Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-24
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS
Daily 7"hs M Thinking Plladclphaus Subjects They
KnOtV Best
KnO,V Besi

library was open. record which will give
some idea of the library's circulation.
Members outside of the city have books
sent to them by parcel post. and facilities
hOrdcd by the government have thus enabled
the library to reach distant points with little
If any expense. We have sent books by
parcel post during the last year not only to
points IN Pennsylvania outside of the city
ware New York and tn" District of Colum-
bla Ohio. West Virginia and some other
Statcs-a total Of 1000 packages Of books
having been sent through the mails.
Management of Library
''Thc management of the library is vested
in the board of directors. who elect the
usual officers. and il is n remarkable fact
IN executive management that during the last
fifteen or sixteen years there has never been
a resolution adopted by the board which was
not passed unanimously. the directors work
lnG together in perfect harmony to extend the
facilities of the library to tho members as
ch"aply and as efficiently as possible.
''Ihc library was organized 100 years ago,
and lik" most libraries Of its kind. started in
rented rooms. tThcsc were located about
oppoSit" Carpenters Hall on Chestnut street,
ut about 10l Chestnut street. old numbering.
or Jos. present numbcring) 1T then
erected the building which is still standing
at III" southeast corner of Fifth and Library
streets. whore it continued until 1869. nj
which time it moved to the then western part
W Il
and Chestnut, where il is still located.
The present building was one Of the
freight d"potS Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
and used ior freight. which was loaded on
the cars thcr" and had to be hauled by mule
teams down Market street. Prior to that
time 1t had been II market. and though not
built as librayy building. it is well fitted to
be used aS such, because the main rooms are
all on the first floor and the readers enter
on the street level.
'''IhC institution was oriCinally StartcI
as m"r"anliI" library. intcnding'to supply
the commercial public. to give shipping clerks
and young men in commercial houses access
to technical papers from different parts of
the world from which market news might
b" obtained. But in the course Of time. due
10 the increase in commerce of the port the
mercantile character Of the library was
changed in the sam" way as similar libraries
IN other cities altered their scope entirely
until il has now b"romc, rs it has been in
tact tor many years, library of general
literature.
Hold shares Long Time
''rhc stockholders often maintain their,
holdings Tor great many years. one ccr-
ttrntr, that of II very aged member of an
old French family. was recently brought in
for transfer by an original holder. to whom
it was issued in ISL. She must have cen
at least ninety years old.
Th" library today is patronincd by the
very sorl of people whom il first sought to
serve, ana IN addition UN clerks in alI
branches Of trade. students. writer's and
general readers Most urriv" use ha. been
made Of il by newspaper reporters aud writ
"r> on many subjects.
'Nor must We forget its chess rlub now
numbering about 100 members. Of which
Lewis Hopper is president. There have lrrn
staged some notable games and champions Of
many lands hayr played there some con
fronting opponents on Hs many as twenty.
funr boards simultaneously.
'Thc library'S usefulness has been mani
fold and increasing and lasting. Along these
Same lines ! expect TO sec it continue TO
dcvclop,'
Commercial Maxims in Japan
FROM TIC Iduhurgh Scotsman
japanese advertisers brlcvc in n lavish
use of smiles,
"'Ihc paper We sell, runs the aunoun,c
mcnt in II Toxic statiomcrs window, lis M
solid rs tho hide Of an elephant"
step inside - is the Invocation of big
multiple shop in the same city. ''Nou viii
10 welcomed rs roudly as u ray of sunshine
after II rainy daN Each one nf our asgiyt
ants j. n amiAhlC as n rnthcr seeking n
husband for u d"wrrIcsv daughter. ,;nndg
are Dispatched to rlIsiunrrs house, ith
tue raplditl Of shot from the rnnn n .
mouth.
A grocer proclaims that his "supcrflne
vinegar rs more acid than the tongue of the
mCSt fendfsh mother in law"