Dedication Exercises of Armstrong Building FOR NESMITH LIBRARY, WINDHAM NEW HAMPSHIRE, JANUARY 4, 1899 BY LEONARD ALLISON MORRISON GEORGE W. ARMSTRONG, PUBLISHER BOSTON, MASS. 1899 PRESS MILLS, KNIGHT A CO. BOSTON. ARMSTRONG BUILDING OF THE NESMITH LIBRARY. Col. Thomas Nesmith having by will left three thousand dollars to the town of Windham, N. H., for the establishment of a library, the town, having at a legal town meeting duly accepted that gift, took the initiatory steps for the establish- ment of the library in April, 1871. The first instalment of books was purchased on May 9th, 1871. The books were placed in an ante-room prepared for the purpose in the upper town hall. The library increased and another apartment had also to be used. Things were in this unfortunate condition when the incipient steps were taken which led to the erection of the ' ' Armstrong Build- ing ' ' for the Nesmith Library, which were in this wise : Knowing that George Washington Armstrong liked to read such works as the Reports of the New Hampshire Library Commissioners, as those interesting ones gave an account of each library in the State, of which an account could be given, their size, their prosperity, kind of building pos- sessed, and whether they were a gift or otherwise, and having received the third biennial report, I procured another copy and forwarded it to him. There were descriptions and illustrations of library buildings, many of them the gifts of public-spirited citizens, showing how the resources of wealth had been consecrated to the public good ; and a suggestion was made that it would be a fitting opportunity for him to give a memorial library building for the Nesmith Library in Windham, the old home of his ancestors. The idea was new to him ; it had not entered his mind ; and, when writing me soon afterward, he asked me what I meant. I replied, June 24, 1897: "When I sent you the Report, with the buildings of various libraries, I meant what I said, that it would be a very fine and fitting thing for you, a descendant of some of our early settlers, to give it a library building, in memory of your fathers ; " and the mat- ter was dropped. Nothing further was said on the subject till he visited me on the afternoon of May 2, 1898, when, in the course of conversation, he broached the subject of the erection of a Nesmith Library building for the town. I had supposed the subject had been dismissed from his mind ; but he had been thinking about it, and the more he thought the more he was impressed with the plan to do it, in very loving memory of his ancestors. He said much to my surprise and joy that he had concluded to do it. When it was announced that a building for the Nesmith Library was to be built, and the name of the donor for the time withheld, it created great curiosity as to whom the bestower of the gift might be, and a sense of thankfulness for his kindness. The seal of secrecy was removed June 12, and a town meeting was called to meet June 25, 1898. The following proceedings were enacted : GEORGE WASHINGTON ARMSTRONG. WARRANT FOR SPECIAL, MEETING. j L.JB. j aue State of TRew Dampsbire. 70 Mi? inhabitants of the town of Windham, in the county of Rockingham, in said State, qualified to vote in town affairs : You are hereby notified to meet at lower town hall, in said town, on Saturday, the 25th inst., at two o'clock in the afternoon, to act upon the following articles : To see if the town will vote to grant leave, to a responsible party, to erect upon the town common a suitable and substantial building for the town library, the same to be donated to the town when com- pleted. To see if the town will leave it to the selectmen, in connection with the donor, to decide upon the location of the building, and all matters relative thereto. To take any further action that may be desired relative to the sub- ject before the meeting. Given under our hands and seal this tenth day of June, in the year A. D. 1898. AUGUSTUS L. BARKER, GEORGE H. CLARK, JOSEPH W. DINSMOOR, Selectmen of Windham. WINDHAM, N. H., June 25, 1898. We hereby certify that we gave notice to the inhabitants within named to meet at the time and place, and for the purpose within mentioned, by posting up an attested copy of the within warrant at the place of meeting within named, and a like copy at the store of John G. Bradford, being a public place in said town, on the tenth day of June, 1898. AUGUSTUS L. BARKER, JOSEPH W. DINSMOOR, Selectmen of Windham. PROCEEDINGS OP SPECIAL MEETING. WINDHAM, N. H., June 25, 1898. The meeting was called to order by the moderator, Horace Berry. After reading of the warrant the following action was taken : ARTICLE i. Voted, To accept the gift of a library building to be built on the town common. ARTICLE 2. Voted, That the selectmen and the donor select the site for the same. Voted, That a recess of ten minutes be taken to look at the location of the same. ARTICLE 3. Voted, That we, as voters of the town of Windham, in town meeting assembled, do express our heartfelt thanks to the donor for his magnificent gift of a library building for the use of the town. ***** Adjourned. A true record of the meeting and the proceedings thereof. Attest : JOHN E. COCHRAN, Town Clerk. The town meeting having accepted the gift of Mr. Arm- strong, the location was decided upon the sixteenth day of July. Monday morning, July 24, ground was broken for the building. Mr. Armstrong had wisely decided to build of field stone a solid, substantial structure. That material was new to us as a building material, which is used by the rich and opulent in all the cities, in their abodes, and in their rustic homes. He selected as architect William Weare Dinsmoor, of Boston, Mass., a native of Windham; and the rare good taste and comeliness of the structure show the wisdom of the selection. ARCHITECT AND CONTRACTORS. The stonelaying was done by Loren Emerson Bailey, a native of Windham, but now a resident of Salem. The car- penter work was done by George William Thorn, a resident of Salem, but the fifth generation in descent from William Thorn, one of the hardy Scotch-Irish first settlers of Wind- ham. The mason work was done by Moses Colby Page of this town, and the painting by Walker Haigh of Salem. This