Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-08-24
cEcago's Library
Started so Years Ago

this fall observes the 5oth a~nnivers-.
ary Of the great fire that destroyed
this city, 1t will recall that ITS public
library, now the second largest in the
world, was born in that CONFEDERATION.
The library owes its start to British
sympathy for the stricken city which
fo9nd its expression in books.
The prime nov in England was
Thmoas Hughes, author Of tom
Browns School Days" His proposal
resulted in 1900 volumes besides q
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 IL
.brary is.an Autographed copy of ''The
EARLY Years OF the Prince Conhort''
that Queen Victoria, sent. It Al a
volume OF memoirs OF her husband
that she had had compiled. The
queen inscribed it. for Chicago on
November Is, 1871, Ave weeks after
the fire Of October 8 and long before
q city library had taken shape here.
Visited Oh&oaeo.
Hughes had visited Chicago several
years before the ! fire and made
number OF friendA On hearing OF
torfa, Gladstone, then premier; others
high in the government, authors such
as Carlyle and Disraeli, and leading
publishers. They Joined their names
to q Circular OF appeal to the people
Of Great Britain.
Support was urged on the ground
that "the new library Of Chicago IL
to be mark Of sympathy now and 9
token OF that sentiment Of kinship
stances and Independently OF every
other consideration, must ever power.
fully AFFECT the different branches 81
the English race"
The appeal wa at once taken up.
by the British press. A noted pub
Usher at Leipsic began the collection
OF books in Germany: a thousand
This activity abroad led the citizens
Of Chicago to bestir themselves.
Hughes and his associates took 1t Tor
granted that Chicago had had q pub
lie library and that it had been de-.
stroyed. They supposed they were
helping to replace 1t. There had,
however, been none Of this sort, be-
fore. /
Chicago began to take the necessary
steps to start a, library, On April 8,
1872, SIX months after. the. FIRE. the
city council passed an ordinance for
a free city library. The city then,
got a law through the Legislature
authorizing a library. tax.
Used Water Tank. 81
After its fearful experience, Chi
cage felt no place would be proper to
receive the precious books from
abroad except one that was thor
oughly. firepfoof. The only ireproof
thing left in the. city Was an aban-
asa reservoir for the south side. It
was 90 feet in diameter and 80 feet
high. 1t was rooted over, . hole cut
in the side for q door, shelves built
around its curvingS sides, M turned
into q. library. Thereaduring 1879
and 1873, 10000 volumes received
from English contributors and else
where were stored, and I'M May, 1874,
the library proper was opened. ST.. Il
The British contributions included
autographed works Of Gladstone, Herr
bert Spencer. John Stuart Mill, Dis
raeli, Carlyle, Kingsley, Huxley, John
Bright, Lyell, freeman and Rosetti.
Lady Trevelyan, sister Of MAcaulay,
autographed q set Of his works she
had edited. The British government
sent 1000 volumes. including cal-
endar of state papers with . copy Of
the "Domesday Book" Oxford uni
veraity bound; several Thousand vol
umes with it's best binding, and Cam
bridge university and ereat British
publishers contributed Literally. The
British patent office. put the Chicago
library on it's mailing list and 10 still
sending it's publications. ~
A number of the autographed vol
urnes have been preserved in anI1e-
mortal collection
Out Of this starr the Chicago pubic
library has grown to q collection Of
100000 volumes. sIh annual circu-
5lAtion IL 100000, which, places It
ahead OF any library in England.