,a ,,librarian',s ,,open ,,shelf ,,essays ,,on ,,various ,,subjects ,,arthur ,e4 ,,bostwick1 ,ph4,d4 #aibj ,,preface ,the papers here gathered together represent the activities of a librarian in directions outside the boundaries of his professional career1 although the influences of it may be detected in them here and there4 ,except for those influences they have little connection and the transition of thought and treatment from one to another may occasionally seem violent4 ,it may1 however1 serve to protect the reader from the assaults of monotony4 ,a4,e4,b4 ,,contents ,,do ,,readers ,,read8 7,the ,critic1 ,july1 #aija1 p4 #fg-gj7 ,,what ,,makes ,,people ,,read8 7,the ,book ,lover1 ,january1 #aijd1 p4 #ab-af7 ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,the ,,possessive2 ,a ,,study ,,of ,,book ,,titles 7,the ,book ,buyer1 ,june1 #ahig1 p4 #ejj-a7 ,,selective ,,education 7,educational ,review1 ,november1 #aijg1 p4 #cfe-gc7 ,,the ,,uses ,,of ,,fiction ,read before the ,american ,library ,association1 ,asheville ,conference1 ,may #bh1 #aijg4 7,a4,l4,a4 ,bulletin1 ,july1 #aijg1 p4 #ahc-g7 ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,association ,delivered before the ,library ,associations of ,iowa1 ,nebraska1 ,kansas1 ,missouri1 ,indiana and ,ohio1 ,october #i-ah1 #aijg4 7,library ,journal1 ,january1 #aijh1 p4 #c-i7 ,,modern ,,educational ,,methods 7,notes and ,news1 ,montclair1 ,n4,j41 ,july1 #aijh7 ,,some ,,economic ,,features ,,of ,,libraries ,read at the opening of the ,chestnut ,hill ,branch1 ,philadelphia ,free ,library1 ,january #bb1 #aiji4 7,library ,journal1 ,february1 #aiji1 p4 #dh-eb7 ,,simon ,,newcomb3 ,,america',s ,,foremost ,,astronomer 7,review of ,reviews1 ,august1 #aiji1 p4 #aga-d7 ,,the ,,companionship ,,of ,,books ,read before the ,pacific ,northwest ,library ,association1 ,june1 #aiaj4 7,p4,n4,w4,l4,a4 ,proceedings1 #aiaj1 p4 #h-bc7 ,,atomic ,,theories ,,of ,,energy ,read before the ,st4 ,louis ,academy of ,science4 7,the ,monist1 ,october1 #aiab1 p4 #ehj-e7 ,,the ,,advertisement ,,of ,,ideas 7,minnesota ,library ,notes and ,news1 ,december1 #aiab1 p4 #aij-g7 ,,the ,,public ,,library1 ,,the ,,public ,,school1 ,,and ,,the ,,social ,,center ,,movement ,read before the ,national ,education ,association4 7,n4,e4,a4 ,proceedings1 #aiab1 p4 #bdj-e7 ,,the ,,systematization ,,of ,,violence 7,st4 ,louis ,mirror1 ,july #ah1 #aiac7 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,re-,,reading ,,history ,,and ,,heredity ,read before the ,new ,england ,society of ,st4 ,louis4 7,new ,england ,society of ,st4 ,louis4 ,proceedings1 #bith year1 p4 #ac-bj7 ,,what ,,the ,,flag ,,stands ,,for ,a ,flag ,day address in ,st4 ,peter's church1 ,st4 ,louis4 7,st4 ,louis ,republic1 ,june #ae1 #aiad7 ,,the ,,people',s ,,share ,,in ,,the ,,public ,,library ,read before the ,chicago ,women's ,club1 ,january #f1 #aiae4 7,library ,journal1 ,april1 #aiae1 p4 #bbg-cb7 ,,some ,,tendencies ,,of ,,american ,,thought ,read before the ,new ,york ,library ,association at ,squirrel ,inn1 ,haines ,falls1 ,september #bh1 #aiae4 7,library ,journal1 ,november1 #aiae1 p4 #gga-g7 ,,drugs ,,and ,,the ,,man ,a ,commencement address to the graduating class of the ,school of ,pharmacy1 ,st4 ,louis1 ,may #ai1 #aiae4 7,journal of the ,american ,pharmaceutical ,association1 ,august1 #aiae1 p4 #iae-bb7 ,,how ,,the ,,community ,,educates ,,itself ,read before the ,american ,library ,association1 ,asbury ,park1 ,n4,j41 ,june #bg1 #aiaf4 7,library ,journal1 ,august1 #aiaf1 p4 #eda-g7 ,,clubwomen',s ,,reading 7,the ,bookman1 ,january-,march1 #aiae1 p4 #eae-ba1 #fdb-g1 #fd-gj7 ,,books ,,for ,,tired ,,eyes 7,yale ,review1 ,january1 #aiag1 p4 #ceh-fh7 ,,the ,,magic ,,casement ,read before the ,town and ,gown ,club1 ,st4 ,louis4 ,a ,,word ,,to ,,believers ,address at the closing section of the ,church ,school of ,religious ,instruction4 ,,index ,a ,,librarian',s ,,open ,,shelf ,,essays ,,on ,,various ,,subjects ,,do ,,readers ,,read8 ,those who are interested in the proper use of our libraries are asking continually1 ,what do readers read8 and the tables of class-percentages in the annual reports of those institutions show that librarians are at least making an attempt to satisfy these queries4 ,but a question that is