Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-03-05
LETTER TO EDITOR
Bishop Williams PAYERS Public Free
Library; Thinks Logical Plaee Is
Municipal Building For the Present

AHuAdEys IHtuhS LOEFdI tatt II I
Municipal Building For the Present. /
To the Editor 81 the EvcHiag Capital:
] have been watching with interest
the development Of The idea TIA; We
/ need a public library During the
time when the Carnegie Libraries
were being multiplied travelled ex
tensively. north. south. east and west,
and met with and used these libraries
! everywhere But also met with
other libraries and where there was
/ any serious pubic interest al all these
/ other libraries were always better
han any Carnegie Library was likely
/ 10 be Bur OF all the communities %
similar size that know. Annapolis
seems 10 be the wors, provided Oi
course there are reasons The Navy
( people have the Academy Library. the
ollege people their own library.
though shat does not seem 10 me 10
/ he open as much as Il should be
And professional people have the
State Library But The resi- OF Us
! nave not anything and We need to
read more We have muddy water.
bumpy payements. neglected vacant
lots and few other inconyen!ences,
ana no library And | think they are
| al connected
When the canvassers for the extern
SION Of lie War Camp Work mo gen
raj community service came around
I : l.,
gram hat ! was unconvinced that they
ould make il go | would subscribe
n a small way La, ii they would star,
At any one thing | would subscribe
very much more.
1t is gratifying to her that the
9ty has a large unoecupied room III
he municipal building II is a good
place to start if il can be secured. II
no, The best place for a library a.
is not a centre. bur 1t is near the
aain school and this is very import
ant for the present and it would really
10 very we'll
Ii seems 10 be about the right order
If events 10 attempt al this time the
organization and Incorporation OF q
library association that can enter upon
lficial relatios with the city and make
,ure OF the place Then an auxiliary
committee OF volunteer library help
ers ought to be made sure Of and then
he collection of books. and enough
ustaining members interested 10
make sure OF securing a fully sufi-
.;auy Iisf Of unn1 DprfoJ;Yalu
The last town lived in before com
nehere had, on account OF the iDtelli-
,ent interest Of three men, the best
,ubljc library for town OF its size
hat | ever saw and il was also sup
)lemented BY an excellent college Ii
rary. The income was 50 fine, as
hey had a special tax rate to main
ain il as the result of special char
er. that any man who felt that there
vas a gap in the shelves might hope
ully suggest the purchase Of some
ook needful to him, and the Trustees
we're sure to get it if il was nat en-
rely too special The income ran 10
iearly $4,000 a year. and the building
fas a civic centre and a splendid
ornament to the town 1t was a.
,ood building as our postoaice here
md absolutely central
The ablest men in town gave free
,ervices as Trustees and had a yer.
road policy to adopt policy and gei
except to adopt a policy and gej
hem to adopt it. that made the library
| al.
egan by giving the library nearly 200
,olumes from my library all more OF
css bearing on the Episcopal Church
Il was question whether these might
lot be refused on the ground that SUCH
library ought not To De a seciarian
ne. But they took my grodna thu il
ny Church was wen represented or
he shelves the others would want q
and this resulted in very fine col
ection OF all schools of divinity, and
IN ample furnishing Of philosophy
history. dogmatics and Scripture criti-
ism There was no excuse for ign0-
ance in he pulpit and each preacher
ad good chance to find out officially
lbout the tenents of another denomi-
ration and that from their own books
certainly no small advantage. IS Theo-
ogical seminaries DO not tell us much
about such things.
have a good many books that dc
Tot belong in a private library They
10 distinctly belong in a public Ii
1rary All my public documents
many Of my histories. some az my
philosophical books. several reference
books and compendiums. some rare
publications l would not in this case
nave much of theological character
contribute. though possibly sonac
ooks or general usefulness along
hose lines | think general coliec-
ion in the town of books before
mi pup quo useMloq leu pInoM deuoul