The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1921-08-24
CHICAGO WILL
OBSERVE 5OTH
ANNIVERSARY
GREAT FIRE THAT DESTROYED
THE Clrl-EVENT TO BE
CELEBRATED THIS
FALL.
Associated Press

CHICAGO, Aug, 24-When Chica-
20 this fall observes the 50lh ami
versary Of the great fire that de
stroycd this city, it will recall that
its public library now the second lar
gcst in the world was born in that
confIagration. The library owes its
start to British sympathy for the
stricken city which found its expires
sion in books.
The prime mover in England was
Thomas Hughes, author Of "Tom
Browns School Days" His propos-
al resulted in 1900 volumes besides
a sum of money being sent here from
Great Britain. The children's room
in the library is called the "Thomas
Hughes Room"
The chief prize Of the Chicago pub
lie library is an autograph copy Of
"The Early Years of the Prince Con
sorW that Queen Victoria sent. 1t
was a volume Of memories Of her
husband that she had compiled. The
Queen inscribed it for Chicago on
Nov. l3, 1871, five weeks after the
fire of Oct, 8, and long before a city
library had taken shape here
Hughes had visited Chicago sever
al years before the fire and made
a number of friends. On hearing of
the disaster he enlisted Queen Vic
toria, Gladstone, then premier, >others
high in the government, authors such
as Carlyle and Disraeli, and leading
publishers. They joined their names
to a circular Of appeal to the people
of Great Britain.
Support was urged on the ground
that "the new library Of Chicago is
to be mark Of sympathy now and a
token Of that sentiment Of kinship
which, independently of circumstan-
ces and independently Of every other
consideration, must ever powerfully
affect the different branches Of The
English race"
The appeal was at once taken up
by the British press. A noted pub
Usher at Leipsic began the collection
of books in Germany. A thousand
volumes were sent by the Germans,
This activity abroad led the citi-
zens of Chicago to bestir themselves.
Hughes and his associates took it,
for granted that Chicago had had a
public library and that it had been
destroyed. They supposed they were
helping to replace it. There had,
however, been none Of this sort be-
fore.
Chicago began to take the neces-
sary steps to start library. On Ap-
ril 3, 1872, six months after the fire,
the city council passed an ordinance
for a free city library, The city then
got law through the Legislature au-
library tax.
After it's fearful experience, Chi |
,ago felt no place would be proper
10 receive The precious books from
abroad except one that was thorough |
" fireproof. The only fireproof |
thing left in the city was an aban-
loned iron water tank that had serv-
I'd as reservoir for the south side.
It was 60 feet in diameter and 30 feet
nigh. 1t was rooted over, hole cut |
n the side for a door, shelves built
around its curVing sides, and turned
INTO a library. There during 1872 |
and 1873, 10000 volumes received
from English contributors elsewhere
we're stored, and in May 1874, the Ii
1rary proper was opened.
The British contributions included
works Of Gladstone, Her
,ert Spencer, John Stuart Mil, Dis
.aeli, Carlyle, Kingsley, Huxley, John
Bright, Lyell Freeman and Rosette.
lady Trevelyan, sister Of Macaulay,
autographed a set of his works she
lad edited. The British government
ent 1000 volumes including a calen
lar Of state papers with a copy Of
he "Domesday Book" Oxford Uni
,ersity bound several thousand vol
INES with its best binding, and Cam
ridge University and great British
publishers contributed liberal. The
British patent office put the Chicago
library on its mailing list and is still
ending its publications.
A number Of the autographed vol
lmes have been preserved in a mem
rial collection.
Out Of this start the Chicago public
ibrary has grown to a collection Of
100, 900 volumes It's annual cir
ulation is 100000, which places it
head of any library in England.