Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 6, 1902)
Beautiful Carnegie Public Library at Lincoln Mi3Aat-BW"''---a. v,.' .iMiiMLM Fir to L jrs. Site'? ! 1 - 000 n IN THIS CHILDREN'S ROOM. IAIN HEADING ROOM. IN THE REFERENCE ROOM. I rVr II OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN. tu HE people "f l.liiroln puint with pride to t tic magnificent Carnegie library build. ng, for it Is not only one of the finest pieces of archi tecture In the fit y. Imt Is do- u most laudable educational pur lins Bin tidy brought fui III voted pose, which Kood results. In tho latter part of September, lsini. I hi' l.liiroln public lil.uiry existed simply in name, mill t ! only property In imy way connected with or owned hy It was a charred catalogue of tho valuable ooIIit llon of bookn, m;iKi'lii'' Htol papi rn whlrh wore iliBtroyiil by Hie on the nlnht of the Itllh of that month, l-'or a week after the llro there whh f hui h IhliiK In Lincoln as u public library of vein ral literature. Three houm of furious lire hail iniule plelc the ilesl met ion. Hut Kinee iitKht unother mctainoi'pliohlx in of tho lllirniy Ins taken plait of fur greater iiiiikii i I Uil coin-that the affairs which M than the lire whlcli left the building without hoinu mil pripcrty. It was the donation of $75,0110 by Andrew Carnegie an I the hulldiiiK with thai money of one of the fineHt and heHt iiiilppi(l library homes In the west. Tho p.itnuitiKc of the Lincoln public llbrury ban more thin doubled Bincc It re moved from It h temporary and inconven ient (iinrteiH in the Oliver theater a month iikd to the new bulliliUK erected through the benetlcenoe of Andrew ('anionic. The books of tho Inxt It tit ion Ko into all kinds of homcH and delight several thousand per hoiih. The rich and the poor enjoy equal rights and privileges In this libraiy. and they patronize it alike, though the pi'ople of the latter class, of course, predominate In planning and construct ng the Car negie building mure attention was given to its general serviceability than to its architectural beauty. It is the only ah nolutely fireproof building in the city. Its location Is almost at the center of the WORK UOOM UK LIBRARIAN. cty'B population. There are now upward of 1,"i,ihiu volumes on the library's shelves. They have been selected with great care and taken as a whole the collection ex ceeds In value the one which was destroyed by lire. The d . nation was given without condi tions, excepting that the building be main tained by the city at uhliu expens.'. Tilt funds for the building site were donated by general subscription, as was also must of the money used for purchasing the books. Mr. Carnegie made un additional donation of -', 1,1,11 for the Ilxtures in Un building. The Carnegie library building s ands on a Bite a quarter of a block square, at the northeast corner of Fourteenth and N streets. The main structure Is t'.Sxln4 feet on the ground, facing the west. At the rear li an extension 2ox4.t fit, affording space for the stack room, ami another ex tension, l'.ix27 feet, for the executive rooms MAIN STOCK ROOM. of the library. The foundation is of Hert ford stone. The main walls are of gray piifsert brick with terra col I a trimmings of the Fame color. The roof is of red tile ami surmounted by a low dome. No wood is found in the building except the doors, window franns and floors, which are laid over cement. The basement rii s to a height of ten fi et above the groutnl. It contains a larg" room for a museum, two class or club roonn. a bicycle room, several storage and packing rooms, lavatoriei onl rooms f ir employes. The books are kept on the main floor, which Is so arranged that one attendant at Ihe CJUliter has command of the whole In stitution. This Hour i" entered by a broad flight of easy steps, leading through an en trance floored w.th in irble and ha ids m.e tiling walns iia.el In colored marble and decorated vi:h elaborate plaster work, all beautifully tinted. On Ihe wall In the Vestibule Id erected the bronze tablet com memorative of Andrew Carnegie, bearing the inscription: "In Commemoration of the Philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie, Who Cave the Funds for the Er.etlcn of This Building, the l'eople of the City of Lincoln, ill Cratitude to Their Benefactor, Have riaced Their Tablet, A. I), l'.'dl." Tho vestibule leads directly into the ma'ii library room and immediately faces the de livery desk. In the center is the dome, decorated with figures of the muses, nnines of great literary men of all ages and these eight eminent Ann ricaius: Franklin, Web ster, Whittler, lb lines, Lowell, Emerson, Longfellow nnrt Mann. The floors are of oak ami Italian tile, the walnscoating and base-boards of marble and th; partitlins ot plate glass. The book stacks are of steel. The architects of the building are Fisher & Iawrie of Omaha. The plans were drawn under the direction of S. L. Geisthardt, chairman of the build ing commit tee of the library board. The building wa formally dedicated on May 27. Episodes and Incidents in the Lives of Noted People r i..llF.SSM.N LAN I US was prals I I lug tlciieral Funsloii for Ihe lal- 1 I I,. i'm services ill the Orient upoke of his gallantry In in I mi u Philippine river. sides." he added, "the general once and sw 1111-'lle-swam the Yukon river in Alaska. Nonsense, said