still more fundamental and quite as vital is3 ,do readers read at all8 ,this is not a paradox1 but a common-sense question1 as the following suggestive little incident will show4 ,the librarian-in-charge of a crowded branch circulating-library in ,new ,york ,city had occasion to talk1 not long ago1 to one of her star borrowers1 a youth who had taken out his two good books a week regularly for nearly a year and whom she had looked upon as a model--so much so that she had never thought it necessary to advise with him regarding his reading4 ,in response to a question this lad made answer somewhat as follows3 ,yes1 ma'am1 ,i'm doing pretty well with my reading4 ,i think ,i should get on nicely if ,i could only once manage to read a book through2 but somehow ,i can't seem to do it4 ,this boy had actually taken to his home nearly a hundred books1 returning each regularly and borrowing another1 without reading to the end of a single one of them4 ,that this case is not isolated and abnormal1 but is typical of the way in which a large class of readers treat books1 there is1 as we shall see1 only too much reason to believe4 ,the facts are peculiarly hard to get at4 ,at first sight there would seem to be no way to find out whether the books that our libraries circulate have been read through from cover to cover1 or only half through1 or not at all4 ,to be sure1 each borrower might be questioned on the subject as he returned his book1 but this method1 would be resented as inquisitorial1 and after all there would be no certainty that the data so gathered were true4 ,by counting the stamps on the library book-card or dating-slip we can tell how many times a book has been borrowed1 but this gives us no information about whether it has or has not been read4 ,fortunately for our present purpose1 however1 many works are published in a series of volumes1 each of which is charged separately1 and an examination of the different slips will tell us whether or not the whole work has been read through by all those who borrowed it4 ,if1 for instance in a two-volume work each volume has gone out twenty times1 twenty borrowers either have read it through or have stopped somewhere in the second volume1 while if the first volume is charged twenty times and the second only fourteen1 it is certain that six of those who took out the first volume did not get as far as the second4 ,in works of more than two volumes we can tell with still greater accuracy at what point the reader's interest was insufficient to carry him further4 ,such an investigation has been made of all works in more than one volume contained in seven branches of the ,brooklyn ,public ,library1 and with very few exceptions it has been found that each successive volume in a series has been read by fewer persons than the one immediately preceding4 ,what is true of books in more than one volume is presumably also true1 although perhaps in a less degree1 of one-volume works1 although we have no means of showing it directly4 ,among the readers of every book1 then1 there are generally some who1 for one reason or other1 do not read it to the end4 ,our question1 ,do readers read8 is thus answered in the negative for a large number of cases4 ,the supplementary question1 ,why do not readers read8 occurs at once1 but an attempt to answer it would take us rather too deeply into psychology4 ,whether this tendency to leave the latter part of books unread is increasing or not we can tell only by repeating the present investigation at intervals of a year or more4 ,the probability is that it is due to pure lack of interest4 ,for some reason or other1 many persons begin to read books that fail to hold their attention4 ,in a large number of cases this is doubtless due to a feeling that one ought to read certain books and certain classes of books4 ,a sense of duty carries the reader part way through his task1 but he weakens before he has finished it4 ,this shows how necessary it is to stimulate one's general interest in a subject before advising him to read a book that is not itself calculated to arouse and sustain that interest4 ,possibly the modern newspaper habit1 with its encouragement of slipshod reading1 may play its part in producing the general result1 and doubtless a careful