makes the completed structure all in great good taste, and is admirably adapted for the library for which it was intended. The building is designed for beauty, for convenience, for durability. It is located fifteen feet front, fifty-five feet west, and parallel with the town house, having a southern expo- sure. It is fifty-three feet long by thirty- three feet wide, one and a half stories in height, and built of selected pasture stone from the old tumbled walls from the pastures of James Cochran and William C. Harris. The stone was selected largely from the northern side of the walls, on account of being more densely covered with moss. The result gives the building a greater variety of color, and adds much to its artistic appearance. The solid walls of the building four feet at the base, battering to two feet at frieze are constructed entirely upon a ledge. The building is covered with fireproof shingles, colored ox-blood red. The interior is partitioned off as fol- lows: vestibule, delivery room, reading (or memorial) room, stackroom and librarian's room. We enter the building by the portico, at the front, by some broad concrete steps, and are admitted to a large vestibule. This is wainscoted four feet high, walls colored vermilion, and the ceiling buff, 8 lighted with a large iron lantern, of an antique Venetian pat- tern. Reading from the vestibule is the delivery room, which is ten by fifteen feet in size, with a large seat to accommodate those waiting ; also a desk for the reception of catalogues, cards and books. The wood for the interior finish of the entire building is selected cypress, finished natural ; all the floors are polished hard pine. The stack (or book) room, which is twenty-four feet by thirty feet, has a shelving capacity of ten thousand volumes. The shelving required for present demands is for 3,102 vol- umes. The shelves are tasteful and neat, and are so ar- ranged that they can fit books of any size. The walls of this room are colored illuminate canary, which makes the room very light and cheerful. The librarian's room leading from the stack (or book) room to the reading (or memorial) room is furnished with a large oak desk, chairs, shelving, closets, and everything required for the convenience of the librarian. A door leads from the vestibule, and one (previously mentioned) from the librarian's room, and an arch from the delivery room, into the reading (or memorial} room. This is the choicest room in the library. This room is twenty feet wide by thirty feet long, and wainscoted four feet high, run- ning around the room. On the opposite side of the room from the arch is a mantel eight feet wide, seven feet six inches high, enclosing a large fireplace, faced with cream-colored brick. Below the mantel, and over the fireplace, is a bronze tablet, measuring four feet in length by two feet and eight inches in width, bearing this inscription in burnished let- ters : NESMITH LIBRARY. THIS BUILDING IS A GIFT TO THE TOWN OF WlNDHAM, N. H., FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON ARMSTRONG, OF BROOKLINE, MASS., MDCCCXCVIII., IN MEMORY OF HIS PATERNAL ANCESTORS, RESIDENTS OF WlNDHAM, AND DESCENDANTS OF GlLNOCKIE ARMSTRONG, THE FAMOUS BORDER CHIEFTAIN OF CANNOBIE, SCOTLAND, SOME OF WHOSE FAMILY EMIGRATED TO THE NORTH OF IRELAND IN THE SEVENTEENTH, AND TO THIS COUNTRY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. PRESENTED AT THE SUGGESTION OF LEONARD ALLISON MORRISON OF WINDHAM. THE REV. JAMES PETHICK HARPER, Pastor, JOHN EDWIN COCHRAN, Town Clerk, AUGUSTUS L/EROY BARKER, ] GEORGE HENRY CLARK, [ Selectmen, JOSEPH WILSON DINSMOOR, J TRUSTEES OF NESMITH LIBRARY. WILLIAM WEARE DINSMOOR, of Boston, Mass., ARCHITECT. On the walls are three large, well-chosen pictures, master- pieces of ancient architecture, pleasing and instructive ; they are the Coliseum at Rome, the Acropolis at Athens, and the Forum at Rome. In this same room, at one side of the arch, is a large, fine picture of George Washington Armstrong. This room is furnished with one large quartered-oak 10 reading - table and twelve colonial chairs to match. It is lighted with three large iron lamps, made from special designs of the architect. The polished floor with not a nail visible on the surface is selected rift Georgia hard pine, each board two-and-a-half-inch face, laid with a border of three feet around the room. The walls are colored a delicate nile green, with a very light-pink ceiling, giving a play of color which is harmonious, as well as restful to the eye. Over the stack (or book) room is a large attic, which can be finished, and make room for about eight thousand vol- umes, should such place be needed. This is reached by a short flight of stairs leading from the stackroom. In a large cellar, extending the whole of the building, which is dry, well lighted and cemented, is a furnace, capable of comfort- ably heating the building in a few moments after starting the fire. The building was finished, and the dedication was decided to be held Jan. 4, 1899, at two o'clock in the afternoon, with the following PROGRAMME : Prayer by Rev. James Pethick Harper. Speech by President Leonard Allison Morrison. Introduction of Hon Albert B. Pillsbury by President. Address by Hon. Albert E. Pillsbury. Introduction of William Henry Anderson, Esq. Speech by William Henry Anderson, Esq. Remarks by Rev. Augustus Berry. Presentation of keys by George Washington Armstrong, Esq., to Rev. James Pethick Harper. II Reception of the keys by Rev. James Pethick Harper. Remarks by William Calvin Harris, Esq,, and reading of resolutions of thanks to George Washington Armstrong. Vote on resolutions. Presentation of beautifully embossed resolutions to George Washington Armstrong. "America " Sung by the audience. Exercises closed with the benediction, by Rev. Augustus Berry. THE PRESIDENT : Fellow -citizens, The exercises of this interesting occasion will be opened with prayer by Rev. James P. Harper. PRAYER BY REV. JAMES P. HARPER. Almighty and ever blessed Lord our God, we come to-day to ask thy blessing. We acknowledge thee to be our Cre- ator, Father and Friend. For our life, both temporal and spiritual, we give thee hearty thanks. Thou hast sur- rounded us with innumerable