Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, March 27, 1904, PART III, Page 23, Image 15
TITE OMATIA DAILY BEE: SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 1904. 23 USES OF A PUBLIC LIBRARY How tL People Are Benefited fcy Such i Institution!, WHAT THE LIBRARY SHOULD BE LIKE Job Cotta !) nf Krwark Tell of CerteJa library" aires Some Details of Ita Workings. John Cotton Dana, llbrnrlnn of the publlo library at Neevnrk. N. J., read a paper before the Joint resnion of the Nebraska library association and the Nebraska Fed eration of Women's Clubs at Fremont, uelua; the title, "A Certain Library." While Mr. Dana's paper gave a particular de scription of ttie Newark library, his ad dress made such an Impression that It has been deemed good to give it to the people In full. Ilia consent to Its publication was only recently obtained. Mr. Dana said: "I do not c laim originality for the things I am to tell you about. I do not select Newark because It Is the best library. But I know it best. And It Illustrates by1 the things It Is doing, and ths things It hopes to do, and the things It would like to try, the field of work which lies before, every library In the country. "Newark has a population of about 300, 000. It la seven miles from New Tork. It is a manufacturing suburb of that city. But It la more. It has art Identity, a clvlo consciousness, of Its own. Founded by Connecticut Yankees In 1666, further estab lished by the Dutch, It hold to conservative ways for nearly two centuries. Germans brought to It a touch of their liberalism . after their revolution In '4S. As the In dustrial development of the last thirty years came on men found Newark had cheap aftes, good land and water trans portation, moderate taxation and a fair municipal administration, and they came and built factories and made things. They are still making things of every kind. To the factories cams many workers from for eign countries. "Newark outgrew Its own conception of Itself. It felt, to the older folks, like the quiet, conservative residence village It once wu. It was, In fact, a great city. Hardly more than a doxen years ago It woke to a realisation of this. It equipped Itself with a superior water supply. It was fore most In acquiring great tracts of land for a system of parks for the county. It built an adequate high school. It establlahed a free publlo library. "Soon the library needed a building, and the building came. It cost, with the land. $43,0m. It Is lnrge enough for twenty-five years to come, without considering econ omy of space. It Is light in every corner It is simple and dignified In Its exterior. Within It Is Impressive, and given the taxpHjer that pride of possession which perhaps every ruhllc building should pro duce. The presence of this fair and worthy structure on their mnln treet has helped the people to wish for .theM like It, and a court house and a rlty hall hp propriato to a (treat municipality are now 'under way. Content with the Batldlngt. "I have sold our building Is large enough and well lighted. Perhaps that la aufflclent praise. Of few library buildings can these things bo said. It la also conveniently ar ranged. The floor plans tell you of this. Notice the rooms not at present needed by ths library proper, on all four floors, They are Important In my story. "I feel free to praise this building highly, aa 1 had nothing to do with the planning, Mr. Hill and his directors put It up, not on theory or precedent, but on a careful study of their needs. I can .apeak more freely, also, of the work of the library. lUelf than I could, were It not, primarily, Mr. Hill's organization which I am carrying on, his plana, In great measure, which I am trying; to carry out. '"Newark Is a manufacturing city, con sequently It has a very large proportion of laborers and mechanics, skilled and un skilled, In Ita population. It la thirty minutes and 10 cents from New York; con sequently most of Its artistic, literary, scientific and musical, and much of Its financial and social Interest centers there. The result Is that It has, relatively to other large cities which are remote from the greatest centers of wealth, population and gtnifal human attraction, a rather slight educational, recreational and generally self-centered Ufa of Its own. Not that the lawyers, doctors, preachers, manufacturers business men, teachers and women may be considered slow, apathetic or uninter ested. Hut they have th habit In matters such as those I have named of looking else where. Ths city has no art gallery, no museum of natural history, no music hall worthy of Itself, no adequate art school, no sufficient technical