detailed investigation would reveal still other partial causes1 but the chief and determining cause must be lack of interest4 ,and it is to be feared that instead of taking measures to arouse a permanent interest in good literature1 which would in itself lead to the reading of standard works and would sustain the reader until he had finished his task1 we have often tried to replace such an interest by a fictitious and temporary stimulus1 due to appeals to duty1 or to that vague and confused idea that one should improve one's mind1 unaccompanied by any definite plan of ways and means4 ,there is no more powerful moral motor than duty1 but it loses its force when we try to apply it to cases that lie without the province of ethics4 ,the man who has no permanent interest in historical literature1 and who is impelled to begin a six-volume history because he conceives it to be his duty to read it1 is apt to conclude1 before he has finished the second volume1 that his is a case where inclination 7or in this instance disinclination7 is the proper guide4 ,as a matter of fact1 the formation of a cultivated and permanent taste for good reading is generally a matter of lifelong education4 ,it must be begun when the child reads his first book4 ,an encouraging sign for the future is the care that is now taken in all good libraries to supervise the reading of children and to provide for them special quarters and facilities4 ,a somewhat disheartening circumstance1 on the other hand1 is the multiplication of annotated and abbreviated children's editions of all sorts of works that were read by the last generation of children without any such treatment4 ,this kind of boned chicken may be very well for the mental invalid1 but the ordinary child prefers to separate his meat from the drumstick by his own unaided effort1 and there is no doubt that it is better for him to do so4 ,in the following table1 the average circulation of first volumes1 second volumes1 etc41 is given for each of seven classes of works4 ,the falling off from volume to volume is noticeable in each class4 ,it is most marked in science1 and least so1 as might be expected1 in fiction4 ,yet it is remarkable that there should be any falling off at all in fiction4 ,the record shows that the proportion of readers who cannot even read to the end of a novel is relatively large4 ,these are doubtless the good people who speak of ,dickens as solid reading and who regard ,thackeray with as remote an eye as they do ,gibbon4 ,for such ,the ,duchess furnishes good mental pabulum1 and ,miss ,corelli provides flights into the loftier regions of philosophy4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,,class ,i4 ,,ii4 ,,iii4 ,,iv4 ,v4 ,,vi4 ,,vii4 ,,viii ,,ix4 ,x4 ,,xi4 ,,xii4 ,history #aj4a #f4i #d4i #d4d #d4f #d4c #b4e #b4h #a4j #j4e #a4j #c4j ,biography #g4b #e4a #c4j #b4c #a4f #a4j #a4f #a4b #a4j #b4 ,travel #i4b #g4i ,literature #g4c #e4i #c4e #c4h #e4c #f4f #ai4j #ae4j #ba4j ,arts #d4g #c4g #c4j ,sciences #e4b #b4g #a4e ,fiction #bb4j #ah4i #ae4h #af4 #bf4 #af4 ,the figures in the table1 as has been stated1 are averages1 and the number of cases averaged decreases rapidly as we reach the later volumes1 because1 of course1 the number of works that run beyond four or five volumes is relatively small4 ,hence the figures for the higher volumes are irregular4 ,any volume may have been withdrawn separately for reference without any intention of reading its companions4 ,among the earlier volumes such use counts for little1 owing to the large number of volumes averaged1 while it may and does make the figures for the later volumes irregular4 ,thus1 under ,history the high number in the twelfth column represents one-twelfth volume of ,froude1 which was taken out three times1 evidently for separate reference1 as the eleventh was withdrawn but once4 ,furthermore1 apart from this irregularity1 the figures for the later volumes are relatively large1 for a work in many volumes is apt to be a standard1 and although its use falls rapidly from start to finish enough readers persevere to the end to make the final averages compare unduly well with the initial ones where the high use of the same work is averaged in with smaller use of dozens of other first and second volumes4 ,that the falling off from beginning to end in such long works is much more striking than would appear from the averages alone may be seen from the following records of separate works in numerous volumes3 ,,volumes ,i ,,ii ,,iii ,,iv ,v ,,vi ,,vii ,,viii ,,ix ,x ,,history ,grote1 ,greece #aa #f #e #b #a #j #a #a #a #j ,bancroft1 ,united ,states #bb #aj #f #h #aj #h ,hume1 ,england #bd #g #e #b #a #a ,gibbon1 ,rome #ch #ab #g #c #d #f ,motley1 ,united ,netherlands #g #a #a #a ,prescott1 ,ferdinand and ,isabella #bj #d #b ,carlyle1 ,french ,revolution #ah #aj #h ,mc,carthy1 ,our ,own ,times #bg #h #aa ,,biography ,bourienne1 ,memoirs of ,napoleon #ai #ah #i #g ,longfellow's ,life #f #d #b ,nicolay and ,hay1 ,lincoln #f #c #c #b #b #b #b #a #a #b ,carlyle1 ,frederick the ,great #g #c #b #b #b ,,fiction ,dumas1 ,vicomte de ,bragelonne #ca #cj #bd #bb #ba #af ,dumas1 ,monte ,cristo #bg #ag #ah ,dickens1 ,our ,mutual ,friend #e #d #a #j ,stowe1 ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin #cg #bd ,of course1 these could be multiplied indefinitely4 ,they are sufficiently interesting apart from all comment4 ,one would hardly believe without direct evidence that of thirty-one persons who began one of ,dumas's romances scarcely half would read it to the end1 or that not one of five persons who essayed ,dickens's ,mutual ,friend would succeed in getting through it4 ,those who think that there can be no pathos in statistics are invited to ponder this table deeply4 ,can anyone think unmoved of those two dozen readers who1 feeling impelled by desire for an intellectual stimulant to take up ,hume1 found therein a soporific instead and fell by the wayside8 ,a curious fact is that the tendency to attempt to begin at the beginning is so strong that it sometimes extends to collected works in which there is no sequence from volume to volume4 ,thus we have the following3 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,,ii4 ,,iii4 ,,iv4 ,v4 ,,vi4 ,chaucer1 ,poetical ,works #ch #i #e ,milton1 ,poetical ,works #ai #h ,longfellow1 ,poetical ,works #ad #ae #b #aj #c #c ,emerson1 ,essays #dh #ac ,ward1 ,english ,poets #ac #b #f ,there are of course exceptions to the rule that circulation decreases steadily from volume to volume4 ,here are a few3 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,,ii4 ,,iii4 ,,iv4 ,fiske1 ,old ,virginia #bf #bd ,spears1 ,history of the ,navy #dd #ci #cf #cf ,andrews1 ,last ,quarter ,century #h #h ,kennan1 ,siberia #ae #ac ,in the case of the two-volume works the interest-sustaining power may not always be as great as would appear1 because when the reader desires it1 two volumes are given out as one2 but the stamps on the dating-slips show that this fact counted for little in the present instances4 ,i would not assume that the inferences in the present article are of any special value4 ,the statistical facts are the thing4 ,so far as ,i know1 no one has called attention to them before1 and they are certainly worthy of all interest and attention4 ,,what ,,makes ,,people ,,read8 ,does the reading public read because it has a literary taste or for some other reason8 ,in the case of the public library1 for instance1 does a man start with an overwhelming desire to read or study books and is he impelled thereby to seek out the place where he may most easily and best obtain them8 ,or is he primarily attracted to the library by some other consideration1 his love for books and reading acting only in a secondary manner8 ,the ,new ,york ,public ,library1 for instance1 carries on the registry books of its circulating department nearly #djj1jjj names1 and in the course of a year nearly #ce1jjj new applications are made for the use of its branch libraries1 scattered over different parts of the city4 ,what brings these people to the library8 ,this is no idle question4 ,the number of library users1 large as it is1 represents too small a fraction of our population4 ,if it is a good thing to provide free reading matter for our people--and every large city in the country has committed itself to the truth of this proposition--we should certainly try to see that what we furnish is used by all who need it4 ,hence an examination into the motives that induce people to make their first use of