IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. i/ / ''it' wji Q (A 1.0 t^ I.I 1.25 25 Ill 1.8 M 11.6 '/ /A ^ 4^ o ^9) \ ^'^ . ^^^ s:« our minds, and ought to crimson our cheeks with shame. The government of this country has, to some extent, acknowledged the sacred duty of giving to its people a free and sound education, and the public schools of Canada are a recognition of the right of every man to be taught his duty to his country and his God. In this it has done well. The child is father of the man, and unless the ancient proverb of training him in the right path has lost its original force, it is still a matter of supreme moment that a right bias should be given to his dawning intellect. Al- though not prepared to endorse all the extravagant encomiums bestowed upon them, I believe the public schools have laid a solid foundation, strong and deep enough whereon to raise a goodly super- structure, and build up a useful, moral, and religious life. But, having lai*l the foundation, and raised the walls of the human fabric to the level of society, the work is unfortunately ai rested just where it should have commenced ; the young fledgling has been thrust forth from the parent nest where he has been fed, and fattened, and crammeJ, to be henceforth nourished as best he may upon such husks of knowledge as the daily paper, with its current catalogue of crime, or the American novel, ef hoc genus omne. What wonder if in such circumstances the jffects of early training are soon ob- literated and lost, the " little knowledge" which we are told is a dangerous thing, becoming of small account in the guid- ance of maturer years. It is very much as if a man, having laid the foundation of his house sure and solid, and lifted his walls to the air and sunshine, had then laid aside his tools, and invited the snows and frosts of a Canadian winter to com- plete his task. Surely it is not politic or wise, that, having given the young citizen a taste of the $weets of knov ledge, his manhood should be condemned to starve, or, as I have said, fed upon the rotten- ness of tl)e cheap literature of the day ; because to this we are inevitably driven, circumstances utterly preventing me, as well as hundreds of others, from purchas- ing books worthy of perusal. The wants of the house I live in are too clamorous to be evaded ; the tenant of the man- sion — the egomet — is condemned to ex- ist upon half rations of unwholesome food. I protest against this. As a workingman and on behalf of my fellow workmen of Toronto, I protest against being starved while my children are fed, and I appeal, on the part of an influential and growing class, for the establishment in this city of a Free Public Library, worthy of a rich and important city, and capable of con- tinuing and carrying on in our riper years the good work commenced in childhood for I hold that such an Institution would be to the working man the complement of the education bestowed upon his youth. We have at present no means of obtaining knowledge such as this would afford, and in default of it our working classes must assuredly grow up ignorant of their duties as responsible beings, and unable successfully to resist the influence of the evil that surrounc' them. I presume that the authorities of this country, whether Dominion, Provincial or Municipal, desire to see grc :ng up in their midst an intelligent and Christian people, whose lives are ordered upon sound principles of morality and religion, and who may form the basis of a free and happy commonwealth. To this end no effort should be spared to indoctrin- ate them with the eternal principles of truth and justice, by familiarizing them with the thoughts of the good and the great, leading them to the springs of in- quiry, and providing them with guides t *9 « :" •■ i I « ft '' « f « t kv \ and teachers through the devious paths of life. Many and praiseworthy attempts are no doubt madj to improve the con- d'tion and raise the moral tone of the working man. Soceties of all kinds for such objrcts abound. Lecturers ( n every conceivable topic swarm in our midst, and the clergy of all creeds — and accord- ing to their li^ht — -are not slow to lend a willing hand in the work ; but, after all, the combined influence of all the ma- chinery in motion is but little compared to that which a Free Public Library would exercise upon the thoughts and minds of our working men. Lecturers are very attractive and useful in their way, but they must be paid, and I can- not afford to pay them. The Shaftesbury Hall celebrities, annually provided by that institution, scatter abroad some crumbs of knowledge, but I cannot gather them — their knowledge is sold, and I am too poor to buy it, and to give it away without money and without price is a .>tep in ihe onward direction that such c'itablishments have yet to rake. I present myself at the door, but not hav- in^ the silver talisman that commands an entrance, it is closed against me. But, while not disparaj^ing the work of such societies, I apprehend that even could we take advantage of them, the Institution whose claims I am consider- iiij5 would far exceed them all in its in- fluence for good upon the working men. I'iierefore, O Patns Conscripti ! I ap- peal to you. You provide for our phy- sical wants. You give us parks wherein to refresh our weary limbs, hospitals to heal our aching bones, an alms house in our dire necessity, and gaols when our shortcomings deserve them ; why, tnen. refuse to minister to the nobler part of our being ? Why refuse to unroll before o'jr eyei the '"ample page of know- ledge, rich with the spoils of time ? " Is it not a stinging disgrace that in this flourishing city of Toronto, nay, in this broad Dominion of Canada, there is not a single Free Library ? Five hun- dred years before our Lord, Hipparchus opened the first library in Athens, into which every citizen could freely ent r, and feed his mind upon the literary trea- sures collected there. We have ad- vnced two thousand five hundred years beyond Hipparchus, but it is with a retro- gressive motion, and we are not yet where the Athenians commenced. Is this a progress calculated to inspire us with satisfaction ? Assuredly not ! and yet the age is brimful of int lligence — directed, it is to be feared, mainly into the channel of amassing wealth, until man himself — the creator of this wealth — is in a fair way of degenerating into a machine. What, then, would be the value and in- fluence of a Public Library upon the work- ing classes of this City? M.!ch every way. Good books would supplement and complete an education begun and left unfinished ; they would wean them from the low temptations to which they are peculi ..ly subject, and to which the rich, encased in their mail of wealth, are impervious. The whiskey shop, the low theatre, and the dens of vice from which our reformation societies desire to lure the workman, would lose some of their attractions; the instincts of his better na- ture would be fostered and brought into action, and his thoughts li^'ted up to that all-hail hereafter, when he might hope to change the working garb for the badue of a higher destiny. The perusal r" good books would also strengthen and build up his religious character, and as man is a religious animal, it is of no small consequence of what sort his re- ligion may be. But, paradoxical as this statement may appear in this " city of churches," I fear there are many over whose lives religion of any kind has no perceptible control. Indeed, I know many who openly disavow any belief in Christianity, and who deny the existence of a future or a God. Infidelitv and atheism, which used to be lookt^l upon as the exclusive property of philosophic sceptics, are permeating through the lower strata of society, and what shall be the end thereof? Why is it that with so much theological teaching, Sunday ser-* mons, and ministerial efforts to improve our moral and religious condition, infi- delity is openly and freely avowed ? Why is it that a short time since, had a !