school iind Joins with the state In permitting the historical library to lan guish for lack of funds. What Bhonld the library Bet "Now, In sny community, old or young, large or small, which for causes peculiar to Itself has not, or has In poor estate, the Institutions and Interests which I ha'e mentioned, what ahould be the attitude of the free public library which the people of that community have had the fore thought to build, equip and provide with lure income? We have a building which Is In Itself a stimulus to ths broader Inter est and the wider view; Ideally arranged for library work proper and for work out side of book lending: an annua! Income of about $50,000, and a community which, with a business view arUdng naturally In a city devoted chiefly to business, looks fur a maximum of results from all Its Invest rrenta. And whut should we do? I shall try to tell you. "One We should make ourselves In ef fect a part of all the school work of ths city, publlo and private. '"On our fourth floor with elevator Is a large, unaasigned room. Pending the com pletion of ths new city hall, otfirea were needed for certain school supervisors. Ws were glad of an opportunity to glvs them this room. In other unasslgned rooms these and other supervisors hold meetings with their teachers. Naturally the teach rs come to think of ths library ss part Hire . peciani Unlhae T.rA.l 1 It. i WO """'f icuu, uy im pcuciraung ana sooining properties, allays nausea, nervousness, and all unpleasant feelings, and bo prepares me system ior tne ordeal that she passes through the event safely and with but little suffering, as numbers have testified and said, "it is worth its weight in eold." bottle of druggists. Book containing vaiuaoie lniormation mailed Iree. IHE BKJrtflA ftttUlAIOft CO.. AtUaU. . of their own equipment. They tall en us for help In many ways. We believe they feel that we are working with them. We get from this arrangement far mors than we give In the afscmbly room last winter the teachers held classes In literature and In peycholotry, under professors from Co lumbia college. In other rooms they held meetings of their guild, of the Principals' association, of the State Principals' as sociation, of departments of the State Teachers' association and of any of their organizations which can be called educa tional. The pleasant relations already es tablished between the library and the schools have been in this way widened and strcngthei.ed. Thousands of pupi!s heard of our books through teachere who freely advertised us. Our little rchoo! room libraries twenty to forty books In a case, lent for a term of a year, selected by the teacher and changed at her re quest were taken with pleasure and In terest, and three times ss many as we had alwiut ninety) would have been gladly taken could we have purchased them. "I wish only to shr,w that If a library building can be a center for teachers' or ganizations and for all the work which tends to make their labor more effective, their tasks easier, their Interests broader, and their lives happier, tho library Itself Is greatly advantaged, does better work, does more work, and does It more easily. "Two We should aid In such work as school Toom decoration. "Newark Is Interested, as are most cities. In making Its school rooms more beautiful and more attractive. In furnish ing our library rooms we have had this fact In mind. We framed some of the German lithographs from Teubner, some of the French lithographs by Riviere, some of the historical series of Langl and some of his geographical series; showed the See man black and white prints; gave an ex hibition of fine carbon photographs, and next month we are to have a display of all the different kinds of pictures suitable for this purpose that we can discover, framed, catalogued, described and priced. This Is not done at random. All decora tion of school rooms should be under the direction of a committee, of which the su pervisor of drawing In the schools should be the head. And we put forward nothing that does not approve Itself to the proper authorities. Dements In School Room Art. "The possibilities of work In this direc tlon are not yet realized. A simple, lnex pensive, appropriate, attractive furnishing of our school rooms would train our teach ers themselves, and then the pupils In the elements of good taste In decoration and design, and would hasten the coming of the day when more of our manufactured products shall have that final touch, born of skill in design and cultivated taste, which so many of them now need. "That Is tho side of profit. On the side of plcasut'o we can say that nothing can give a finer