The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-02-16

and recently the travelling library |
system has been launched on a legis-
Iative appropriation.
The First Step
1t would seem, therefore, the part |
Of wisdom for those interested in the
subject of public libraries TO work |
first for the creation Of a library |
commission for South Carolina. the
influences Of which, like water from
some mountain source, would re-
fresh and enrich the lower levels To |
meet the objection of the practical
economists, | would suggest that
some public official. like the state IL
brarian, might act,at first, as secre-
tary.
As to the means used in other
states to secure the passage of a
commission law, which was made
the subject OF a special committee
report at the American Library asso-i
citation meeting this year, it seems
that the prime movers in influencing
legislation, thru arousing public de-
mand, were "a few far-Sighted Ii
brary workers" OF all professions.
women's clubs, librarians and teach
ers both individually and in as
sociations. The length of time be-
fore success was attained varied
from few weeks to II years. 1t
all depends upon the nature and ac
tivity of the campaign" to bring
about the desired result.
! The idea of the tax-supportei pub
| lie library has been slow to take
| hold in the South just as the modern
Ipublic school system was. New Or
| leans and Richmond are the only
| Southern cities with public libraries
containing as many as 90, 900 vol
umes, and Atlanta the only place in
! the South, among one hundred cities
| cited, reporting a public library cir
culation of 100000 or over
| The ever perplexing and retard-
ling negro problem is largely re-
spOnsible for this, as was the case
with the free schools; but the pub
| just as easily as did the public
schools, and our progressive sister
Southern states have not been balk-
ed by it.
The time is not far distant when
in the south, as in the north, and
west, the duty of the state to furn-
ish good free literature to its citi-
Zens will be as little questioned as
its duty to furnish free schools
both being coordinate functions Of
its great work of popular education.
i In conclusion | would suggest the
agitation Of the public library ques-
ton by all our active civic forces,
individual and collective, especially
newspapers, the federation of wo-
mems clubs, teachers associations
both state and local; and | volun-
| teer the services of the university Ii
/ brary, if called upon, to act, tempo
rarily, as a clearing house of infor-
5 nation that would aid in the organi-
zation Of SO important movement
: in South Carolina.
This very imperfect presentation
of it's need is simply with the hope
of exciting an interest.
Some of you may have heard the
reasons given by Mr.. Carnegie fol
z directing the greater part of hi
1 magnificent benefactions into thu
channels of the public libraries. HI
says: 4 choose free libraries a.
the best agencies for improving tn,
: masses of the people,, because moth
: ing for nothing. They only he'll
those who help themselves. The.
: never pauperize. They reach tn
S aspiring and open up to those tn
chief treasures of the world-thos
stored up in books. A taste 70
:. reading drives out lower tastes.
/, Besides this, | believe good fic
: ton one Of the most beneficial re
g liefs to the monotonous lives of tn
e poor. For these and other reasons
prefer the free library to most agen
# cies for the happiness and improve
r ment OF a community.