blessings and crowned our days with thy kindness. From the beginning of the year, even unto its close, thy favor has been upon our land. We bless thee for our churches and our schools and our libraries, for all the opportunities of education and culture. We thank thee especially at this time that thou hast put it into the heart of our honored and beloved friend to -give to this town, for perpetual use, this beautiful building, for the preservation of its library ; and, since we can make no adequate return for such a princely gift, we beseech thee to bestow on him and his Thine abundant grace and spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ, richer, more abiding and more satisfying than any- thing earth can impart. We pray thee preserve this building from all harm. May it be sacred to the noble purpose to which it is now dedicated. Give wisdom to those who shall have charge of it, and to the town who shall provide for it. May they do it with the same generosity which prompted its gift. Bless us in the further service of this hour, our Father ; bless our town, our church, our schools, and all things that tend for the uplifting of the people. May we be a people whose God is the L,ord, and thine shall be the praise forever. Amen. SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT, LEONARD ALLISON MORRISON. Fellow-citizens ', We will dedicate this beautiful building to-day. This is the first time the town has ever had a public library building presented to it in its 180 years of living his- tory. You have a house, from cemented cellar to painted roof, from stem to stern, which is dry, and the most thorough that can be built. You have some of the best material in existence, that with which the rich erect costly mansions in our cities. It is so firm, so compact, so substantial, so durable ! Its strong, rugged wall will be as lasting as the solid ledge on which it stands. The work is done ; it is well done, and not done too soon. One of the most pleasing thoughts of this happy moment is that it is an historic act. It is an act that has the immutable stamp of an earthly immortality upon it. We, with all our hands have wrought, and all our hearts have loved, must * 13 pass away ; but this building and this library, we hope, will not pass away. Other hands will tend it; other feet will press the gravelly road to reach this favored spot ; other per- sons will read and consult the volumes of this library. This library complements the common school, and leads to higher education and broader culture. It will preserve, in loving remembrance, him whose kindly thought placed it here in memory of his fathers. He speaks with the silent eloquence of deeds. To his ancestors it is dedicated. " For them each evening hath its shining star And every Sabbath day its golden sun." We think of them and all their rugged lives have earned for us. MR. GEORGE WASHINGTON ARMSTRONG has presented us this building. It is tasteful ; it is strong; it is beautiful. We tender our thanks for his munificent gift. Mr. William W. Dinsmoor, the able architect, has watched over every detail from start to finish. Nothing has escaped his notice. It is all there ; and he has our most profound thanks. THE PRESIDENT: Ladies and Gentlemen, We have one here to-day, not a son of old Windham, but a sort of grand- son, whose mother, Elizabeth Dinsmoor, was a native, and before her marriage a resident, of this town. I have the satis- faction of introducing the ex- Attorney- General of Massachu- setts, Hon. Albert E. Pillsbury, of Boston, Mass., who will now address you. HON. ALBERT E. PILLSBURY'S ADDRESS. Mr. President, and Citizens of Windham, The public spirit of a descendant of Windham a true son of this town, despite the accident of his birth in another place has installed your public library in a home of its own. A new and attractive building of native stone from your own fields, designed and built by one of your own sons, admirably adapted to its situation, commodious and convenient for its purpose, this gift is alike worthy of the generous friend who bestows it, and of you who are its fortunate and grateful recipients. I am not surprised that the people of Wind- ham were unwilling to allow this interesting event to pass without notice, though our friend, with native modesty, wished to avoid any public celebration of his gift. Whether it was his modesty alone which led him to suggest that my address be very short is another question, but I shall comply with the request. Of Mr. Armstrong himself I need say nothing to the people of Windham, nor can we say in his pres- ence all that might otherwise be said. You know him by other proofs of his interest in your welfare, no less kindly, if less substantial, than this latest gift. We Massachusetts peo- ple, his neighbors, approve and applaud all that he has done or may do for Windham ; but we intend to keep him in Mas- sachusetts, where we eat with him, ride with him, bank with him, and shall continue to avail ourselves of "Armstrong's Transfer ' ' for all purposes which do not involve the transfer of Armstrong out of our jurisdiction. As I need say no more of him, let me say a word for one whose title to join in this celebration may not be so clear. I count it an honor that you have remembered my re- lation to Windham and my descent from the sturdy and per- sistent race who founded and built up this community. It is immaterial to me whether you call them Scotch, which they were, or " Scotch-Irish," which nobody ever was. I read the other day a truculent pamphlet of some thirty pages, written to prove that our ancestors who settled in this part of the country were all Irish, because they sojourned for a while in Ireland in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. The lively writer describes himself as an Irishman, but he lives in Massachusetts. If Irishmen can live in America, it would seem that Scotchmen could live in Ireland. I am ready to admit, if necessary, the common origin of the two races. If we go back far enough, we may find the common origin of all mankind in a single race. But after our remote Gaelic ancestors left Hibernia, if they ever inhabited there, and dwelt by themselves in Britain for a thousand years, devel- oping