>omb- T shell exploded in our midst it could not have caused greater consternation than the arrival of a book which audaciously crossed the frontier like an invading force, and took the town by storm. The churches took rtlarm — ministers were up in arms —Christianity was in danger ! a poor thing it would be if M. Voltaire's little book were so formidable a foe — and the authorities were adjured to seize and strangle the daring wretch who had ven- tured within the hallowed precints of the city of churches. But why this outcry and alarm ? M. Voltaire is not by any means so destructive an opponent of Christianity as some whose works are welcome guests in the libraries of the rich, and upon whom the Minis:er of Customs would not dare to lay his hands. He was too outspoken to do much harm. He was a man without fixed principles, who wrote for fame and from a policy that made him write verses in praise of the Virgin and the Saviour, while at- tacking Christianity in private. He came at a period when faith and morality were equally weak, and he brought with him one of those sarcastic and sceptical dis- positions which are of every time, though they can only fulfil their destructive task at an epoch of general weakness and degradation. But has our morality sunk so low, and is our Christianity become so corrupt, that Voltaire's wit should fill us with alarm ? If so, it becomes the teachers of the day to cast about and see whither they are driving ; if not, why this much ado about nothing ? I allude to this to show that popular ignorance lies at the base of the dangers we may apprehend on account of religion, and that if infidelity should rankle in our midst, it is not because Voltaire, in the philosophic retirement of Cirey, sneered at and dazzled the eighteenth century, but because we have not been true to our times, and let in the light God has given us, upon the minds of our people. , Give our intelligent mechanics the use of a good Library, of which they will not be slow to avail themselves, and I care not if all the French philosophers, with Voltaire and Rousseau at their head, were scattered along the sidewalks, thick as leaves in Vallambrosa. It is not, per- haps, a matter of surprise that amongst the clerics the arrival of Voltaire should have occasioned such profound alarm, as I suppose they are aware of the danger- ous nature of the materials amongst which he would be thrown ; but it surely ought to awaken in them a desire tocrush the snake of infidelity and irreligion that is lifting its hydra head amongst us, by turning our thinking and speculating faculties into a right direction, and pro- viding — so far as their influence can go — healthy food for thought. We live in times that are pregnant with great social, political, and religious changes, and in a country where, whether educated or ignorant, the working classes must exer- cise much influence in the near future. It becomes us, then, as a people — yet in leading-strings it is true — but still mak- ing rapid strides towards manhood, to see that our boasted morality and reli- gion is not a mere sham — a vox et pre- terea nihil. By and by the working classes of Canada will be the actual rul- ers of the country, and universal suffrage will take its place among our laws. Into whose hands will this power be en- trusted ? It was said of every private in the ar- mies of the great Napoleon that he car- ried a marshal's baton in his knapsack. It might be said with equal truth, that every young Canadian carries a premier- ship in his brain. A few days since the grave closed over the mortal remains of one who, from the lowest rank of society, rose to the proudest position he could fill in one of the foremost nations of the earth ; and in our own country the late head of the Cabinet had once been a worker in stone. What was the influence of books upon the lives of these men, both of whom were plucked from the common crowd? They ennobled and elevated and refined, just as they en- noble and elevate and refine every mind that yields itself to the influence they possess. Not that every man can hope to be a Garfield or a Mackenzie, or a Chatham or a Burke, but he may hope that the God-given faculties within him shall be expanded and made productive » - * .1 I !i I. r J , of good to society and to himself. To accomplish this noble purpose, and lift himself to a higher plane, he needs more than his narrow circumstances can sup- ply, and it is the obvious duty of the state under which he lives, which claims him as her subject, and which has been enriched by his toil, to place within his reach sound wisdom and instruction, and sure guides to virtue. There is a Latin sentence (l^ox populi^ vox Dei) much used, and more abused, riian which a greater lie was never penned. Should it ever become true I know not, but I do know that it never can be true so long as ignorance darkens our minds, and the gates of knowledge are closed upon us. The influence of good books upon my own mind is, I suppose, very much like what they produce upon the minds of others. They lead me, if but for a little while, out of the dusty and sweltering paths of daily toil, into the cool and shady groves of poesy and romance ; they make me master of all that has passed in the history of my race ; they widen my conceptions of man, elevate my thoughts, sweeten the cares of life, reconcile me to the accidents of my lot, humanize my feelings, subdue my pas- sions, and enlarge my heart. I cannot rise from their perusal without feeling better, and I apprehend that if the study of such books as a well-selected library would afford was encouraged, we should have less occasion for the frantic and often futile efforts of moral and religious reformers. From statistical information obtained by Alderman Hallam during a recent tour in England, I find that in the United Kingdom there are at present many free libraries, supported by a rate not exceeding one penny in the pound. In Birmingham there is much interest taken in the free library movement. The present number of volumes is 86,000, and the reference library includes 44,000 books ; the monthly average of books lent out is 35,000, while the number consulted for purely reference purposes is 21,000 per month. There is also an art gallery and museum here, under the management of the library committee, all of which are well patronized by the working people. Manchester has a fine free library system, the total number of books being 147,631, — 64,077 