or more abundant pleasure than an Interest In, and an appreciation of, beaullful things. And the secret of the Increasing Interest In art lntlils country lies not so much In our nrt schools, In lin ported pictures and In museums of art, as In the broadening and deepening of the Interest In the beauty of nature Itself and In the simple and Inexpensive products of our factories and shops. There Is more permanent possibility of pleasure In many a 10-oent chromo or 6-ccnt tea cup than In many a $l,noo picture of Jim) vnse; and we are beginning to sea that this Is so. "Three Wa should help to establish, a museum or science. "On of our vacant rooms Is admirably adapted to the beginning of such a col lection, and there are Intimations that a few small collections, especially suited to school use, will make this room a center of arrangement and distribution. Our building cannot house a museum really worthy of the name. Hut It can, and most appropriately, furnish space for Its beginnings, room for the meetings of those Interested In It, and needed books and papers; and the library can materially help In arousing an Interest In It. "Four We should help the local must, cal Interests. "Newark la a musical city, more so than what I have said would lead you to auppoas. A Newark musical society gained the first prize at a recent national contest In Baltimore. Possibly our build Ing cannot accommodate the musical meetings proper, even of small organiza tions. But the library can assist In male Ing a Collection of truslc for general use and can keep Its collection of- books on music and musicians well In advance of Interest In them. "Flv9 Study clubs, literary, artistic or musical, it Is, of course, our function to aid by all the means at hand. "Those of Newark, many of them, meet In our unused rooms, are given light and attendance, and are supplied with books, papers, lists and pictures to tho limit of the library's resources. Thl brings to us the good will and the help of women's clubs of all kinds. "Six Wa should help charitable organ izations of all kinds like those working for vacation schools, which originated In Newark many years ago, for summer play, grounds and kindred organizations. "These meet In our rooms, day or even' Ing, without charge. And these and others are supplied with light for lantern exhibi tions when needed. "Seven We should encourage the devel opment of an Interest In art, both fine and applied. Fine Arts Commission. "We have tried to do thla. Our dlrec tors have secured tho services of thres of our leading citizens to serve as a fine arts commission. This commission, prim arily appointed to decide If the pictures and other art objects which are offered to the library are worthy of a place In It has been of the greatest assistance In many ways. Chiefly through the efforts of Its chairman, Monslgnor Doane. they furnished our assembly room on the fourth floor with reflectors for lighting suitably pictures and other objects. Then, with the assistance of a local dealer In pictures, they gathered for us a loan exhibition of fine paintings, almost the first notable public display of the kind ever held In ths city, and followed It with another, brought together by an expert. "To the two came 60,000 visitors, tsn times ss many as most of the older residents of the city would have said would coma to Is to love children, and tv home can be completely happy without them, yet the ordeal through which the ex . " mother must pass usually is so full of suffering, dinger and fear that she looks forward to the critical hour with flrmretiensirtn o-Mrl AwaA 'i 1 i.oo such sn attraction. To ths same room came the architects of the state for the first exhlbttlnn ever held of their drawings and sketches. Here also we held an ad mirable poster show snd a display of fine photographs. 'We hve received a few gifts of pictures and sculpture. Even the beginning of an art gallery or museum may be a long time In comlt.g; but our building, so wisely pro vided with rooms not now needed by ths library proper, with such exhibitions and meetings ss our friends secure and arrange for us. Is sure to raise the thought of a permanent exhibition and a general desire for It. We cannot properly house an art gallery worthy of the name, but we can provide space for one In Us earlier years, and are sure to have that pleasure. "The evening dra'wlng school of the city, part of our public school system, looks to us for books, pictures and designs of every kind. The work of ths day schools In manual training and sewing has already been exhibited on the fourth floor. We shall sorn ha-e a lantern a screen and a supply of slides