The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-17
AFFORD TO :.
DROP GOOD NOVELS
Library Officials Present Ideas
on Proposal to Eliminate
Fiction.
TRASHY WORKS AVOIDED

In view OF all the pother raised over
the suggestion mad by the head " tbe
bureau Of statistics that for reasons n,
economy the bureau is considering "tt.
plan of doing away with fiction On inc
public libraries, an authoritative staff.
ment of the Ideas of the officials ~ ,hs
New York Public Library on tho ,ur.
g~estion was made public for tho ar,,
time yesterday.
What the Public Library thinks %, N.
doing away with fiction" idea-and the
library doesn't think much of twas 10.
cei,ed by THE SUN In the form Of ad.
vance proofs OF an article headed
Trashy Novels" which Will appear IN
about a week In the Public Ljhrary's
monthly publication. BraHch Ltbrary
Nevs. The writer Of the article, even in
this day and age. finds II necessary 10
impress the fact that "fction'' doesn't
mean untruth In the ethical sense.
Also there IL a tendency. says III. ar
ticle. among the u%nthinking roughly 70
class books into two great groups
trashy novels and all other books. No
trashy novels" are Intentionally added
to the Public Lbrary's collection, the
vi t"V ~ oyo iAe CONTINUES
In part:
'"To eliminate fiction altogether from
the Public Library would be most un.
wise. Much Of the best thought OF To-
day Is first presented In the form OF rc-
ton, and to put a public In the position
Of ignoring or decrying this branch of
literature would he to misunderstood the
library's purpose.
at is a false idea OF the library's pur.
pose to think that II exists only to own
n circulate books of fact. The failure
to understand the Importance Of book,
of Imagination In the reading of every
man, woman or child is the failure 10
understand what culture really means
"a library should not consist entirely
or books Of Imagination nor altogether
Of books of fact 1t should have both. A
novel goes forth to the world as a made
up story, about people who never ex.
listed and events which never took place,
yet IL may represent human character
more synpathetically, or describe man.
ners and customs Of a people or a period
with more force. than any book Of fact
could possibly do.
Far from being the class OF books
which the library could best afford 60
drop. novels are among the last which
a public library should relinquish And
instead of issuing trashy novels 10 It's
r,aders. the New York Public Library
circulates a surprisingly large proper.
ton of the very best books of staudtr
fiction and a careful selection from the
writings Of living novclists.'
The article cites as IAN example OF
: how absurd II may be Ia cOnd mn all
current fiction as trash "A letter writ
ten fifty or sixty years ago by a man
connected with the Aston Library to q
friend In which was the complaint that
certain people wasted their time over
the trashy, as Scott, Cooper ard Dick.
ems"
Many novels Of the day arc not rur.
chased at all by the public library ne
cause they do not come up To- the stand
ard which the library tries Ia main
tain" As "A proof of the contention that
the circulation Of standard fiction r. far
greater than OF lesser books hot of tho
presses. the article quotes from a branch
library report.
The bra nch library In question, for In.
stance, finds II necessary to own from
eleven to seventeen copies of such books
a. David Coppertield. The Mill ou the
Floss Vanity Fair and Les Mis.r.
ables,' whereas not more than hve
copies were necessary of any new work
of fiction. The same branch reports
that IL owns twenty-four copies of Ivan.
hoe and from time TO time It has Aeen
necessary for the branch library t. bor-
row thirty more copies OF 'lvanhoe to
meet the demand.