a free public library may bring out information that is not only interesting but useful4 ,to this end several hundred regular users of the branches of the ,new ,york ,public ,library were recently asked this question directly1 and the answers are tabulated and discussed below4 ,in each of sixteen branch libraries the persons interrogated numbered forty--ten each of men1 women1 boys and girls4 ,thirty answers have been thrown out for irrelevancy or defectiveness4 ,the others are classified in the following table3 ,a ,b ,c ,d ,e ,f ,g ,h ,i ,j ,k ,l ,totals ,men #f #fd #aj 44 44 44 #cg #bj #c #a #i #d #aed ,boys #ch #fc #bh 44 #d #c #i #f #e 44 44 #c #aei ,women #ab #fg #ad #d 44 44 #bj #ba #b #a #b #e #adh ,girls #cc #fi #cd 44 44 44 #e #c #c 44 44 #b #adi ,total #hi #bfc #hf #d #d #c #ga #ej #ac #b #aa #ad #faj ,col4 ,a3 ,sent or ,told by ,teacher ,col4 ,b3 ,sent or ,told by ,friend ,col4 ,c3 ,sent or ,told by ,relative ,col4 ,d3 ,sent or ,told by ,clergyman ,col4 ,e3 ,sent or ,told by ,library ,assistant ,col4 ,f3 ,through ,reading ,room ,col4 ,g3 ,saw ,building ,col4 ,h3 ,saw ,sign ,col4 ,i3 ,saw ,library ,books ,col4 ,j3 ,saw ,bulletin ,col4 ,k3 ,saw ,article in ,paper ,col4 ,l3 ,sought ,library ,it will be seen that the vast majority of those questioned were led to the library by some circumstance other than the simple desire to find a place where books could be obtained4 ,of more than six hundred persons whose answers are here recorded only fourteen found the library as the result of a direct search for it prompted by a desire to read4 ,in a majority of the other cases1 of course1 perhaps in all of them1 the desire to read had its part1 but this desire was awakened by hearing a mention of the library or by seeing it or something connected with it4 ,these determining circumstances fall into two classes1 those that worked through the ear and those that operated through the eye4 ,those who heard of the library in some way numbered #ddi1 while those who saw it or something connected with it were only #adg--;an interesting fact1 especially as we are told by psychologists that apprehension and memory through sight are of a higher type than the same functions where exercised through hearing4 ,probably1 however1 this difference was dependent on the fact that the thing heard was in most cases a direct injunction or a piece of advice1 while the thing seen did not act with similar urgency4 ,there are some surprises in the table4 ,for instance1 only four persons were sent directly to libraries by persons employed therein4 ,doubtless the average library assistant wishes to get as far from shop as possible in her leisure hours1 but it is still disappointing to find that those who are employed in our libraries exercise so little influence in bringing persons to use them4 ,the same thing is true of the influence of reading rooms4 ,in many of the branch libraries in ,new ,york there are separate reading rooms to which others than card-holders in the library are admitted1 and one of the chief arguments for this has been that the user of such a room1 having become accustomed to resort to the library building1 would be apt to use the books4 ,apparently1 however1 such persons are in the minority4 ,no less disappointing is the slight influence of the clergy4 ,only four persons report this as a determining influence and these were all women connected with a branch which was formerly the parish library of a ,new ,york church4 ,the influence of the press1 too1 seems to amount to little1 in spite of the fact that the newspapers in ,new ,york have freely commented on the valuable work of the branch libraries and have called attention to it both in the news and editorial columns whenever occasion offered4 ,do the readers of library books in ,new ,york shun the public-press1 or do they pay scant heed to what they read therein8 ,another somewhat noteworthy fact is that of the #ddi persons who sought the library by advice of some one1 only #hi were sent by teachers4 ,but perhaps this is unfair4 ,of #bfe boys and girls who thus came to the library1 only #ga were sent by teachers4 ,this is a larger percentage1 but it is still not so large as we might expect4 ,the difference between adults and children comes out quite