for reference, and 83,554 for lending purposes. The monthly average of reference books consulted is 19,058, and the monthly average of books lent out is 71,41 1. In Manchester they have also a very fine museum at Peel Park. Bradford has a good free library, the reference portion containing 11,152 vol- umes, and the lending department 134,- 000 volumes, and other branches about 8,000 books. The total consultations of reference books last year was 217,598, and the issues from the lending de- partments 1,081,871, and the specifica- tion books were evidently fairly at- tractive, for during the year there were ">355 consultations. In connection with the free library there are news rooms for males and females. In Liverpool the history of the free library has been one of continual pro- gress from its commencement. It has a well-patronized reference library, the average daily consultations during the year past being 2,057. The number of volumes in the lending departments is 43,285, and the issues during the past year have been 436,415 The daily average issue of magazines for the same period has been 231, or 65,056 in the aggregate. The average issue of weekly periodicals was 213,975, or 760 per day. There is here, as in other places, a stock of " Patents for Inventions" vol. umes, which during the year have been consulted 13,913 times. In connection with the library there is a large and magnificent museum, which, during the 213 days it was open during the last year, had an average daily attendance of 2,349. The fact that this combination of places received the popular patronage which the figures indicate, shows the way in which they are appreciated. In- deed, as a simple matter of common sense, they would not be kept open — certainly not the library and reading- room — if the rate-payers did not M convinced that they were worth the money expended on them. In Preston there is a free library of 9,075 volumes, with a reading-room at- tached, chiefly patronized by the work- ing classes. There are many similar instances in other towns, but the limits of this paper forbid my giving them in detail. It is evident, liowever, that the working classes of the g'eat English towns ap- preciate the advantages tiiey enjoy, and there is no reason to suppose that their brethren of Toronto, — hailing, as most of them do, from the mother country — would be a whit behind them in this re- spect When we turn our eyes to the neigh- bouring Republic, we find that the free library system is almost an old Uistitu- tion, all its great towns being possessed of this invaluable means of extending knowledge. From the last annual re- port of the public library of Cincinnati, kindly sent me by C. W. Merrill, Esq., the Librarian — who states that a large proportion of those who use the library are working people — we learn that the library now contains 124,495 books, and 13,- 089 pamphlets. The Government, of France have made a giit to the library during the year of a complete set of the French patent reports, numbering 162 volumes, and the Imperial Government of Vienna have made a similar donation. Total use of the library during the past year has been 802,356 books and period- icals, an increase of 32,989 over 1879-80. The number of volumes issued for home use was 253,970, and the number delivered for reference, 148,947. The average number of books lent daily for home use was 824, and the number de- livered for use in the reading-rooms, 410 her day. The expend hire of this library for the year was $55,864.94. The books issued for home use during the year, ex- clusivb of fiction, numbered 45,127 volumes, on the following subjects : — Philology, Theology, Philosophy and ■ Education, Biography, History, Geo- gra]>hy and Travels, Politics and Com- merce, Polygraphy, Science and Arts, Poetry and Drama, ; and the number of books on the same subjects issued in the reading-rooms during the year was 98,662. From these figures we see that a vast number of books on all con- ceivable subjects (exclusive of fiction) have been issued to and read by the peo- ple of Cincinnati, and no sm.ill propor- tion of them by the working classes of that city. J. N. Lamed, Esq., the Superintend- ent of the Young Men's Association of Buffalo, informs me that the Association circulates about 100,0'"'- volum^"*: annu- ally, and that a fair proportion of work- int( men are amongst its members. The Grosvenor Library of Buffalo— a free reference library — is also well patron- ized. From the exhaustive report of 1187 pp., on the public libraries in the United States (1876), courteously sent me by the Hon. the Minister of Education. Washington, I find tliat Free Town Li- braries^ comprising those partly or wholly supported by a direct or indirect tax, or by municipal grants under authority of a general State law, exist in almost every State. In New Hampshire there are 13 town lii raries, and the aggregate circu- lation was 191,601 volumes. There are over 127 free town libraries in Massachu- setts^ and 3,026,000 volumes have been taken out within the year by readers. In fifteen years the number of free town libraries has been nearly trebled ; the nu'iiber of volumes much more than quadrupled ; the yearly additions have increased more than six-fold ; and more than six times as many books were take:; out by readers than nine years before. Eight public libraries exist in Maine^ formed under an Act of 1854, granting a sum not exceeding $1 on each of its ratable polls to establish a library, and 25 cents on each poll thereafter for its increase and maintenance. The aver- age circulation is 97,700 volumes. Ver- mont has four libraries established under a similar enactment in 1867. In Ohio there are nine public libraries. 815,373 volumes were lent within the year. The levy for these must not exceed one half I mill on the dollar. An Act of 1872 authorized the establisl.ineni ut Ucc I ) public libraries and reading-rooms in Wisconsin, at a tax not exceeding one mill on the dollar. Four libraries were organized under this law. Connecticut has four libraries, with a circulation of 37,000 volumes. In /o7t>a there is one library, established in 1873. Three free librzries in Indiana were organized in 1873 frorii a tax of two mills on the dollar, and in 1874-5 159, 55^ books were lent to readers. Illinois contains 13 free libraries, which lent within the year 301,538 volumes. The frontier state of Texas is the pioneer in the free library movement in the southern states, the library of Galveston having been established in 1874. In 1875 ^^ numbered 12,000 volumes, and 12,500 were taken out by readers. Besides the free town library system, which pervades the entire Republic, the government has also provided State and Territorial Libraries, of which I find there were 47 in existence at the date of this report. The State libraries are for reference purposes, and not for the cir- culation of books, but they are free to all persons without exception, who have the privilege of reading any book for which they may enquire. There are no restrictions to repulse any person de- cently clad and of good behaviou r from using a State library. The general de- partment of the State libraries includes for the smaller libraries chiefly State pa pers, with the most