Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1915-02-18
DEDICATION OF NEW BUILDING.
Services largely Attended by All Ciasses
Prominent Citizens Take Part.
HaRmoNY, GOOD WIN, PRIDE,

| WINS hotufy evening VI TINS WCthi
Feb. Is, his honor, Mayor j r. Parm-
ley, who presided, in scholarly address
aud with opportune remarks turned the
structure over to the people Of the city.
Several citizens were enlisted in the
services which took place in that most
beautiful audience room to be known
as the Municipal Theatre, and right
well did they acquit themselves. The
attendance was large, all classes being
represented. Harmony, good will and
pride predominated The program was
as follows:
| Music by Alderson's orchestra.
| Invocation. Rev. w. j. C. Bond.
Address. Mayor Parmley.
| cold City Hall. = Calvert Spensley.
"The New Building, t, M. Priestley.
mission of the Library" Rev. r. A,
Barnes.
Piano Solo, j. W. Anderson.
Mineral Point Today" E. C. Fielder
"The Library and The Schools, y f. G.
Gotham.
''The Building as Social Center. I"
Rev. L. P. O'Reilly.
| Wholesome Influence of the Drama"
Rev w. F. Phillips.
Address by MIR. Dudgeon. Secretary
of State Library Commission.
The large gathering arose to their
feet and stood with bowed heads as
Rev. Bond offered the Invocation, which
was in that ever appropriate, thankful
and pathetic eloquence so characteristic
of the reverend gentleman.
The audience being seated, Mayor
Parmley stepped to the front and in a
calm. clear manner spoke as referred
to above.
Ey Mayor Calvert Spepsley's talk on
''Thl Old City Hall'' proved entertain
ing Ind Instructive. He went back to its
erection as court house and even to
that of its log predecessor, Mineral
Point being the county seat of Iowa
county for fully thirty years or during
the most stirring pioneer period. Among
the several interesting historical facts
which Mr.. Spensley uncovered was,
that for the period one year this was
Montgomery county with Helena as its
chosen seat of government.
What City attorney Priestley had to
say about the new building dwelt
mostly upon its magniticence, the need
Of it and the library quarters and the
cost, which, seeming large to some,
was not burden when compared to
other towns Of this size and larger, as
he showed by giving figures from over
fifty cities in the state to prove that
three-fourths of them were paying
heavier rate of tax than Mineral Point
in order to keep pace with the progress
of the age.
AS to ''The Mission Of the Library
it did not take Rev. Barnes long to
express in an effective way his belief
that library where good books, books
of reference, books that elevated
morality and character were only next
to bread and butter in calculating the
needs Of a community.
Here is where Prof. Anderson broke
in with a piano solo which pleased the
people to such an extent that there
| was a spontaneous outburst of applause.
In speaking Of Mineral Point To-
day Attorney E. c. Fielder Landed
| without fear Of contradiction its
schools, its churches, its business men,
| its civic and social circles, it's intellect
ual, moral and lawabiding makeup.
That which he quoted from history to
prove our advancement was new TO
many Of his hearers and amusing to all.
There was sound reasoning on the
paxt Of Prof. Gotham who was listed
| for remarks on 1.-THE Library and
The Schools. He portrayed the needs
aad the helps of free public library,
but did not equiyocate in citing how
young minds might be warped and
weakened if time were spent with
books that did not fit in with every
day requirements in the building Of
| intellectual forces.
| Rev. O'Reilly being assigned TO
speak on 1.-THE Building as Social
| Center" he did 50 in a most approved
| style. After touching on the magnifi-
cence Of the structure be pleaded with
. earnestness that it may ever be the
center Of sociability where every man,
, woman and child could mingle on Q
| level, good behavior and presentability
being essential Of course. He decried