strikingly in a few instances4 ,we should have foreseen this of course in the case of advice by teachers1 which was reported by #ga children and only #ah adults as a reason for visiting the library4 ,here we should not have expected this reason to be given by adults at all4 ,doubtless these were chiefly young men and women who had used the library since their school-days4 ,in like manner the advice or injunction of relatives was more patent with children than with adults1 the proportion here being #fb to #bd4 ,this probably illustrates the power of parental injunction4 ,in another case the difference comes out in a wholly unexpected way4 ,of the #ga persons who reported that they were attracted to the library by seeing the buildings1 #eg were adults and only #ad children4 ,the same is true of those who were led in by seeing a sign1 who numbered #da adults to only #i children4 ,this seems to show either that adults are more observant or that children are more diffident in following out an impulse of this kind4 ,it completely negatives the ordinary impression among librarians1 at least in ,new ,york1 where it has been believed that the sight of a library building1 especially where the work going on inside is visible from the street1 is a potent attraction to the young4 ,some of the new branch buildings in ,new ,york have even been planned with a special view to the exercise of this kind of attraction4 ,the small number of persons who were attracted by printed matter1 in library or general publications1 were entirely adults4 ,the one instance where age seems to exercise no particular influence is that of the advice of friends1 by which old and young alike seem to have profited4 ,the influence of sex does not appear clearly1 although among those who followed the injunction of relatives the women and girls are slightly in the majority1 and the four who were sent by clergymen were all women4 ,of those who were attracted by the buildings #df were male and #be female1 which may mean that men are somewhat more observant or less diffident than women4 ,a few of those questioned relate their experiences at some length4 ,says one boy3 ,a boy friend of mine said he belonged to this library and he found some very good books here4 ,he asked me if ,i wanted to join2 ,i said yes4 ,he told me ,i would have to get a reference4 ,i got one1 and joined this library4 ,another one reports3 ,i saw a boy in the street and asked him where he was going4 ,he said he was going to the library4 ,i asked him what the library was and he told me2 so ,i came up here and have been coming ever since4 ,critical judgment is shown by some of the young people4 ,one boy says3 ,i heard all the other boys saying it was a good library and that the books were better kept than in a majority of libraries4 ,a girl says that friends told her what nice books were in this library4 ,in one case a boy's brother told him he could get the best books here for his needs4 ,the combination of man and book seems to be very attractive4 ,one child saw a boy in school with a book1 telling what a boy should know about electricity2 ,i wanted to read that book and joined the library4 ,others followed a crowd of little boys with books2 saw children taking books out of the building and asked them about joining2 saw a boy carrying books and asked if there was a library in the neighborhood4 ,a woman saw a child with a library book in the park and asked her for the address of the library4 ,sometimes the book alone does the work1 as shown by the following laconic report3 ,found a book in the park2 took it to the library2 joined it4 ,a cause of sorrow to many librarians who have decided ideas regarding literature for children will be the report of a boy who exclaimed3 ,horatio ,alger did it6 ,on being asked to explain1 he said that a friend had brought one of ,alger's books to his house and that he was thereby attracted to the library4 ,among those who were brought in by relatives are children who were first carried by their mothers to the library as infants and so grew naturally into its use4 ,sometimes the influence works upward instead of downward1 for several adults report that their children brought them to the library or induced them to visit it4 ,one man reports that