necessary encyclo- paedias, and works of reference on sta- tistics, political economy and history, for the use of the legislature. The larger libraries employ their larger ap- propriations in the purchase of books from a wider range, aiming not lo supply the direct needs of the legislator, only, but to respond to the require- ments and tastes of a cultivated people, looking forward to such measure of com- pleteness in every department as the means at their disposal will allow. The number of volumes in the State and Territorial Libraries was 833,219, ten of them having over 30,000 volumes each, and only four of them are in cities olF over 50,000, the remaining 42 being in relatively small cities With regard to the class of books provided in those libraries, an opinion of the character of one library is ex- pressed in a report from its librarian, in which he "congratulates the legislature on the number of works to be found in the library adapted to the v. ants of the agriculturist, the merchant, the banker and the statesman." Another report says, " The library is specially designed to contain books on legislation, govern- ment, politics, history, statistics and political economy." A third report ob- serves, " A glance over the purchases will show that the mechanics' and en- gineers' call can now be gratified." Another great feature of the free library system in the United States is the common school library, but as we have already something of this kind existing in Canada, I need not refer to any sta- tistics concerning them. The public libraries in ten of the prin- cipal cities, are praitically open to all readers, and are extensively used. There are in Baltimore 28 public libraries, con- taining 1000 volumes and upwards, headed by the magnificent institution founded by Mr. Peabody in 1857, who gave for its foundation $1,400,000. It is used entirely for reference, and is open free to everybody. Not more than one- tenth of the reading here is of fiction. Boston and its vicinity contains 49 libraries of 1000 volumes and upwards. Brooklyn, 15; Charleston, 4; Chicago,!^^ including that founded by Mr. Newberry, at a cost of $4,000,000, which it is ex- pected will be the largest reference library in the country. Cincinnati has 22 libraries. The public library here is open on Sundays. The librarian says : "Certainly no one will visit our various reading-rooms on Sunday, and observe the large attendance of the young men of the city ; the earnest and thoughtful attitude of by far the larger portion of them, and the quiet and decorum which everywhere prevails, can fail to see that the library, with its Sunday reading, is exerting a powerful influence for good upon the morals of the comniunity." New York City contains no less' than 70 libraries connected with various institu^ tions, including the princely foundations of Mr. Astor and Mr. Lenox, whose noble collections are within reach of all. /Philadelphia has 72 libraries of over 1,000 volumes, amongst them is the Friends' Free Library, to which the workmen from the numerous factories of Geimantown freely resort, the library offering a counter attraction to the taverns of the village. There, fiction is entirely excluded, and the moral tone of the books assured before placing them on the shelves. St. Louis pos- sesses 15 libraries, and San Francisco 14. Altogether, we find from this valuable report that there are in the United States no less a number than 3,647 public li- braries of 300 volumes and upwards, and nearly all of this vast machinery for the extension of knowledge has been set in motion during the last five and twenty years. I regret that the limits of this paper will only permit me to glance at these details, but I should hope that enough has been given to show the vast super- iority that the Americans t njoy over the people of this country, and to stimulate our rulers into some attempt to lessen the disproportion that exists between us. On the spread of free public libaries in other countries I have not space to dwell, but I may mention that 16 out of the 29 states of Mexico have such insti- tutions, the principal being the Biblioteca Nacional of Mexico, and the Cinco de Mayo of the same city. This latter is open to the public every day from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., and is constantly attended by people from all classes of society, but principally by artizans and poor scholars from the national schools. In Brazil, the most important library is the National Public Library, contain- ing 120,000 printed volumes, and free to the public. The aggregate number of volumes in all the libraries of the empire accessible to the public is 460,- 272, and they were attended by 85,044 persons. As a vivid illustration of the spread of Western ideas in regard to popular edu- cation, the free public library recently established at Tokio, xwjapan^ deserves tv> be mentioned. It is the first in which foreign books were to constitute a fea- ture. It is now temporarily bestowed in the ancient temple of Confuciu.-., and was opened to the public in 1875, and is free to all persons, native or foreign. In gen- eral the books are not to be taken from the building, but certain specified classes may, with the sanction ot the Minis^ter of Education, be permitted to borrow from the library. Turning our eyes from far Japan to Ireland, the Globe correspondent, now travelling in the West, tells us that Sltgo *' contams a free public library — a fea- ture that Toronto with ten times its po- pulation and probably fifty times its wealih cannot boast. Our city fathers and public spirited citizens may well be ashamed of the contrast. It was orig- inated by donations, a grant of money being voted by the corporation to pay running expenses." Thus, wherever we look, amongst widely diversified peoples, and nations the most remote, we find that books are universally acknowledged as the great teachers, and that without them we can- not hope to keep pace with the progress of the age. We should no longer, then, seek to evade the responsibilities which have been placed upon us of this pass- ing generation. One of the most prom- ising institutions yet born into the world must be bequeathed to our successors as an instrument always working in the direc- tion of moral and social development. This one .secular institution which en- courages self-development as an aim should be especially favoured in the times upon which we have fallen. Who has not had moments of scepticism touching the solid advantages to human- ity of the mechmical triumphs our gen- eration has seen ? They have created a host of new desires to be gratified, of unimagined luxuries to stimulate the fierce competitions which thrust the the weakest to the wall. But we cannot help entertaining Mr. Mill's painful doubt whether all the splendid achieve- ments of physics and chemistry have yet lightened the toil of a single human ) • I * I « ) • . Ix'ing. If we would bind all the Titanic forces now at work in wholesome service to the hipher interests of our race, it must be done by a commensurate ex- pansion of the means of po|)ular educa- tion. The best use we can make of the stage coach of our ancestors is to carry us to the railway station, and we can best employ their