nov
ELS. Is not beautiful garden, in ,
state of Hiring verdure, and nativ,
bloom both more entertaining and in
structive than a heap of counterfeit
artificial flowers made of paper yielding
fruits the most pernicious 2"
| Sounds like the wall Of l0l;
librarian, doesn't it? Sounds like !
| Woodstock noise. ton On page 30 il
| a quotation from Horace. making u,
think Of those brilliant Iloratians %
Woodstock and Newark Finally
behold twn stanzas of very mourn
| ful diroe:
81 went to collect a small debt,
The master was absent from home |:
The sequel need not relate,
The man was Lover of Rum.
"Ask prisons and gallowses all
Il Whence most of the customers come ;
From whence they have most of thei
calls.
They'll tell you, from Lovers o
Rum.
II The introduction is signed Edwar,
Harmon Virgin Otherwise the pre-
ceding quotations and other traits o
the box. might have made the aus
picions reader think that Wood
stockia was treating them 10 anasIe
elaborate mystifration, and that
copy Of Noah Wet,sier's ESSAYS,
including his ingenious remarks 81
rnn, had been acquired lately il
Newark.