he got married and his wife induced him to come4 ,some of the reasons given are curious4 ,a few are unconnected with the use of books4 ,one girl came to the library because it was a very handy library2 another1 because she saw it was a nice place to come to on a rainy day4 ,still another frankly avows that it was the fad among the boys and girls of our neighborhood2 we used to meet at the library4 ,a postman reported that he entered the library first in the line of his duty1 but was attracted by it and began to take out books4 ,a clergyman had his attention called to the library by requests from choir-boys that he should sign their application blanks2 afterwards thinking that he might find books there for his own reading1 he became a regular user4 ,one user came first to the library to see an exhibition of pictures of old ,new ,york4 ,a recent importation says3 ,when ,i came from ,paris ,i found all my cousins speaking ,english2 'well1' they said1 'go to the library and take books'--a process that doubtless did its share toward making an ,american of the new arrival4 ,in another case1 the ,americanizing process has not yet reached the stage where the user's ,english is altogether intelligible4 ,he says3 ,because ,i like to read the book4 ,i ask the bakery lady to my reference and ,i sing my neam sign my name84 ,here are some examples of recently acquired elegance in diction that are almost baboo-like in their hopelessness3 ,because it interest about the countries that are far away4 ,it gives knowledge to many of the people in this country4 ,so as to obtain knowledge from them and by reading books find out how the great men were in their former days and all about them and the world and its people4 ,it will be seen that the last two writers were among those who misunderstood our questions and told why they read books rather than how they were first led to the use of a library4 ,these reports are far from possessing merely a passing interest for the curious4 ,for the public librarian1 whose wish it is to reach as large a proportion of the public as possible1 they are full of valuable hints4 ,they emphasize1 for instance1 the urgent necessity of winning the good will of the public1 and they forcibly remind us that this is of more value in gaining a foothold for the library than columns of notices in the papers or thousands of circulars or cards distributed in the neighborhood4 ,it is even more potent than a beautiful building4 ,attractive as this is1 its value as an influence to secure new readers is vastly less than a reputation for hospitality and helpfulness4 ,in looking over the figures one rather disquieting thought cannot be kept down4 ,if the good will of the public is so potent in increasing the use of the library1 the ill will of the same public must be equally potent in the opposite direction4 ,some of those who are satisfied with us and our work are here put on record4 ,how about the dissatisfied8 ,a record of these might be even more interesting1 for it would point out weaknesses to be strengthened and errors to be avoided--but that1 as ,kipling says1 is another story4 ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,the ,,possessive3 ,a ,,study ,,of ,,book-,,titles ,if there is one particular advantage possessed by the ,teutonic over the ,romance languages in idiomatic clearness and precision it is that conferred by their ownership of a possessive case1 almost the sole remaining monument to the fact that our ancestors spoke an inflected tongue4 ,that we should still be able to speak of the baker's wife's dog instead of the dog of the wife of the baker certainly should be regarded by ,english-speaking people as a precious birthright4 ,yet1 there are increasing evidences of a tendency to discard this only remaining case-ending and to replace its powerful backbone with the comparatively limp and cartilaginous preposition4 ,this tendency has not yet appeared so much in our spoken as in our written language1 and even here only in the most formal parts of it4 ,it is especially noticeable in the diction of the purely formal title and heading4 ,that the reader may have something beyond an unsupported assertion that this is the case1 ,i purpose to offer in evidence the titles of some recent