The sun., 1919-01-12
CIR Ethrariaua Gnrurr
CONDUCTED BY
FRANK PARKER STOCKBRIDGE.
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

L has stamped itself upon American life and
thought" Prof BLISS PERRY uncovers the roots
of more than one distinctly American institution
among them the free public circulating library.
Books are excess baggage, unsulted to the no
lnadic life q our people. In older and more Sc''e"
countries those who want to read buy their BOOKS
or subscribe to Nudes and have them SEM GOWN
by parcel post. This is admirable ana H'''Si"'
tory method in land where every one has. II NOM
inc else at least a permanent address But every
American knows. or his wife does, what IA nuisance
books are So few apartments have built III oooh-
shelves and one can almost nerer find the box me
Britannica came in!
Friends of the Wanderer.
Yet. as people, we do eagerly desire I" read, IN
spite of-or perhaps in consequence "l our
continual progress from Pleasant Valley /"
Manhattan from Grand street TO Riverside
Drive OF that conjunction of deSIr" ana en-
vironmcnt the inevitable twin progeny are tn" pop
uar magazine and the public library
Tbouob born of American conditions and needs,
like tho kitchcnette and the automat, the public
library is in process of transportation 10 owner
lands. Wherever there are people who HAY" not
been able TO buy books, but who have been caught
up in the whirl Of social unrest and r'adinN'mch'S
and are seeking escape from the stations III me i"
which if has pleased God to call Them. lh" Tree
public library takes root.
Our Soldiers Libraries
Hardly anything the American ENpr't''"n"rv
Forces took with them on their great adventure
overseas appealed to the French as so peculiarly
American as the circulating library system for our
soldiers. ':Threc million volumes!' cxcAm> Le
Y,6tDS The American circulating library Is "A oIv
institution, and will stupcfy with amazcmcnt more
Than one old patron Of our ancient readIn" rooms
But then, is it not essential that every i'@h'lhR
man should have within reach food for lis mind
and soul as necessary for civilized beings a. any
other food Our American friends ar" too up to
date not TO have foreseen and provided for that
small piece Of equipment, to use the military
phrase that slips so easily into the Spac" between
the cartridge belt and the flannel shirt. We only
wish our French poilus were as we'll provided
France to Follow Us.
Now France is to have free public circulating
library system of its own, modelled on American
lines BURTON Z. STEVENSON, whom book lovers
know best as the author of "Thc Marathon MyS-
tcry' and Cditor Of the Home Book Of Verse,
but whose main occupation is that of public libra
ran at Chillicothc, Ohio. has been operating real
American public library for the A. f. +. in Paris,
and French officials have decided 10 adopt HE >yS-
tcln for the republic Some months ago commit
tee, with President PoINCARE himself as chairman,
WAS appointed 10 study the American system and
methods I'm a recent letter Mr.. STEVENSON says:
We have welcomed, as by-produc, the oppor-
tunity to demonstrate to our interested and cnthu
sastic French allies something Of how an American
public library is conducted. We do not fof exam
pie, close for lunch or for dinner, but open all
day every day books all on open Shelves so
that any one can 90 into the stacks and look them
over; and to take book out il has only TO be
brought to the charging desk, where the simplest
sort Of a record is made requiring perhaps min