laws, manners, customs, character, and even a lan- guage of their own, they may fairly claim to be a separate nationality if not a separate race. I cannot admit that they were made Irishmen by alighting on the soil of Ireland in their flight from the persecution of the Covenanters. I am ready to admit that " Scotch- Irish," applied to them, is a misnomer. It is no name of their seeking. They were Scotch, pure and simple, with all the characteristic faults and virtues of that peculiar people, testy, obstinate, narrow- minded, bigoted very likely, but hard-working, law-abid- ing, God-fearing, prudent, resolute and successful. Better blood than theirs for the building of towns or states never flowed in American veins, and some day they will have the i6 place that belongs to them in the history of the American nation. A share of this blood is mine. In our neighboring com- monwealth the merits of the Scotch settlers are obscured in the smoke of the incense perpetually burning there around the Pilgrim and the Puritan, and this opportunity to exploit my Scotch ancestors comes to me as a favor. Standing with you to-day on the spot where they made a garden out of the wilderness, I ask a moment's indulgence to make known cer- tain facts, of importance to me and I trust not without inter- est to you. One of the original settlers of your parent town of Londonderry in 1719 was my lineal ancestor. The first lay-out of land in what is now Windham after the arrival of the Scotch in these parts, was made in 1723 to my ancestor, John Dinsmoor. One of the petitioners for the incorporation of Windham was my ancestor, Robert Dinsmoor, who was named in the charter of 1742 as the first member of the com- mittee deputed to call the first town meeting, which he did, and was there elected the first member of the first board of selectmen of Windham. At the same meeting another kins- man of mine was elected "inspector of dears," d-e-a-r-s, as it is written in the town records, an ambiguous title, perhaps, but I take it as another proof of the great trust and confidence reposed in my family by their townsmen. And from that time my maternal ancestors always dwelt in this town until my mother left it, some eighteen years before I was born, and thereby deprived me, without any fault of my own, of the honor of being myself a native of Windham. Now, if you will pardon this digression, we will return to our proper subject. '7 The first important fact to be emphasized here to-day is that this new building makes your library a permanent insti- tution. It is no longer a tramp or a tenant ; it is a house- holder. This substantial shelter puts it practically beyond reach of destruction by the elements; and Col. Nesmith's leg- acy and the wise legislation of New Hampshire, with your own public spirit, have already put it beyond reach of decay by neglect, a more dangerous enemy even than fire. Your past experience will help you to appreciate these new con- ditions. In our friend Morrison's invaluable History you may read his account of the series' of attempts, persistent but long unsuccessful, to establish a permanent library in Wind- ham. The first began in the year 1800, with "some books in the hands of Samuel Armour and John Dinsmoor, Bsqs." Reenforced by a modest private subscription, sixty volumes were gathered by 1811, some two hundred in 1825, and four or five hundred in 1859, when Deacon Anderson, their keeper, gave up the charge with his other earthly responsibilities, and the library died an ignominious death at the hands of the auctioneer. The historian records the fact that this library contained " no works of fiction." He does not say that this was what it died of, but I suspect that this had something to do with it. In the mean time I,ieut.-Gov. John Nesmith, in 1839, had presented to each school district a library of fifty volumes, still in existence, I hope, as this is one of the best uses to which a collection of books can be ap- plied. In 1851 an attempt was made to establish a free town library. I am glad to recall that a relative of mine, that most estimable woman the late Harriet Dinsmoor, was espe- cially active in this movement. It resulted in a collection of i8 a hundred volumes, which perished by fire in 1856. After this loss and the dispersion of the subscription library, Wind- ham seems to have been without any town library until 1871, when the bequest of Col. Thomas Nesmith came into effect and the Nesmith Free Public Library was established upon his modest but secure foundation. Tenant of a corner of the town house, it has thriven and increased with good manage- ment, and it now removes into its new and permanent home a substantial collection of more than three thousand well-chosen volumes. In this building, safe and indestructible so far as human ingenuity can make it so, with abundant room for growth and facilities for use, your library is now established for all time as the most valuable possession of the town. And if you to-day rechristen it the " Nesmith- Armstrong" library, I am confident that the shade of the good Colonel Thomas will smile his approval and share the satisfaction with which you link his name to that of your latest benefactor. From the smallest beginnings, the free public library has now taken a recognized and permanent place beside the free public school as one of the two great educating forces at work among the American people. It was slow to take root, but its later growth has been unparalleled. The first public library in America is said to have been founded at Jamestown, in 1621, by a humble gift of " a small Bible, with cover richly wrought, a great church Bible, St. Augustine de Civitate Dei, Master Perkins his Werkes," and " an exact and true map of America." The aboriginal savage, instinctively rec- ognizing an enemy, applied his torch to this collection. But its ashes have spread like the dust of Wy cliff e. Our library statistics are not wholly complete or reliable ; indeed, the stat- 19 istician has found it difficult to keep pace with the rapid growth and multiplication of free libraries : but we know that there are to-day within the United States more than 4,000 public libraries of more than 1,000 volumes each, containing more