for Illustrating talks on applied art and other topics at the service, without charge, of all the educational workers of the city. We are planning for circulating collection of objects Illustra tive, of Newark's Industries, a series of tiny traveling. Industrial museums, which, whllo arranged In the library, will ba of value to the manufacturers as lllUBtratlvs of their work, 'snd while In small sections In the schools will help the teachers to In terest their pupils in ths activities of their own city. "And so, to the extent of our resources and abilities, and to the limit of our build ing, we can help to Increase the Interest In fine , and industrial art, and especially in the possibility of Illustrating the two by objects owned and objects msde In our city. "The Technical School of Newark Is sn evening trade school. Its friends wish to see It develop Into such a general school of technology as every great manufactur ing city needs, while retaining Ita present admirable position as ar. evening school for young men already at work In shops S'.d factories. The library can help In thla de velopment only Indirectly. "The exhibit of the processes Of man ufacture shown In the traveling Industrial museums which I have mentioned wovtlJ Increase the Interest In and respect for the workshop and the products" of patience and skill among the next generation of young men. Books and Journals on tech nical education we put before our readers as much as possible. And to the collection In our children's room we are adding books on all trades and Industrial arts as rapidly as we can afford to get them, hoping to Interest young people In them, or at least to make them familiar with their existence before they leave the school, nnd for the most part the library, for a work bench or an office. Guide to Illastrat Ions. "We are compiling a dictionary of Illus trations, a universal Iconographli ency clopaedia. From all possible sources ws gather pictures. We mount a few of the bCBt, these chiefly for special purposes, ss needed. Most of them are grouped by kinds In simple folders of Manila paper. They already numbers about 20,000, and cover a thousand subjects, though It is hardly more than a year since we began to gather them. We lend them to all comers for many purposes. "Eight Kvery city Is capable of better ment In streets, parks, schools, publlo buildings, monuments, drives, cleanliness and sanitation. "Newark, like most cities, has an active board of trade, civic Improvement socle- ties and kindred organizations, which give attention to these matters. Meetings of some of these organizations are held In ths lihray, and we try to provide the litera ture they need. Ths board of trade is trying to help the schools to Include more study of Newark, Ita advantages and die advantages. Its beautiful and Its unsightly features, Its history and its future in the curriculum of the first seven years. This la with the hope of fostering more rap Idly a proper local clvlo pride in the thousands of children of foreign parents or foreign parentage who coma to our school rooms every year. "The library tries to keep posted on this work and to provide appropriate literature therefor In advance of the call for It. You can get golden conduct only from golden Instincts. Every city Is a mirror of Its citizens. Cleanliness and beauty In a municipality reflect the manners and taste of its people, not Its ordinances. Its board of health and Its street department. Beau tlfut American cities are taking birth today In every schoolroom In the land or ahould be. "As I told you. all this being by In heritance and not my creation, I can speak of It with considerable freedom. If I have told the story properly, you will have seen that our library tries to present Itself as the proper center for so much of the lit erary, scientific, artistlo. Industrial and gen. eral social life of our city as finds asso ciation with it sympathetlo and helpful, The story, let me assure you, outruns the reality. Ws try for much; ws can do so little. But if I have Illustrated clearly the main point of my paper that a city's free publlo library Is a city's school without age limits, rules or masters; a city's tern pie, without a creed; a city's friend, giving help without reproof or blame; a city center of enjoyment and good will then Is the story .worth the telling, even when Its anticipations outrun its deeds, when Its hopes outrun the realities. Librarians Aim. Tt me add Just a word. I have written down a few lanes, summing up very broadly a librarian's view of ths world, her library and her work. "Imagine her, alert, vigorous, cheerful. standing on