Evening star., 1937-01-10
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

"The address Of the committees of the
local workingmen's organizations to the
people of this city
1iea LUZ r[eo inviting aid to the
free public Ii
brary," says The Star of January 8. 1887,
deserves a cordial response. 1t has
taken the citizens of Washington who
are not engaged in its active industries
a good while to realize that we have a
large element of wage earners in our
population. These men ordinarily spend
their days at work, but there are days
when they cannot work and there is an
evening at the close of each working day
which must be disposed of in some way.
The pool room and the drinking saloon
and, in fine weather, the street corner,
present strong attractions to the idle
man who has otherwise to choose be-
tween dreary lodging room and place
of amusement where an admission fee
is charged. The Congressional Library,
owing to it's hours of opening and clos
ing and the conditions set upon the
enjoyment Of its privileges, is out OF the
reach of the working people generally.
What they need Is a library and reading
room, open day and evening, where they
can spend their leisure time if they wish
and from which they can take home
books If they prefer to do that.
The towns of New England and the
Middle States, where the population is
half made up of artisans and operatives,
briStle all over with such establishments.
Twelve towns in New England. with
populations ranging from ten to twenty
thousand. support public libraries con-
tanning an aggregate of quarter of a
million books At Dover, N. H., a record
is kept. which shows that one in every
five inhabitants of the town. including
women and children, is registered as
borrower of books"
"The presentation to Congress of ap-
peals and petitions from citizens Of the
District for the en-
5lStrlcts SCHOOL largement of the
Needs Presented. public school IA
cilities," says The
Star of January 8, 1887. "is bringing out
some statistics worthy the consideration
of thoughtful members OF both Houses.
There are, it appears, 5000 more chill
dren on the rolls than can be seated in
the buildings now provided for them.
Twelve thousand and upward are obliged
to attend halliday schools because there
are not enough rooms to accommodate
them for an all-day session. A we'll
grounded feeling is rife, also, that the
high school system should not be foStered
to the disadvantage of the lower grade
schools. The fraction of the school
population that ever reaches high
school is not large and it consists as
rule of the children of parents who are
fairly we'll to do. The schools of lower
grade, on the other hand, gather in those
children who but for the blessing of free
education, would get no instruction at all.
mo respectable taxpayer begrudges
money taken from him to spend on the
education of the generations which are
one day to handle the reins OF the Gov
ernment. Moreover, a memorial laid be-
fore the Commissioners yesterday directs
attention to the neglect of Congress ever
to give a dollar of money or foot OF
land to the District for school purposes.
Yet it has been generous enough IN ltS
treatment of the school funds OF the
several States. Why cannot 1t do as
much for the District where its members
have to live from two to six years, and
where the Government service In lts
executive departments alone requires the
permanent residence of thousands OF
citizens, is impossible to understand"