than 33,000,000 volumes ; and 627 of these, having over 3,000 volumes each and together more than 9,000,000 vol- umes, are strictly free public libraries. Of the libraries of more than 1,000 volumes each, New Hampshire has 122, con- taining about 600,000 volumes ; and of those of more than 3,000 volumes each, free to the public, New Hampshire has 33, containing over 250,000 volumes. The latest report of the library commissioners of New Hampshire, in 1896, shows that the whole number of libraries in the State is 271, containing 674,568 volumes, and that 195 of the 233 cities and towns in the State are possessed of free public libraries. And here let me mention three interesting and significant facts, to the lasting credit of our native State. The earliest free public library in New Hampshire, estab- lished by the town of Peterborough in 1833, has a substantial claim to be considered the first library in the United States founded on the broad basis of public ownership and absolute freedom to all the inhabitants of the town. The earliest law of any New England state authorizing public taxation for the support of free public libraries was the New Hampshire statute of 1849, Chapter 861. Even Massa- chusetts did not take this step until 1851. And New Hampshire was the first state of the Union, and so far as I am aware is yet the only one, to require an annual levy of taxation for the establishment and maintenance of free town libraries, which was done by an act of March 29, 1895 ; thus making free town libraries universal, and giving them a permanent legal footing and a secure income. I com- mend these facts to any citizens of other states who believe that an interest in letters was born and will die with them. This compulsory tax for the support of free libraries is a proof of the wise and liberal policy of the State of New Hamp- shire. It secures the establishment and the steady growth of some sort of free library in every town. But, of course, it does not account for the existence or the liberal endowment and equipment of the 195 free town libraries which we find in New Hampshire to-day. I take advantage of this occasion to suggest a question which may some time force itself upon pub- lic attention. Within the memory of the present generation it has become common for the prosperous New Englander to make his native or ancestral town a partaker of his fortunes. So rapidly has this generous custom grown that we now hardly take up a newspaper without reading of some such act of be- neficence. Our rural New England communities are being endowed on all hands with free libraries, free schools, town halls, hospitals, public parks and various other objects of public convenience and utility. It is impossible not to look upon these kindly benefactions with an approving eye, and he would be deemed a captious critic who censured the practice. But these gifts, so freely bestowed, must be wisely used, or they may defeat the purpose of the givers. Until about the middle of this century the people of rural New England were a people of simple habits and narrow means. What they had they earned by hard labor. What they could not pay for they could not have. Under these wholesome conditions was formed the sturdy New England character, rock-rooted in 21 industry, thrift and self-reliance, which has outinastered all other American types. Its influence is felt to-day in every prosperous community from here to the Pacific. It is the best product ever raised on New England soil, and worth all the rest. It had its base in the rugged physical strength which alone can survive our rigorous climate, but it was made of a tough and peculiar mental fibre. Our friend who gave you this building carries in his family crest the ' ' strong arm ' ' of his race. But it is not alone the strong arm ; it is the strong heart, the strong head, the strong hope, the resolute purpose to do, and to succeed, that go to the making and keeping of character. And character can be undermined and thrown down more easily than it can be built up. E very-day wisdom teaches us that it is what a man earns that enriches him. What is given him may make him poor. "Nothing cost, nothing value " ; "easy comes, easy goes " ; these homely saws express an important though familiar truth. Will this custom of liberal giving to our towns and villages tend to sap the character of their people, leading them, who were so sturdy and independent, to look to others for the things which they have been accustomed to forego or to provide for them- selves, and making them thriftless dependents upon the bounty of the rich ? This would be, indeed, an unfortunate return for all this well-meant generosity. I have said enough to suggest that in making this gift our friend has laid you under a weightier obligation to yourselves than to him ; the obligation to make such use of it that it will be what he meant it to be, a perpetual help to your own work, but not a sub- stitute for it. This building and this library are here to be used. Without 22 reading, all these books are no better than so much blank pa- per. The debt of a town to its library is not discharged by keeping it in good order and paying in the annual tax levy and the income of the invested funds. The value of a library is not measured by what is put into it, but by what is taken out of it. There are great possibilities even in a library of three thousand volumes. A collection of books is, as Carlyle says, "the true university of these days." There is a liberal education in it for every one who can read. It is a perma- nent free school, not limited to youth or to three terms a year. Every man, woman and child, of whatever age, situation or cir- cumstances, can attend it. It brings to the service of every inhabitant of the town the best thought which the best minds have contributed to all forms of literature. It puts in every hand a key to the history of nations, the mysteries of science, the story of great lives, the theories of the economist, the speculations of the philosopher. Upon its wings you may fol- low the traveller through foreign lands, the explorer to the African jungle or the frozen Arctic, the poet and novelist to the land of romance and of dreams, the astronomer to the