precious legacy of a free school as a conveyance to the free library. It will benefit many of its supporters through the minister's sermon and the physician's practice ; tlie editor's leader will lead towards sounder con- clusions ; no attainable statistics will measure its work. There are n. "gures that will tell us what portion oft. , intel- ligence of the community would have lain dormant without it, nor can we estimate the wonderful results of this gift of literature upon the masses of the people. It would act and re-act upon our successors in a way that we can scarcely anticipate. As the varied in- telligence which books can supply shall be more and more wisely assimilated, the essential elements of every political and social question may be confidently sub- mitted to our instructed common sense. Let us labour then to lay the foundation in this wealthy city of Toronto of this crowning department in our apparitus of popular education. Unlike all otner public charities, the free library is equally generous to those who have and to those who lack. It cares as tenderly for the many as for the few, and removes some of those painful con- trasts in human opportunity which all good men are anxious to rectify, for "books" says Milton, "are not abso- lutely dead things, but do contain a po- tency of life in them, to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are. . . . . A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life be- yond life ! " With regard to the ways and means to be adopted for the successful carrying out of this project, I feel I cannot do hotter than embody in this paper Mr. Hallam's scheme, which I have no doubt could be easily carried into execution. He says : — " Let the Council petition the Ontario Legislature to pass a Library Act .similar to that of England, enabling municipalities of cities, towns, and vil- lages, on the vote of the people, to im- pose a rate of not less than one-half mill on the dollar for the purpose of forming and maintaining free public libraries, and acquiring by bequests, real estate, books, and money, and the holding of the same by the people for library purposes, with full power to hypothecate part of this rate for a number of years so that the money necessary for the wants of the people in this direction should be sup- plied at once. This would give grand and immediate results, and not be bur- densome to the taxpayers. Such a rate would produce annually, according to our present assessment of $54,000,000, the sum of $27,000. We could borrow, say $225,000, which at 4^ per cent, in terest, ^ of i per cent, sinking fund, would pay the principal in less than 40 years. The annual charge at rate of 5^ per cent, (including sinking fund) would be $11,812.50, leaving a balance of $15,187.50 for the purchase of books, reviews, magazines, and newspapers, foi paying salaries, lighting, heating, and otherwise maintaining the library. We could spend for a central site and a good handsome building, adapted for the re- quirements of a city like Toronto, with reading and lecture rooms, say $150,000, with the balance, $75,000, we could pur- chase at once from fifty to sixty-five thousand volumes of printed books. . . . I have no hesitation in saying that the ratepayers will cheerfully vote the money. ' A free public library estab lished on this basis for Toronto ! ' Aye or no ! ' " (Signed) " Liber." lO SECOND PRIZE ESSAY. (H. M. EVANS.) i r The importance of preserving records of events of national interest was early recognized, and in Egypt these records were written on pa|)yrus leaves in hiero- glyphics ; in Assyria they were inscribed in cuneiform characters on clay cylinders, and placed in the temples and public treasuries to be brought out and re id on stated occasions for the benefit and en- lightenment of posterity. In later times the thoughts of poets and sages were en- shrined in the Library at Alexandria, which was ultimately burned by the Mo- hammedans and its contents destroyed or scattered, never again to be recovered. This holocaust has been regarded by many as one of the causes of the ignor- ance and superstition which prevailed during the dark ages. Nothing could possibly demonstrate more strikingly the value of such collections of the thoughts of great men than the darkness which swept over the land, while these grand ideas and logical conclusions were being thought out again. When the ideas of theologians, moralists, and philosophers were once more wrought into words, the books containing them were collected and carefully preserved in the libraries attached to the monasteries and different universities, which were then the centres of education and learning. Some idea of the value attached to such works may be formed by a glance into the hbraries which existed at that period. The huge tomes of vellum or parchment, labo- riously copied out by studious monks, were placed on shelves to which they were secured by a short chain, only long enough to enable the student who wished to consult one of them to lay it on a moveable stand and read it there. Such literary treasures were considered much too valuable to be allowed to be taken out of the custody of the librarian, who was held responsible for the safe keep- ing of the volumes under his charge. Several examples of these chained li- braries are yet extant ; one at the cathedral at Hereford (Eng.) contains about 400 volumes, whose carefully- preserved but well-thumbed pages testify to the diligence with which they were perused by the students of those days. With the introduction of printing came a spread of education and intelli- gence that surprised even the most sanguine reformers, and collections of books, which were thus brought within the reach of private individuals, became more common, instead of being, as here- tofore, limited almost exclusively to rich religious institutions. As the wave of education spread wide and wider, sweep- ing ignorance, superstition and vice be- fore it, libaries were formed in many of the large centres of Europe industry, the shelves of which were supplemented from time to time by bequests and gifts from private individuals who were suf- ficiently wise to foresee the inestimable benefits that must inevitably follow a more general acquaintance on the part of the public with the works of their favourite authors. As time rolled on it speedily became evident that the libraries in existence did not nearly satisfy the requirements of the age, and efforts were made to establish free libraries in dif- ferent cities. In Cermany and France the idea has been carried out with such earnestness that now nearly every town of any importance has its free library as a matter of course, just as it has a town hall, a church or a school. In France especially is this the case, there are free libraries in every town worthy of the name, with sub-depositories at conveni- ent intervals, which have elevated the standard of popular education more rapidly and surely than any other method could have done. The vast strides that France continues to make in matters of technical education and the superiority of her artistic productions are no doubt due in a great measure to the prevalence of free libraries. England, also, though far behind her