RiprcHcntatlve Sul.cr, "the Yukon Is too cold for such a trip. Why, Ihe natives have a saying about that river, Overboard, dead.' ami that about settles it." - llrevet Major (ieneriil 1. H. Ruckcr. late quartermaster general of the I'liitcd Stati army and now retired, cnlcrcd the urmy us ,ir.i i Mlviv-tlve Mars ago. when the military force consisted of a scant 10.000 otllcers and men. Michigan had Just be come a state when he was nominated from It to the senate to be a lieutenant In the Klrst regiment of the Inlted Stale dragoone. He now enjoys a grei n old age, having the other day witnessed the gradu ation of his only grandson. Philip II. Sheil rtan (the sou of Ihe late Lieutenant General Sheridan, who married Genera! Rucker'u duughter). from the l ulled States military r.cadc my. $ president Cas.uitt of the Pennsylvania railroad was for a number of seasons In the forcmiwt rank of American owners of raclnn tables and held the highest office in the famous racing association lit Monmouth pik. He retired from the active runnln of thoroughbreds many years ago and de voted himself to the development of colos sal railroad enterprises. Hut he did not give up his breeding farm. lis horse, Kurus, won the Suburban In lss7. Re cently he had the pleasure of seeing the sou of bis great sire. The Hard, mid of his excellent mare, Heel and Toe, win the Suburban of A New York con i spondent who hud a close view of the former pres dent at the famous harmony pow-wow at the opening of the Tlldcn club says Mr. Cleveland has uged a great deal since he left the Wh ti House upon the completion of his second term. He Is enormously fat, but the lines of his face are greatly deepened. His hair baa become perilously thin, and his voice, never of great volume, seems to have be come considerably less full. Nor does he speak so distinctly as be once did. Mr. Cleveland'! movements were labored aud be hart a certain pursy feebleness ab.iut him that was observed by those who re membered his former vigor. At the con clusion of his address there were many streams of perspiration running from his face, and he seemed to be quite exhausted when he sank Into his chair after his effort. Mr. Cleveland dirt not appear to take a great deal of Interest In the proceedings, and he was noticeably fidgety and ap parently anxious to leave the club after he hart finished making his own address. . The Missouri papers are telling this story of Murk Twain's recent visit to the stale: A big crowd gathered at a railway station to meet him. A little boy knew that somebody was coining, but he dirt mil know Mark Twain from Hossle Francis. 'Plus kill perilled himself on the top of a freight car. where he could see what hap P in d. The train rolled In, and as Mark s'epped off the people became excited, and shouted: ''Here he Is! Here he is!" The kid on the boxcar thought a great criminal had been caught, and shouted. "Git a rope! Git n rope!" Pr. Clemens laughed till the tiars ran out of his eyes. When Hon. Michael Henry Herbert, wh.t Is soon to succeed the late Lord Pauuee fote as British unibussador to the V lilted States, was in Washington, during the first Cleveland and Harrison artmiiilstrations, i s secretary of the Engl sh legation, Pres ident Roosevelt for a part of that time was a member of the Civil Service com mission. Mr. Roosevelt ami Mr. Herbert soon lucaiue close frienrts through the low of each for till outrtoor athletic sports. Mr. Roosevelt was fond of base ball; In fact, he was in those days what the devotee of the sport called a "fan." He initiated Mr. Herbert Into the mysteries of the great American game, and It was nut long until the Englishman was as great a "fan" as bis sponsor. Never a gam did they miss attending together when both were lu Washington on game day, and they were such constant attendants that whenever it happened that one or both were not In their accustomed scats In the grand staud the other "fans," as well as the players, remarked on It as a feature of the game. Among his intimate friends Irt Washington Mr. Herbert was call. .1 "Mungo," the significance of which is not kuown; but It is not doubted that when tho formalities of his reception as BrlMsh ambassador are over at the White House his eld base ball chum, the president, will slap him in the back and call him ".Mungo." It is not recalled that evi r be f. re has so intimate a personal fr etidslilp existed between a president of the I'nlteil States and a foreign diplomat as that be twein I'lcsidcnt Roosevelt and Ambassador Herbert. News from Madrid is that though young King Alfonso has been on the throne only about a month he already has revealed dome traits of will and Inclination. In cvt ryttiing that concerns the army he takes a deep In terest, but Intends to be very much his own master, on occasion upsetting plans lail down by no less a personage than the war minister. Lieutenant General Weylcr of Oil an fame. He shows a dcs.re to become acquainted personally with officers, of In dividual regiments and ieems .desirous of showing perfect confidence 111 Ills subjects, occasionally riding through unguarded streets many yards ahead of his glittering staff or stopping his carriage to say a few gallant words to a pretty flower girl. One of the most picturesque candidates nominate for congress so far Is Andrew Furuseth, who aspires to