stars. Think of Elihu Burritt, toiling at his blacksmith's forge to earn the price of a book ; think of Abraham Lincoln, devouring by the light of a fire of chips and shavings the vol- ume which he tramped forty miles to borrow and return ; and contrast their lot with ours, to whom the free public library opens this exhaustless fountain of mental health and recrea- tion without money and without price. More than this. One of the highest and most valua- ble uses of the free public library is yet to be developed, in making it an adjunct or a part of the public school 23 system. This pregnant idea was suggested half a century or more ago by that versatile statesman and scholar, Albert Gallatin. Its importance is now beginning to be realized. Books are the scholar's tools, and a knowledge of the use of books is the foundation of scholarship. Who in this audience can say that he ever had any intelligent and systematic train- ing in the use of books ? Who is there of full age who does not realize that such training at the right time would have been of the greatest value ? The free public library makes this possible, which was never possible before; and I have no doubt that the use of the library will soon become a recog- nized and essential part of the scheme of public education, doubling its interest and more than doubling its value. The great problem in the management of a library is to keep it at work. How is it used, and how much is it used ? the answer to these questions tells what a library is worth. It must therefore be made accessible and attractive. The use of a library depends so much upon the facilities offered for its use that the largest liberality in this direction is the least that ought to be required. A free town library belongs to the townspeople, whose rights of proprietorship ought at all times to be recognized and exercised with the utmost freedom. No narrow restrictions or forced economy should cramp or fetter the people in the use of their own books. The tendency of the best library management everywhere is toward the re- moval of restraints, so that the reading public may have direct and free access to the shelves. A pleasant and com- fortable reading-room like this now provided for you should be open to the people on every day and evening of the year. There is no more valuable use of a public library than to fur- 24 nish an attractive and wholesome place of resort to those who need it, and who, for lack of a better place, are liable to find a worse. The selection of books should be liberal enough to satisfy all decent tastes and supply all reasonable demands. No public library can afford to be afraid, as some of your predecessors were, of fiction. People must be entertained and amused. Within reasonable limits, recreation is worth as much as instruction. This was so well understood, even in the earliest times, that the founder of the first library of which history gives any account, in ancient Egypt, wrote above its door, "A storehouse of medicine for the mind." The largest demand upon all free libraries is for light literature, so called, though some of us find it heavy enough, and it must be met. It is to be met by judicious selection. There is an abun- dance of works of fiction, poetry and romance approved by time, and occasionally a new work of real merit. They will serve at least one good purpose, in affording a happy relief from the overreading of the ' ' yellow ' ' newspaper. The free public library must be a popular institution. It cannot stand upon any narrow foundation. Its management must meet all tastes, consult all desires, supply all uses ; always mindful that it does not exist for pedants or scholars, but for a pur- pose higher even than the culture of scholarship, to lift the minds and broaden the lives of the plain people, on whom this country depends, into a realm as wide as the great Republic of Letters. THE PRESIDENT: Ladies and Gentlemen, There is one whom we are always glad to hear, and whose voice is usually heard. I have the pleasure of introducing to you William 25 Henry Anderson, Esq., a lawyer in Lowell, Mass., who will speak to us. MR. ANDERSON'S ADDRESS. Mr. President, It is hardly fair to introduce me as one who will "make an address," when, in your letter inviting me to be present, you said that I could speak, on the express condition that I would talk only five minutes ; and I had fully determined to conform to that condition to the letter, well knowing that the tendency, on such occasions as this, is to make the exercises somewhat too lengthy. Although I had known that my friend, the orator of this occasion, was a descendent from one of the honored families of Windham, I did not realize that he had inherited the sturdy determination and insistence upon carrying through what he had undertaken to do, which has placed him in the front rank of the Massachusetts bar, till one year ago last summer, when it was my great good fortune to make a pilgrimage, with him as a most delightful travelling companion, to that Mecca of all true sons of the original town of Londonderry in New Hampshire, viz., Londonderry in Ireland. On leaving the steamer at Queenstowu, he had been un- fortunate enough to leave thereon his broom clothesbrush to pursue its way to Liverpool ; and to remove the dust of travel he determined to buy another clothesbrush, and it must be a broom -corn clothesbrush, too; none of your English wooden -backed, clumsy things would do. After inquiring at various promising-looking shops in the south of Ireland for the article he wanted, and being met with the reply, "I don't know what you mean, sir," I told him I would 26 wager him a good dinner that he would not find such an article in Ireland. Thereupon, with his Windham Scotch- Irish determination, he announced that he would find just that article before he left Ireland. So we searched Dublin, Londonderry, Portrush and Belfast ; and, at last, less than an hour before taking the steamer at the latter place for I/iverpool, he was rewarded by obtaining the object of his long search and ardent desire, and winning from me his bet, in the shape of what the clerk in the shop called ' ' an Ameri- can whisk," about as large as our brooms for sweeping floors. And