con- • « II tinental neighbours, has numerous similar institutions. The nuclei of many of these were formed by the accumu- lated donations of private individuals to institutions supported by voluntary con- tributions, which was the usual mode by which they were kept up until compara- tive late years. It was not till 1849* that Wm. Ewart, Esq., M. P. I'or Dum- fries boroughs, succeeded, after en- countering much opposition, in getting a resolution passed in the House of Commons to appoint a Select Com- mittee to enquire into the existence of the public libraries of Great Britain and also to consider the best means of ex tending libraries free at all times to the public. This committee, after examining a number of witnesses and taking a deal of evidence, reported in effect that the libraries in existence were not such as would satisfy the national requirements in this respect, and were extremely dis- proportionate to the wealth and resources of the Kinjidom ; and that not only on the continent of Europe, but even in the United States, the contrast was greatly against them. The facts elicited by the committee did much to awaken a public interest in the matter, and twelve months later the honourable member for Dumfries boroughs was successful in getting a Bill pa.ssed by the Imperial Parliament, the object of which was to authorize Town Councils to levy a rate not exceeding one half-penny in ihe pound and devote it to the establishn.ent and mainten- ance of free public libraries. Advantage was immediately taken of the provisions of this Act bythe Manchester Corporation, which was the f.;st to avail itself of this beneficent statute; their example was im- mediately followed by other towns, but it was speedily found that the comparatively trifling sums thus raised were out of pro- portion to the object sought to be at- tained, and further that the Act con- tained many useless restrictions which militated against the proper working of the principle sought to be extended. This Act was therefore repealed, and a fresh enactment passed, giving a much * Aid. HalUun't Tract. wider scope and better facilities to the corporations than those contained in that of 1850. The public feeling in this matter soon grew beyond the narrow limits prescribed by the second Act, and various amendments of a more liberal character have been made from time to time in its provisions, the wisdom of which are clearly manifest to any one who cares to studv for a moment the progress the fr^e library movement is making in the United Kingdom. The United States of America has also made great strides in this direction, and the city of Boston is now in a posiiion to boast of having the largest free library in the world.* The advantage of such an institution to the city is shown by its superiority of municipal government and general intelligence, as compared with other less favoured cities. In January, 1880, there were no less than 3,776 public libraries in the United States, containing over 300 volumes each — the total being 14,500,000 volumes. In Texas also the inhabitants have recognized the advan- tages accruing ''rom such institutions so clearly that they have not hesitated to avail themselves of the provisions of a recent enactment whereby they can im- pose a tax for library purpo.ses at the will of the Council.' In the Southern States, where one would scarce look for a large reading public, they are provided with civic machinery for the establish- ment of libraries, and many cities pos- se well-chosen and increasing collec tions of books for the free use of every ratepayer. In Mexico the importance of libraries is so well recognized that every publisher is compelled to furnish two copies of each book published, free to the public library. This privilege is re- tained by five libraries in Great Britain, and it has become an established custom for publishers to give copies of each new book to the leading libraries. To return to the United States, it will be found that the source of revenue of the free libra- ries in the large cities is variously de- rived from the Board of Education, •Sm Aid Tavlor'i Tract. n City Library Funds, City Appropriations, and the Dog Tax. In Maine State the Act provides for assessing $i per head for founding the library, and 25 c. per head for its maintenance ; Vermont, $1, and 50c. for maintenance ; Connecticut, the same ; Ohio and Iowa, half a mill in the doliai- ; Wisconsin, one mill ; Il- linois, from 1-5 to 2 mills in the dollar. Alderman Taylor has collected statis- tics from 26 English towns, in which the public feeling on the matter of the es- j tablishment of free libraries was tested with the following results : Six adopted j the Act unanimously ; four found one j dissentient ; one town of 400,000 (Man- i Chester), 40 dissentients -, in the remain- j der it was adopted by such overwhelm- ing majorities that no poll was demanded. In Canada, which had the start of the Mother Country in the establishment of rate-supported schools, it seems strange i that the wisdom of the establishment of public libraries should be questioned even for a moment. In the Old Country the School Boards were the outcome of the increased intelligence arising from the use of public libraries, and it will be most extraordinary if a country which thus early recognized the necessity of affording educational facilities to its children should fail to see the unspeak- able advantages accruing to the youthful residents therein from the extension of its educational facilities, by placing with- in the immediate reach of its youth a means of innocent recreation and also of acquiring information on various top- ics. The immense value of free libra- ries to the Dominion can scarce be over- estimated, for though, in a comparatively new country, muscle is needed to per- form the hard manual labour incidental to clearing land and bringing it into cul- tivation, yet if the efforts of the settlers be not wisely directed their exertions will not bear fruit commensurate to their labours, and they will ultimately have the mortification of seeing other com- munities springing up around them and outstripping them in the struggle for su- periority. When a new settlement is founded, a school is erected as a matter of course, but after the juveniles have ex- hausted this means of acquiring infor- mation and have grown old enough to work, they are supposed to be able to pro- vide what further instruction they need for themselves. The number of moral and intellectual wrecks drifting about the different towns fails to convince the hard- headed city fathers of the fallacy of such an idea. It is true that in some cases young men manage to get on without any assistance from such institutions, but who knows how much easier the task would have been with such aid ? Young people have not always the foresight to see, after they once get out of school, that any future instruction will be neces- sary to their advancement in after life, and frequently waste their time in profit- less amusements, ultimately developing into mere loafers, sinking lower and lower in igorance and vice as they forget the precepts inculcated into them at school. In after life people's ideas upon the different subjects studied at school become more and more indistinct as time rolls on, unles.s occasionally bright- ened up by coming in contact while reading with incidents calculated to im- press what they have learned on their minds and even give them a wider insight into the application of the first princi- ples they learned in childhood.