o Tiik Iu.us'i i aim) Bi:k. Published Weekly by Tho Hoc Publishing Company, Hoe lliilldlng, Omaha, Nub, Price, fi crtitH per copy per year, 12.00. Entered nt tlm Omnhn Post Olllce lis Second Class Mull Mnttor For advertising rates whirrs Publisher Communications relating to photographs or articles for publication should lie ad dressed "Editor The Illustrated Uee, Omnhn." Pen and Picture Pointers Without regard to Uh origin, there Im iio mum beautiful or appropriate -iihI uiii tliiiu ilml of oiici each year decorating I In grave Of llc'll HoldlerH With HoWorS 1IH IU1 t'Vl l IK i' thllt their Inetnoiy In cherished bv Hi)' living Tin' lib'ii was born while the piilrlolli- Hi engendered by tln civil war still biiriii'il brightly Children who nmirlii'il In ilii' Mi-Mi Decoration iliiy parade lire mi'li mill women now, with children of their own to jench I lie significance of t !i wrriilh Hint In lit t r I on (lie sod above t ti sleeping soldier's breast. A deeper ini'iin lug Is now associated with lln tiny n ml II h observance ihmi wiih alliirhi'il to II ut first. On tin1 llrHl lieccrntlnii ilny Hi wicntliH were woven mnl lnbl on Ihi- graves by IiiiiiiIh of those who had sustained per sonal Iohh, ami thf foil it t ii I ii of wli'H" (cars wns not yet ilrlnl up Mirny of these have none to Join tho Kit I tn ii t dead of that day, anil "tin1 blades of the grave grass quiver" over niort' of those who followed Olil (llory Ihroilgh tin' Month Hum there are whose eyes . grow film im they Hee the Btnrry liannir fnrlril nt tho head of the column that innn'hi'H to tho cemetery Other hands have taken up the work, other bends how reverently nt the graveside, and oilier hearlH overllow ns tho llowerH are strewn and the promise Is renewed Patriotism haH not flagged, the Holdler who rlHked Ills life for the flag Is nut forgotten. A new army lias coino up to follow the Grand Army, nnd wo nro living to realize more than ever Hint "a grateful nation roinoni berH Its dead." Tho young men who made up tho army that went out ngalnst Spain and theme who took part In tho Philippine H. IIICN.IA.M1N ANDRHWS (MIANCISLUOR UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA DID It over occur to you that good reading Is source and hard to get In our state? Whnt would you say to thu assertion that tho least Illiterate state In tho union (pray pardon tho allusion) does not con tnln one copy of a good book for each man, woman and child within its borders? And yet this statement seems to bo en tirely within reasonable bounds, considered In the light of thu best data obtainable. Tho total number of volumes In all tho public and soml-putille llbrarloB In tho state does not exceed lifiO.OOO, and theso books are chlolly congested In tho two largo cities. Omaha has the only largo public library hi tho statu with Its 00,000 volumes. All other Omaha libraries aru small collections on special subjects, o. g,, tho libraries of tho Omnhn Law associa tion, the Now York Life Insurance com pany, tho Presbyterian Theological sem Innry, for tho uso of n very limited num ber of people. Lincoln haw lio.oot) volumes In her four libraries, but tho Btato library, 13,000 vol umes, Is a law library, and tho library of tho University of Nebraska . fil.OOO vol umes, whllo freely open for roforonco to ovurybody. Is of necessity Inrgoly n stu dents research library, with n compara tively small const Ituoncy. This leaves tho entirely Inadequate public library of 10.000 volumes to supply reading for 10,000 people. Indeed, In tho matter of voluntary ree rentlvo reading -tho sort Hint uncou Bclously makes for culture and olovatlon: tho sort that rests nno after a hard day's work; Hint brings a laugh to tho fnce nnd n lightness to tho heart; tho sort that wo rend for tho pure Joy of rending our slato Is pitifully Inching. Some I ii mm I iNraotiii'v I'luiiro. Ill nil Nebraska thoro nro not more than a dozen nctlvo freo public libraries, and Bf 1 1 W Wt I'M MWI'OI.K SCENE AT campaigns now have lliolr sharo In the ccrcinonics of the day. It means as much to them iih to thu gray old veterans whose hnttloH were fought before tho hoys of 18flS-!l were born. It Ih not n day on which to talk of battle, only to remember tho tight In which the hero foil. It Is n tiny when the hollcHt roeolleotlnn of tho sol dler Ih that of tho comradeship of those Nebraska's New It K Ii HKRDMANCM3UK AND 1,1- IIRARIAN OF SUPREME COURT these supply a tributary population of loss than 200,000 not one-llfth of tho peoplo of tho state. Tho other S00.000 Ncbraskans those In tho smaller towns and, nioro than all, those on tho farms depend Inrgoly for thulr reading on tho weekly nows pnpers, tho cheaper monthly magazines, government and state publications dis tributed gratis, nnd on tho few hooks which tho pioneers brought west with them a generation or more ago. Few Nebrasltnn