then appeared in him another characteristic of his Scotch-Irish ancestry, to wit, his modesty ; for, when I sug- gested that I tie the brush to the end of my cane and, carry- ing it aloft, march before him in a triumphal progress through the streets of Belfast to the steamer, he absolutely refused to allow it. One of the pleasantest recollections of my boyhood days, passed as a Gentile just outside the favored town of Wind- ham, was the permission given me by Deacon Sam (not "Samuel; " that doesn't sound right) Anderson, of blessed memory, to take books from a little school-district library, given to each school district in Windham, I think, by Hon. John Nesmith, of Lowell. Nothing that I have seen in my mature years in the shape of libraries the one you to-day dedicate (with all due respect to the donor), the new Con- gressional Library at Washington, or that of the British Museum, or any other has awakened in me the interest and regard which I then had for that little library, containing perhaps fifty books, covered with brown cloth, all alike, and kept in a plain little wooden case, about two feet by three, in the front entry of the good deacon's house, in the westerly part of the town. I know not whether any of those little libraries are now in existence. If there is one, why would it not be a good suggestion to place it in a suitable position in the library now dedicated, that all may see and compare the noble library and beautiful building of to-day with the handful of books and their modest housing, which were truly the seeds from which they sprung ? I have sometimes thought it was in the nature of a pay- ment due from me, an outsider, to the old ' ' stone dam ' ' school district, or the town, for the privilege of using that modest little library, that, twenty-five years later, I was per- mitted, as executor of the will of the late Thomas Nesmith, of I/o well, to pay over to the proper officials of the town that noble legacy, with which to purchase the body of the library which now has, through the generosity of another of its sons, so fitting, convenient and handsome a home. The poet Whittier might well have associated with the schoolhouse and the church spire, as symbols of the glory and security of the State, the public library. It stands for the same principles, and points the road to a virtuous, intelligent and well-balanced manhood and womanhood ; and its influence upon the coming generation is not less than that of the school and the church. There is no danger that the average man, woman or child in our New England communities will read too much, and become a mere bookworm, and nothing more. The tenden- cies are all the other way. Our life is too practical, too much and necessarily occupied with the physical needs 28 of our daily life, and the importance of "getting ahead in the world," to arouse any fear that we shall spend too much time in the cultivation of the mind by reading. So long, then, as any town or community has the good fortune to possess a public library free to all, let it cherish, value and protect it; for it will return to that community, jointly with the school and the church, a large return in all that makes life worth the living. THE PRESIDENT : Ladies and Gentlemen, There is one whose voice has joyous welcome here. I now introduce the Rev. Augustus Berry, of Pelham. Mr. President, and Citizens of Windham, I know very well that this is an occasion that demands brevity in re- marks. Nevertheless, I feel myself not merely complimented but honored by an invitation to some part in it. I am grate- ful to the people of Windham for the invitations they have extended to me to be present on the many public observances, dedications, commemorations and anniversaries they have observed during the last thirty-seven years, and the pleasant parts they have given me in them. I confess I have desired a brief part in the exercises of this day. I was present at the services of the opening of this library, twenty-eight years ago, next 2ist of June. Hon. John C. Park, of Boston, made the chief address, and Mr. William H. Anderson spoke ap- propriately and entertainingly, as he has this day ; and a very pleasant part in the exercises was given to myself. I am very glad to be present at the dedication of a permanent home for 2 9 the library, after the lapse of more than a quarter of a century, and to listen to exercises so appropriate, so instructive, of such merit, viewed from any standpoint, so inspiring and entertaining; and I consider it a great privilege, even honor, to be thus connected with the history of this library, and the noble people of this town, that has a history of such interest and worth, even if my connection with it be by such tiny threads. I was pleased, indeed stirred, with tender memories of my own boyhood, by the remarks of Mr. Anderson about one of the little libraries of. the town of Windham, kept at the house of a good deacon, who loaned a book to him, a Londonderry boy ; the inspiration the book was to him, and the wish that one of those little libraries could be pro- cured, and deposited in the new library building. And this moves me to make a suggestion that this be done ; and not only this, but that the new building be considered a reposi- tory of antique articles, implements, books and things, that will furnish to future generations, not only mementos of the past, but helps to illustrate to them the life of those who have gone before. You, Mr. President, have referred to this in your admirable history of Windham. This, too, is in accord with the noble motive of the donor of this not only beautiful but magnificent building, the perpetuating the memory of a parent. This includes in itself all other tender motives of the human heart ; everything of human thought, of beauty and of noble sentiment that uplifts the life, charms, comforts and upholds it ; everything that makes the coming generations mindful of their indebtedness to those who preceded them; everything that attaches the past, the present and future with indissoluble ties. 30 I have thought much, in the passing years, about a build- ing of its own for this library. I have often spoken with Windham people about it, how much a building would add to