* Every- one must admit this, and among the unbiassed, thoughtful ratepayers it must be considered cheaper and safer to pay for the enlightenment, than for the ignorance of the people, and better to induce working folk to spend their spare time in reading books, newspapers, &c., — even if provided at the public ex- pense — than to allow them, as per the old economically-idiotic plan, to stand at street corners, or ramble up and down sidewalks, or steep themselves in drink. This much by way of introduction : now to consider the value and influence of public libraries in relation to the working classes. Who can tell tte number of valuable inventions that have been lost to the world, because ihe workman in whose brain they were evolved was ig- * Aid. HftUam's Pamphlet. * » u norant of the merest rudiments of theor- etical mechanics ? Every one who has tried his hand at model making from memory must, at some period or other, have been embarrassed by coming sud- denly upon some part which requires a peculiar motion that he was unable to imitate till he had an opportunity to in- spect his pattern again, when he would probably find some well-known principle brought intc play, that he would never have thought of if left to himself. If this is the case with a mere model maker, how much more will it be true with an inventor ? As an instance of this, we may suppose the case of a young man working in a cotton mill : while watching the machinery he is suddenly struck with an idea that if some few additions were made to the mechanism of a par- ticlar part, much labour might be saved or a better finish might be imparted to the goods. Fully alive to the value of this idea, he strives to make a model to demonstrate the practical application of the principle, but after repeated attempts, at length relinquishes his project in dis- gust. The probability is that if he had a manual of mechanics to which he could have referred, he would not have had to study long before he would have found the required principle explained, perhaps in a modified manner, but sufficiently clear for him to have ad- apted to his own requirements. In his ignorance of what had been thought out by previous students of me- chanics, a brilliant idea has thus been lost because of his inability to grasp a well-known theoretical principle, which no one had seen the application of to this particular machine before. Had he explained his idea to the maker of the apparatus he was seeking to improve, it would have been seized upon and adopted immediately, but then the prob- ability is that he would have lost the cre- dit of his invention. Many a man of more than average natural abilities as a poet or prose writer . has never risen above mediocrity, or per- haps has been unable even to attain that, because before his style became formed he had no facilities for perusing the works of classic authors. Had he been early acquainted with such works as those of Shakespeare, Addison, etc., he might have been able to attain a purer style than that which had become second nature to him before he studied their writings. How many self-taught stud- ents have struggled hopelessly with such impossible tasks as squaring the circle, or perpetual motion, who, had they been earlier convinced of the futility of their endeavours, might have passed them by, and devoted their energies to the accom- plishment of other tasks, the completion of which would have encouraged them to proceed in their studies in which they might possibly have achieved a brilliani success. In their ignorance they had wandered from the beaten track till they had lost themselves completely. Such nisdirected efforts only lead to ignomin- ious failure, while, had they been better directed, they would have achieved con- siderable success. In bygone days the want of public libraries was in some mea- sure supplied by the patronage system, and many men whose names occupy pro- minent positions in the history of the world of science, art, and literature, were taken in hand by noblemen, princes, and kings.and they were thus enabled to pur- sue their favourite studies with advantage The present age, however, revolts at the idea of such patronage, even if patrons were to be found on the qui vive iax pro- teges. In later times, gentlemen who had collections of valuable scientific and theological works have been found ready to lend their treasures to poor students, who by this means have been able to pursue their studies with a degree of success that would have been out of the question but for the assistance thus af forded. Many persons will doubtless be able to recall to mind the name of John Edwards, the Banff naturalist, who, though he never rose above the position of a poor shoemaker, yet he did great things and achieved a proud position for himself as a naturalist. He acknow ledged with gratitude the benefits he de rivcd from various works which werei t.l lent and presented to him by admirers of his industry and zeal ; he frankly ad- mitted that these works saved him from falling into many grave errors and were of vast assistance to him while prosecut- ing his researches in the various matters to which he devoted himself. It may be said with reason that these are exceptional instances of the value of books and that every man is not destined to shine as an inventor, a poet or a natural- ist. While admitting this, I think every one will be forced to allow that in mat- ters of everyday life Canada would be a gainer if she enjoyed the benefits of fiec libraries, as a few evenings spen*- in the lAi^elligent persual oi Adam Smith's •' Wepltii cf Nations ," Hallams " Con- stitutional History," Macaulay's and Carlyle's essays on the great political movements of past ages, would give the reader an insight into the principles of political economy and the logical se- quences of various political arguments in use in every-day life. This would enable them readily to see through the specious, threadbare arguments of pot- house politicians and the sophistries of self-constituted but ignorant wire pullers, and would do much to create a more healthy tone in political life than ob- tains even in the midst of the en- lightenment of the present day. The' daily newspapers which might be read in a free library would keep the young man ancourant with contempo- rary history, from which the intelligent reader would be able to draw his own conclusions. A free library in the city of Toronto would also be of inestimable value if considered as a mere pleasure resort, where young men might go to pas^) the time in novel reading. Those who had charge of the in»titution would, of course, take care that its shelves were kept free from the pollution of such trash as too frequently forms the staple mental food of the rising generation. This would be a great advantagfe to any city, in many ways. In the first place it would serve as a counter-attraction to the tavern, out of which it would tend to keep the young men