succeed Julius Kahn of the Fourth California district. Kuiuscth Is a Prussian Finn who used to be a tailor, and he has sailed pretty much every stretch of open water in the world. For years he has been a labor agl ator lu San Francisco. He Is a keen, sharp-visage I watchdog anrt does the full duty assigned h.m An artist seeking studies of fares to make up a revolutionary crowd would tin! In him a striking type. His straight, hay colored hair is long and tumbled; his fore head sharply retreating; his face has a draw u expression of intensity, with rarely the trace of a smile; hit shoulders are angu lar and his form cadaverous. One of the plans of modern giving offers a certain sum provided an equal amount is raised to meet it. In a recent case the amount to be raised reached a tantalizing total and halted. A friend of the Institu tion that was to be enriched went to An drew Carnegie and laid the facts before him. These he drove home by all the elo quence he could command. Finally th speaker paused and looked to Mr. Carnegie for the favorable word. "My friend." said the th great retail millionaire business." Many thousands of requists have r.'achel Washington from all parts of the country for copies cf Senator Hoar's speech criti cising the administration's policy In the Philippines. The applicants represent all shades of political opinion. Immediately after the speech was delivered and for two weeks thereafter the average number of re quests received was Too per day, a record breaking popularity. They are telling this story on Congress i: an Gresvenor of Ohio: In the last presi dential campaign he was chief speaker at a meeting in Pittsburg. The hall was crowibd and the chairman introduced the white-bearded Buckeye statesman In this fashion: "1 have now the pleasure to Intro duce to you the speaki r of the evening. Of course, his name is a household word with you. You all know him. He Is rne of the leaders of congress. He Is the calcula tor for the McKlnley makes the figures for scarcely necessary for name, but without any dryly, "I am not In 'More, more, more!' How inuth have you contributed to his 'rake-off' In the steel Irust, his railroad submerger? Sell a little Morgan short. Too much risk on one man Hut remember the Giascutus is a big bull mi the country." admin stratlon. He nil the boys. It Is ine to mention hU further word I w.ll present to you General Gossamer of Ohl i." Hallett Kilbourne has been adjudged of unsound mind and committed to the St. Elizabeth's hospital for the Insane at Washington. Mr. Kilbourne was formerly one of the prominent real estate brokers of Washington. He became widely known about twenty-five years ago because of his suit against the sergeant-at-arms cf the house of reprtsentatlvis to recover $100,000 as damages for false arrest and Imprison ment. The Jury which heard the testimony awarded Mr. Kilbourne damages In th full amount asked. The sum was after ward reduced to $28,000, which was paid by cc ngress. A free lance clrcrlar called "Tho 'i:i Street Giascutus" was circulated amon New York brokers a few days ago. It voiced in light eln the sentiment that Pierpont Morgan has too much influence in tho finances and industries of the country. Roar I, Rampage I" has sevtral para graphs on that sibject, Including these: "After conquering more than he and his gmerals can wisely control the great American Napoloi n of Grab is crying. When, some years ago, the Iake Shote railroad put on a service of "flyers" and imposed an extra rate for tickets on the special trains, John Newell, then pnni of the system, decided that passes, b? rat tickets, etc., should not be accepted as fare on the limited express runs. Of course there was no intention that the restriction comerniug passes should comprihend the "courtesies" extended to officials of other railroads, says the Philadelphia Times, but a clerk's mistake forwarded to D. W. Cald well, president of the Nickel riate road, a pass inscribed: "Not good on Lake Shore limited trains." Within twenty-four hours the mails car ried to Newell a pass signed by Caldwell and bearing the Inscription In red ink across the face: "Not good on passenger trains." Newell and Caldwell were enemies froti that day until the death of the former. Patrick EEan, ex-minister to Chile, whe was in Philadelphia recently, tells the fol lowing story Illustrative of the lack of i sense of humor which characterized th. late Charles Stewart Parnell: "Parnell though the greatest leader of the Irish race was in many respects much like an Eug lishman," said Mr. Egan. "It took him : long lime to see a Joke. I remember wd when the old Land league was first or ganlzed in the Imperial hotel in Uublin Andrew J. Kettle, a well known Irishman presided. After the business had be. t transacted I rose and moved that Mr. K-1 tie leave the chair and that Mr. Parue. take the second chair. 'Now, Mr. Chair man,' I said, 'I move a vote of thanks t Mr. Kettle for the admirable manner I: which he directed this meeting.' Parue! put the motion, and in doing so sail 'Gentlemen, I need not say, in putting th mcr.lon. that the name of Kettle has been household word in Ireland for many years. The burst of laughter which greeted Par nells break slopped bim. He look, around, confusedly, and said, sotto voce, t me: 'Egan. what in thunder are tbt people laughing at?' "