the steps of her library and looking out over her town. She says: " 'Behind ma Is the diary of humanity, the autobiography of man, the record of all that he has done, of all his Imaginings, of all his experiments failure and success alike. Here is the knowledge, lacking which civilisation would paaa lu a day, and here the wisdom which, applied but for one day, would change our imperfect society into one better than we can fashion out of dreams. And all this is set down In skit fully chosen words, cunningly put together. by the wisest and the wittiest and the most human of our forbears. " 'Before me is ths world, still strut- gllng and striving; condemned to strlvs and struggle for so many ages yet to advance so little! Here to gain for a time friend ship, love, mutual aid and that social effectiveness we call civilisation. There, to lose all, thus gained, for a day, for gen erations, through envy, greed, hatred, strife and all unklndneas. " 'It is mtne to help to put Into ths hands of these, my fellows, who have here almost by merest chance selected ms for the task, so much of this record of man's strivings, attaining, hopes, prophecies and fears, of this library, of thla composite volume, of this veritable book of books, as they will take with pleasure; they bop lug with me that they may learn from the wisdom of the elders how to live with more Joy, how to work together more happily. I may aee no harvest of ths seed their library may sow. But can I make this many-volumed work of human history this Book of Books to be ths every -day book of these, my friends? " 'If I can. even In alight degree, I have earned my hire, I deserve my place, J find ny labor play, my duty opportunity, and every day too short.' " Th expenditure of Kutsia in ths city of Harbin, Manchuria, fur publlo lmiro ments IU 115,450.0001 WMA It took less than exposition "election." one of the fifty, or see vacation. Ten More Trips To Be Voted For This Week. The second "election" started on Friday, the 2th, and ends next Thursday, March 31. Look over the following list of last week's winners and the number of votes they secured. They were certainly easy: John II. Disney, David City 4,S:t2 John Woodworth, Omaha 4.491 George Backus, Omaha H.574 M. A. Martin, South Omaha 3,550 Miss Ruby Spigel, Omaha 3,223 Anna Carlson, Florence 2,t32 Emma Hoskovec, Omaha 2,381 Mrs. E. Teterson, Omaha 2,200 W. S. Robertson, Omaha 1,024 Miss Ruth Cornet t, Nebraska City . 1,723 These ten and fifty more will take a trip to the World's Fair at please during the exposition. They will go This road direct to the exposition grounds, and in addition to saving a day for you either going or coming; to be enjoyed at the exposition instead of starting from the station in St. Louis, it will save you time, because it is the shortest road between Omaha and St. Louis. THE DIAGRAM BELOW SHOWS: WABASH LINE WORLD'S FAIR TERMINAL STATION LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE .isw pg"'Cygwvtn.t . C ll Olive T.TOlll LOf J Oil"! AW. Yv 0 rmiifv ut ion. II ' "me pine WORLD'S FAIR . L -V a w UKUUitUo. PLAN Or TRACKS Work en ths Wsbssb World'! Fair terminal Is now la procrsis sod will bs pushed to comple tion rapidly aa possible. Thla la sn Important uodeuakiiif and will call for an outlay of aso.uuO on ths pan ol Ws Wabaib ooupany (or the ata tloD atructure alone. President bamaey baa given much time snd thought to the plan lor Uie ter minal which la located directly m front of ths tnalu entrance to the Fair and through which s very large Tolums (it the aeaaon'a traffic, will paaa. In the arrangement of the trade due pro vision baa been marie fur handling the local, tbe through and tbe excursion business on rapid schedules, each independently ol the other, and every precaution will be observed for safety. The transit company's terminal loop la to be lo cated north of all the tracks of th Wabash at the World a Fair terminal, and aa will be eeo by ths diagram above, atreet car passengers will reach lbs mala entrance to ths Fair on a broad plaza passing under the Wabaah tracks and thus rnlding all the danger of a grade crowing. 