of an evening, and they would thus be gainers in pocket and health. Secondly, the acquaintance with works of a higher moral tone, and evincing greater literary ability than those they are in the habit of studying, would have a tendency to raise and purify their ideas of human nature, and impart a more healthy idea than can pos- sibly be derived from the perusal of '* Dick Turpin," and such reprehensible works of fiction. So that the community would be benefited all round ; the stu- dent would there find assistance in his studies, and a means of suitable relex- ation from his more serious pursuits ; the mechanic and man of business would be enabled to form an acquainance with the literature of the age ; while the mere idler would unconsciously become in- grafted with better principles of morality, &c., and probably be weaned away from reprehensible pursuits by having ad- mission to a place of resort on wet even- ings, and find amusement without the necessity of . -landing drinks or imbbing them. The second point to be d' monstrattd is " the extent to which working people avail theiDselves ol public libra ries where they already exi:,t. ' No one who has been in the habit of frequent- ing public libraries can doubt ihat the working classes form the bulk of the pa- trons of such institutions. This isstiik- ingly shown by the fact that during the noon-day meal time and a'ter working hours, every seat will be found occupied, while during the other part of the day the place is comparatively deserted. The next point is " the character of the books usually read by this class ol read- ers.'' Some idea of the extent to which free libraries are patronized, and the class of books usually read, can be formed by glancing at the figures com- piled by Aid. Hallam in hispmiphlet on this question. He tt lis us that iin the Manchester free library there a e 147,631 books, 64,077 of which are works of reference, and 83.554 are kept for lending purposes. The monthly average of reference books consulted was i9,o58,while the number lent during the same period was 71,411. The an- nual cost of the books and maintenance ^o n of this library is ;^ii,ooo, of which sum jC>6$o is expended in magazines, newspapers and periodicals. The Brad- ford (Yorkshire) free library is similarly divided into reference and lending de- partments, the former of which contains 11,152 volumes, and the latter 13,401, in addition to which there is another branch containing patent specifications lent by the governme'nt. The total num- ber of consultations of reference books in one is set down as 217,598 ; the is- sues from the lending depart- ment during the same period amounted to 1,081,871, while the 8,000 books of specifications also proved fairly attractive, they being consulted no less than 11,355 times during the year. The annual expenditure on books and maintenance of this institution au.ounts to ;^3,ooo, and the news rooms tO;^ 1 20. The library rate levied on that borough realizes ;;^3,2oo, at id. in the pound. There is also in the town an art museum, established under the Public Libraries and Museums Act, and in ten months the number of persons admitted to it was 132,261. Liverpool also has a well- patronized reference library, the daily average of consultations of the works on its shelves being no less than 2,057 ; the number of volumes in the lending de- partments is 43,285, and the issues dur- ing the year were 436,415. The daily average issue of magazines was 231 ; the average of weekly periodicals, 213,975, or 760 per day ; there is also a stock of patents for inventions volumes, which during the year were consulted 13,913 times. The Birmingham free library, which was recently destroyed by fire, now contains 44,000 books ; the monthly average of works lent out is 35,000, while the number consulted for purely reference purposes is on the average 21,- 700 per month. The library rate here realizes ;^6,ooo a year, which has to cover the re-erecting of the building and maintaining it. The Preston free library was founded in 1879, ^"d now contains 9,073 volumes, 200 being reference works. The monthly average of books lent is 8,000, and of books referred to, aoo. The annual cost of this institution is ;^i,ooo, and the cost of the news room in connection with it is ;^6o ; at- tached to the library is a reading-room, well stocked with newspapers, magazines, etc., which, like the library, is chiefly patronized by working-class people. The last point to be argued is " the probability of the acceptance of such li- braries b the working people of Cana- dian cities." It would be an insult to the intelligence of every man, woman, and child in the Dominion to suggest that any opposition wili be offered to the scheme for the establishment of free li- braries upon the old hackneyed ground that education will make the people too proud to work, as its fallacy has been de- monstrated years ago. The only ground of objection, I opine, would be based on the score , hat its adoption would be too costly for the finances of the country at present. It must be admitted that there is reason in this, and men who have worked hard to accunmlate a compe- tency may be excused if they look twice at a dollar before they part with it. They say that they had to purchase what books they required for themselves, and ask why the youths of the present age can- not CO the same, quite ignoring the fact that while they had sufficient foresight to do this, hundreds were not so wise, and have struggled on through life in the same beaten track, and have ended life scarcely better off than they began, with- out having enriched the world with a single idea worth recording, or having performed a single noble deed in their lives. They ignore the fact that there are numerous books that young men have perhaps never heard of, but which would be read with avidity if they were placed before them on the shelves of a free li- brary. Many young persons hesitate to purchase a book for themselves, which they would read through in a week, and make all the excerpts they needed, though such might be of life-long service to them. There can be no doubt that sooner or later a free library must be es- tablished in Toronto, and the most the obstructionists can hope to do is to re- tard its acceptance for a time. Omega. ei '<) t THE CITIZEN. Editor and Publisher, WM. BVBQESS. Published weekly, at $i.oo per annum, and sent free of postage to any address in Canada, United States, or United Kingdom. Tiie CITIZEN is the only paper of the kind in Canada advocating, without reference to party or sect. Civil Rights and CiviC Reforms, Social Order and Home Culture, Education and Equality of the Sexes, a high standard of Morality, and Temperance. Without any of the advantages offered by our Co-operative News System, it is decidedly one of the cheapest papers in Canada, SEND ONE DOLLAR for a year's subscription, and thereby be entitled to the privilege of purchasing your English periodicals and books at about 35 per cent., and in some instan- ces cent, per cent., less than you have hitherto paid. OFFICE OF " THE CITIZEN'': 57 Adelaide Street East, Toronto. **;ri ■. Printed by BhNCOi^CH, Moore k Bbncodgh, and Published a* the Citi- zsN Office, 57 Adelaide St. East, Toronto.