the library's power and increase its usefulness ; and with the people of Windham I rejoice to see this day, which they have been waiting and hoping for. THE PRESIDENT : Ladies and Gentlemen, To this happy moment no one has looked forward with greater satisfaction than our guest, George Washington Armstrong, Esq., of Brookline, Mass. He will now gladly present the keys of the library building to the chairman of trustees, Rev. James Pethick Harper. Mr. Armstrong was greeted with warm and long-continued applause. He spoke very briefly : Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, If there was any doubt in the mind of any one why we were called here to-day, the words of Mr. Pillsbury, and others, must have dispelled it. The part acted by me in the memorial building is about over. It only remains for me to place in your hands, Mr. Harper, the keys of the library building. I charge you, your associates and your successors, to guard it well, that it may ever stand, not only as a home for the library given to the town by Mr. Nesmith, but as a memorial hall for those born in Windham, dying in the town, or anywhere else, in the wide world, for ever and ever. THE ADDRESS OF REV. JAMES P. HARPER. Mr. Armstrong, It is my great pleasure, as one of the trustees of the Nesmith Library, to receive from you, for the town, the keys of this beautiful and useful building, in which to place our store of books. It is a pleasure, not only because of its money value, but because it shows you have had thought and the best interest of the people in mind. In receiving these keys, sir, we promise you that we shall always seek to administer this trust for the best interest of the people of Windham. What the public library is we know ; we know its work : but who can forecast its benefits to this town ? I cannot lift the vail which hides the future ; but we know that its influ- ence will ever be on the side of private virtue and public honor, and while it exists it is a living, active force against ignorance and crime. Happily for us that this gift comes from one who is worthy of doing good deeds, whose character gives grace and dig- nity to the good he does ! We know, sir, that this gift is to you sacred, as it is in memory of your father ; therefore, it stands for all that is pure and holy in life and its intentions. On the part of the people of Windham I thank you for this beautful and useful building. William Calvin Harris, Esq., read the following resolu- tions, and thanked Mr. Armstrong for his munificent gift : At a meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Windham, N. H., held Jan. 4, 1899, the following preamble and resolutions were unani- mously adopted : 32 Whereas, we desire to express to Mr. George Washington Arm- strong our appreciation of his munificent gift of a home for the Nes- mith Library, a gift that is so opportune, so substantial, so generous in its proportions, making provision not only for present need but for the distant future, and to which he has given his personal care and thought : Resolved, That in the spirit which prompted his gift we recognize the feeling of kindredship with his father's people, and, in the gift itself, a memorial of one who was from birth to manhood one of us, we see the worthy son of a worthy sire, and that in the success of the children is the real and rightful success of the parent's life ; Resolved, That in the elegance of the finish, the convenience and beauty of its appointments, the completeness of all its equipments, we recognize the delicate taste and liberal hand of the generous giver, who has left nothing undone that could add to its beauty or useful- ness ; Resolved, That, while there may be a home in Windham to be ben- efited by the means of diffusing knowledge and breadth of culture, we trust that this gift may be remembered with feelings of gratitude, as the good deed of a friendly hand, assisted by Leonard Allison Morri- son, of Windham, an efficient historian, who is ever ready to perpetuate the memory of the past. Mr. John Howard Dinsmore immediately moved that these resolutions be accepted and adopted. It was promptly seconded, and put by the president, and they were unani- mously accepted and adopted. Mr. Harris had the resolutions handsomely engraved on parchment, bound in morocco, which he presented to Mr. Armstrong, as a souvenir of the event, which the latter received with thanks. THE PRESIDENT: The audience is invited to sing 33 "America," afterwards the benediction will be pronounced by Rev. Augustus Berry. " America " was sung with a will, and the meeting closed with the benediction. BENEDICTION BY REV. AUGUSTUS BERRY. And now may the blessing of Almighty God, the grace of our L,ord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the enlightening and guiding power of the Holy Spirit be and abide with you, and all the future generations of this people. Amen. Mr. Armstrong personally inspected the work several times during its progress. Mr. Dinsmoor usually inspected it twice a week, and made a close survey. He looked after every detail, and at last the work was done. It was finished Jan. 4, and it was dedicated Jan. 4, 1899, at 2 o'clock in the after- noon, in time for Mr. Armstrong and friends to arrive from Boston, Mass. At the close of the exercises the benediction was pronounced in time for them and the audience to inspect the building. This was a delight to all. They were all pleased ; particularly so with the memorial room. So taste- ful, so restful ! With the pictures on the walls, it made it seem like a summerland. Mr. Armstrong was kept bus)^ receiving the personally expressed thanks of his many friends. The party from Boston were Mr. Armstrong and Mrs. Armstrong; Mr. H. C. Cottle, manager of the Armstrong newsstand and restaurants ; Mr. Edward A. Winchester, manager of Armstrong's Transfer business, and Mrs. Winchester; Mr. Francis E. Park and 34 Mrs. Park; Mr. William W. Dinsmoor, the architect, and Mrs. Dinsmoor. They took, at Canobie I^ake, the 5.15 train to Boston, satisfied that they had witnessed the consumma- tion of a good deed. The audience was a very intelligent one, and the occasion was one of the red-letter days in the history of the town, long to be remembered.