Evening star., 1922-02-20
Rate by Mail-Payable in Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
Branch Library Development.


The allotment by the Carnegie Cor
poration of-s67 900 for the new branch
library building in Southeast Wash
ington carries one step fu1ther tsward
realization Mr.. Carnegie's generous
wish to be the donor of the Public Lii
brary buildings needed by the National
Capital. At the opening of the main
library building in January. 1903, Mr..
Carnegie said:
Il have given this library to Wash
ington. and whenever branches are to
be established l shall insist upon the
privilege of supplying the funds. The
giving of public libraries to the Dis
trict of Columbia is in my province,
and you are to let me know when to
provide them"
Washington is grateful that the
trustees of the Carnegie Corporation
have kept in mind Mr.. Carnegie's in
terest, and have not in the intervening
years since these words were spoken
and since Mr.. Carnegie's death lost
sight of his expressed desire.
Soon after this original offer for
branches was received, Congress re-
fused to accept the money for the en-
tire system of branch libraries. but in
dicated that authority to accept one
branch at a time should be sought.
Not until 1910, However. were the IL
brary trustees enabled to build the
first branch, the one in Takoma Park.
After nearly eleven years of further
waiting, during which the service of
the central library was being devel-
oped and in which the war precluded
action, Congress last year authorized
acceptance of not less than s5O,O0O for
a library building in Southeast Wash
ington with an appropriation Of
$4,000 for a suitable site. 1t is to be
hoped that this gift of a branch Ii
brary building for Southeast Wash
ington is an earnest of the Carnegie
Corporations desire to carry out it's
founders wishes for Washington in
their entirety, and that, acting inde-
pendently ard on it's own judgment in
each case, in due course it will provide
buildings yet needed to furnish library
service to the densely populated sec
tions of the city.
1t is most desirable, therefore, that
Congress should adopt systematic
program Of library development for
the capital whereby the remaining
branches may follow one another at
frequent intervals, and that the gift
for their erection may not be i'm
periled by long delays in its accept
ance. With Congress. farsighted to
the advantage of securing needed H.
brary buildings without cost, and
corporation endeavoring to carry out
Mr.. Carnegie's plans. as shown by
their 1iberality with respect to the
present branch, it should be possible
for Washington to have within a rea-
sonably short space of time series of
commodious, architecturally beautiful
library buildings, scientifically adapted
to library purposes, similar to those
which Mr.. Carnegie's beneficence has
bestowed upon other cities of the
United States.
Congratulations are offered to South
. east Washington as the first section
of original Washington city to have
in immediate prospect an adequate
branch library. 1t is announced that
the Commissioners will execute the
contract for the building at once, so
that it is reasonable to expect that the
building will be completed and library
service begun in the early fall, not
later than October 1. The branch,
which will be located on a fine site on
7th street, just off from Pennsylvania
avenue southeast, will be in the midst
of a swarming population Of young
folks attending five nearby schools,
and will also serve the merchants and
skilled navy yard employees Of that
neighborhood. When this branch H.
brary opens Southeast Washington
will be in an altogether enviable posi-
tion. Similar library facilities should
also speedily be furnished to other 10
calities.