homes outside the largo towtiB enn show a collection of books which could properly bo cnllcd n library, nnd tho best of bright, fresh, new books which tho public library offers to tho city resident nro nlmost entirely unknown In tho grent country. Even In progressive NoliMBkn there nro places whore a good book Is seldom seen, whuro tho pcopto hnvo no wny of knowing whnt books nro good, nnd where tho ndvent of a now book of nny kind Is hailed with Joy. Tho scanty library provlfilons In rural communities nro duo not so much to tho fnlluro to nppreclnto books ns to ccrtnln practical dllllciiltlcB In tho way of gutting them. Public libraries In tho smaller towns nro Impossible under the present Inw. With the vory low nsscssed value of property In this state nnd the smnll tnx rate which may ho levied for library pur poses (until tho last legislature only 1 mill) thor.i are not moro thnn alx or eight towns In tho state where the revenue for tho en tire permissible tnx will amount to enough to support tho smnllest public library. Indeed, tho benefits from the amended Inw, permitting a levy of 2 mills, will ho seen In placing libraries now established nn n more satisfactory and useful basis rather than In tho establlshUg of many new li braries until our population Is substantially creator than now. Another dllllculty Ib to know what books THE ILLUSTRATED BEE. JULIUS MEYER'S IIIRTIIDAY PARTY Photo who nro gone The living again plodgo their love to tho dead, and the sentiment Ih a sacred one - William II. Ely. tho new president of tho Nebraska Statu .Medical society, Is essen tially a self-made man Ills parents wero too poor to give him even tho advantages of the common sohoul system of Massachu Public Library Commission 1'SSKaif J- I. W YHR LIHRARI AN UNIVERSITY OF NEURASKA. to get. The present conditions surround ing thu rotall book trade make it Impossi ble to carry a representative stock In any but tho very largest cities. Tho book store In the smaller places Is usualy a side line carried by tho druggist or Jeweler, nnd Blight effort Is mnde U Interest tho pub lic In tho best now book, chiefly, perhaps, because tho man who owns tho book store docs not know his profession (for booksell ing hna become a profession In theso days of experts and specialists) and tho village book store sells chlolly stationery nnd text books, Undur theso conditions hns coino Into be ing, In pursuance of nn net of the Inst leg Islnturo, tho Nebraska Public Library com mission, whoso work Is to bo, in gross, to foster tho lovo of books nnd to make pos sible tho rending of good hooka whorevor throughout tho length nnd breadth of our statu thoro shall bo found thoso willing to read them, especlnlly tho farmers and res idents of smnll towns. This commission Is n non-partisan board composed of tho chancellor nnd librarian of tho University of Nebraska, tho superin tendent of public Instruction nnd tho state librarian, who nro members ex-olllclo. Tho appointment of tho fifth member of the board is to bo vested In the governor, who hns just nnmed Mr. Frank L. Hnllor of Omaha ns commissioner for n term of five years. This puts tho work In charge of a hoard of representative educators nnd librarians, in whoso hnnds It would seem mny bo lodged with entlro snfetv tho control nnd administration of Nebrnska'B library In terests. Tho work of tho commission will fall Into two distinct lines that of travel ing libraries and that which may ho called Held work- Traveling l.llirarlen, Tho traveling library which Is about to bo Innugurntcd In Nebraska under stnto control Is n fixed and successful Institution for Thu lleo by Ilostwick. setts, whuro ho was born, but by hard work ho managed to equip himself for the practice of tho profession In which ho has attained considerable eminence. He first studied music In a desultory way and found himself nt tho ngo of 27 In charge of tho musical department of n Now York seminary. This nfforilod him means to enter on the study of medlrlno, nnd nine FRANK I,. IIAU.KR OMAHA LIIIRARY HOARD. In moro than twenty other states. Its maintenance nnd control hnvo been as sumed without question ns a proper func tion of tho commonwealth, and tho success of tho library commissions under compe tent expert management is evidenced In tho increased support which they nro receiv ing from ycnr to yenr. In New York state, where this work Is most widely developed, tho traveling libraries nro sent mainly to threo classes: Study clubs nnd literary societies, public schools and country com munities. Whenever ten or moro tnxpnyers sign n request for n traveling library, gunranteo lug tho snfoty of tho hooka and ngroolng to pay transportation charges, a box of twenty-flvo or fifty carefully chosen vol umes Is sent out. Let us suppose that It goes to n tanning community. The books nro kept In somo convenient