'Tbe two tracks nearest Lindeil avenue ar ths track which will be used for the shuttle or local trains brtween Cntun station and tbe main en toaacs tolas World's Fair ground. These two Rules of the "Election" The ten persons receiving the largest number of voten at the close of each "election" will.be furnished, at The Dee's expense, as prizes, each a free trip from Omaha to St. Louis ajid return, to be taken any time during the exposition. ' No restrictions are placed as o where the party lives as a candidate for one of the exposition trips. Ho votes will be counted for employes or agents of The Omaha Bee. All votes must be made on coupons which will be published each day in The Bt-e. Prepayment of subscriptions may be made either direct to The liee Publishing Company or to an authorized fiLCnt of Th Bee. No votes sent in by agents will be counted unless sent in In accordance with instructions given them. The vote from day to day will be published in all editions of The Bee. The "elections" will close each Thursday at 5 p. m. Votes may be deposited at the business office of The Bee or sent by mail. No votes sent by mail will be counted which are not in the Omaha postoffice or delivery at 4:30 p. m. on the day of Hosing. Address, "Exposition Department," Omaha Bee, Omaha, Neb. A four yearly prepaid subscriptions to win a trip There are fifty more trips to be voted for, and you might as well be that one of your friends is one of the people who gets an inexpensive Via. tke r FOR LOCAL, THROUGH AND EXCURSION TRAIN SfRVICE-SHUTTLC EQUIPMENT TO CARE TOR 25,000 PASSENGERS PER HOUR. , traekt lead Into th through main tracks just west of Union avenue and these main tracks bave automailo electric, block signals every IJUU feet from Page avenue to tbe t uioo station. The cars for U.U shuttle train aervlee will be espe cially cooxtracted for the purpoae, having ateel uuderframea and with aeata arranged across tho car. similar to the summer cars In at reel car aerv lee. and will bave a capacity pf Uu persuus to each oar. They will be run la trains of eight or ten cars, and President Ramsey estimates that It will be poealble to handle about 25,003 paaaeugura per hour with these trains. Tbe shuttle traina can b unloaded very auickly, aa they will have no steps Tbe floor of th cars will be on the same level aa the plat forma along tbe tracks. Pa.sengcrs will he un losded on the platforms ouiside-of the two tracks, and will be loaded from tbo platform between tbe two track., tbe entraace to this center plat form being between the turnstiles, where passen gers will be required to deposit their tickets at the turnstiles before being admitted to I bo plat forms. ' - The tracka Immediately north nf the Khtie trains will b used for Coring shuttle trains dur COUPONS SNAP ' , WeJsh LIMOCLL AV. ing tbo dull hours of tba day, and also for storing any aueclal trains or private cars. Tbe flvo main or through tracka will bo used for the through and excursion trains. Platforms aro also be tween tbeso tracks, and passengers getting off tbe through or excursion traina will nut have to cross any tracks, but will dew-cud from the plat form by a abort night of stairs to theeubwsy under the tracks at be liallvlero avcuue. and It Is but a lew steps across the plaza to tbo mala entrance to tbe World a Fair gruuuds. If it should be decided to run any local tre'ns over U tbrougb tracks to page avenue, an t thence vie tiie Termluul belt road, s lame num ber of pasaeugera per hourcould bo handled that way. It is the Intention to run exruraluu truins from the Kast via the Merchauts' bride and the Terminal belt to Page avenue, and thence to th Fair grounds, aud also via the Fads bridge uu1 Mill Creek valley, and, as staled above, all such traina will unload or load ou tba platform be tueen tbe main tracka. Immediately south of tbe main tracka and frour.tig on tbe plnca will be the Weha-u terminal station This will be a comrnoili ous depot and will concitt of a tnalu tiHU'i j ON PAGE 2. to St. Louis in the first ' St. Louis any time they room 100 feet square, wtth an fofnmatirmta! la tbe center, and all the usual toilet rooms, ticket offices, parcel room sod a baggage roosa, where baggage will be received for paaeengws going to tbe near-by hotels, also an sgpree office. On the north side of tbe statlos and as- Joining the malu waltlug mom will be lect4 our classification compartments, which will I quite a unique feature. For Instance, St S l tulubour there will be scheduled a wet-bus4 through or excursion train. A sign will be dis ; viayeu over tne entrancs to en Ol these coav partment indicating ths track from which the train will depart, and passengers holding tickets lor that train will be admitted to thai oomparV I merit, and any passengers Intending to tske oiuer iraine win not oe permmea to enter IBM compartment. When the train Is announced to gate from that compartment will be opened and passcngera will proceed to th,e platform, and thence to their train. Thus It will be seen thai crowding will be avoided, and passenger will not be allowed to have admission to any train except tbe one they are b lake and for rbkas they bold tickets. l"" ' 'saw' )