place, easily accessible, whore they nre given out to renders, who return them when they ore through in exchango for another hook. In Wisconsin, where tho country work hns been most successful, out of thirty four stations twenty-two nre In fnrm houses, nine In postofllces, two In country stores nnd ono In n rnllrond station. With ench box goes n simple outfit for recording tho books lonnrd nnd n number of smnll printed lists of tho hooks. Tho library mny bo kept from threo to six months, when It Is sent to nnother phce. nnd tho first community gets n fresh supply. Theso traveling libraries mny be lonned. according to tho provisions of the net, to nny library, literary society, study club, or to nny community or organization, whether Incorporated or not, or to nny body of cltlzcnB or taxpayers temporarily associated for tho purpose. It would seem wisest, perhaps, In Ne braska, as tho work begins with a smnll appropriation of $2,000 per nnnum (as compnred with $4,000 and $7,000 per annum In other westorn stateB), to glvo preference May woi years later ho found himself with the degreo of M. D. After eleven years' prat tlco in New York state he came to No hrnskn In 1SS3, locntlug nt Alnsworth, where ho still lives. The doctor still holds to his membership in tho Rochester (.V, y.) Pathological society, Is a frequent eon trlhutor to the medical Journals, as well as to tho secular press upon political and economic subjects, and Is an Industrious student nnd earnest worker In his chosen profession. Mr .lullt.B Meyer Is not an unknown figure It: the west. Ills manhood years have b'en spent on this side of the Mis souri, and while he has called Omaha his home, his business has taken him to the conllnes of that great scope of country which Is frequently summed up under the general heading of the wist. Mr. Meyer's activity In other directions has given him no time to seek out n wife and his fiftieth birthday, which was recently celebrated In royal stylo, found him without a helpmeet or offspring, but with n wonderful array of "nephews" and "nieces" miming In ages all the way tip to when It would be Indeli cate to say, "Uncle Julius" had a per fectly lovely time with his flock. l)r E. N. Leake of Fremont, who has Just been elected president of the Ne braska State Homeopathic Medical society, Is n native of New York state. Ho took tho classical com so at Syracuse, uni versity and later received from the university the degree of A. M. Ho received the degree of M. ). from tho New York llomeopathl? College and Hospital In 1SS0 and nt once began the prac tlco of his profession In western Pennsyl vania, remaining (hero until 1S9I, when he enmo to Fremont. Ho hns a wife and one daughter nnd Is nn active member of the Methodist church. Tho photographs of Mr. Richard Mans field which Tho nco presents this week, are the first that eminent actor hns sat for or nllowed to ho tnkon of himself or his train during tho wonderful trip ho hns made through the country with his great play of Henry V." PUHMC w k. FOWLER-STATE SUPERINTEN DENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. to the smaller towns nnd country com munities and to the women's study clubs, many of which nro sadly hnmporcd In tholr study by lnck of books. Indeed, so keenly hns this want been felt nmong the women's clubs In tho coun try towns that an Infnrmnl system of trav eling libraries, numbering several hundred volumes, hns been successfully operated hy them for several years. It is now in charge of Mrs. II. M. Stoutonborough of Plattsmouth, the librarian of the State Federation of Women's Clubs. Indeed, the present law Is In great measure due to the earnest work of tho clubwomen of tho state, who expect to turn over to tho now commission the books now owned by them to form n substantial nucleus for the now work. I low Sell, .old Are Helped. Another direction In which tho travel ing libraries enn be of grent use to the peoplo Is to tho public schools of tho stnto. For oxamplo, any prlnclplo who Is poorlv provided with library facilities and who Is desirous of supplementing tho reading In his course In history, science or litera ture, would bo able to send nn outllno of his work to tho commission, with a list of tho hooka nvnllnhle nt the school, nnd got In roturn n library of twenty-flvo or fifty of tho host books on tho subject, nnd thoso which would bo of most use to his students ns supplementary rending. Theso hooka may bo kept until tho end of tho school year. TIiIb work Is carried to great lengths In Now York stnto In connection with courses prescribed by tho Stnto Depart ment of Educntlon, nnd the presenco of tho stato superintendent of public Instruc Hon on our new library commission should mnlto It easy to co-opornto effectively with tho schools In tho stato. Traveling library work In tho United Continued on Eighth Pago.)