works of fiction1 and to make a brief statistical study of them4 ,the titles were taken from the adult fiction lists in the ,monthly ,bulletins of the ,new ,york ,free ,circulating ,library from ,november1 #ahie1 to ,march1 #ahig1 inclusive1 and are all such titles as contain a possessive1 whether expressed by the possessive case or by the preposition of with the objective4 ,some titles are included in which the grammatical relation is slightly different1 but all admit the alternative of the case-ending 's or of followed by the objective case4 ,of the #aja titles thus selected1 #da use the possessive case and #fj the objective with the preposition4 ,this proportion is in itself sufficiently suggestive1 but it becomes still more so by comparing it with the corresponding proportion among a different set of titles4 ,for this purpose #aja fiction titles were selected1 just as they appeared in alphabetical order1 from a library catalogue bearing the date #ahhi2 only those being taken1 as before1 that contain a possessive4 ,of these #aja1 #ga use the possessive case and #cj the objective with of4 ,in other words1 where eight years ago nearly three-quarters of such titles used the possessive case1 now only two-fifths use it1 a proportionate reduction of nearly one-half4 ,the change appears still more striking when we study the titles a little more closely4 ,of those in the earlier series there is not one that is not good1 idiomatic ,english as it stands1 whichever form is used2 we may even say that there is not one that would not be made less idiomatic by a change to the alternative form4 ,among the recent titles1 however1 while the forms using the possessive case are all better as they are1 of the #fj titles that use the objective with of only #bb would be injured by a change1 and the reason why #h of these are better as they are is simply that change would destroy euphony4 ,among these eight are ,the ,indiscretion of the ,duchess1 ,the ,flight of a ,shadow1 ,the ,secret of ,narcisse1 etc41 where the more idiomatic forms1 ,the ,duchess's ,indiscretion1 ,narcisse's ,secret1 ,a ,shadow's ,flight1 etc41 are certainly not euphonic4 ,of the others1 #h would not be injured by a change1 and no less than #cj would be improved from the standpoint of idiomatic ,english4 ,it may be well to quote these thirty titles4 ,they are3 ,the ,shadow of ,hilton ,fernbrook1 ,the ,statement of ,stella ,maberly1 ,the ,shadow of ,john ,wallace1 ,the ,banishment of ,jessop ,blythe1 ,the ,desire of the ,moth1 ,the ,island of ,dr4 ,moreau1 ,the ,damnation of ,theron ,ware1 ,the ,courtship of ,morrice ,buckler1 ,the ,daughter of a ,stoic1 ,the ,lament of ,dives1 ,the ,heart of ,princess ,osra1 ,the ,death of the ,lion1 ,the ,vengeance of ,james ,vansittart1 ,the ,wife of a ,vain ,man1 ,the ,crime of ,henry ,vane1 ,the ,son of ,old ,harry1 ,the ,honour of ,savelli1 ,the ,life of ,nancy1 ,the ,story of ,lawrence ,garthe1 ,the ,marriage of ,esther1 ,the ,house of ,martha1 ,tales of an ,engineer1 ,love-letters of a ,worldly ,woman1 ,the ,way of a ,maid1 ,the ,soul of ,pierre1 ,the ,day of ,their ,wedding1 ,the ,exploits of ,brigadier ,gerard1 ,the ,hand of ,ethelberta1 ,the ,failure of ,sibyl ,fletcher1 ,the ,love-affairs of an ,old ,maid4 ,of course1 in such a division as this1 much must depend on individual judgment and bias4 ,probably no two persons would divide the list in just the same way1 but it is my belief that the general result in each case would be much the same4 ,to me the possessive in every one of the above-quoted titles would have been more idiomatic1 thus3 ,hilton ,fernbrook's ,shadow1 ,stella ,maberly's ,statement1 ,john ,wallace's ,shadow1 ,morrice ,buckler's ,courtship1 ,a ,stoic's ,daughter1 ,henry ,vane's ,crime1 etc41 etc4 ,in one case1 at least1 this fact has been recognized by a publisher1 for ,the ,vengeance of ,james ,vansittart1 whose title is included in the list given above1 has appeared in a later edition as ,james ,vansittart's ,vengeance--a palpable improvement4 ,i shall not discuss the cause of this change in the use of the possessive1 though it seems to me an evident ,gallicism1 nor shall ,i open the question of whether it is a mere passing fad or the beginning of an actual alteration in the language4 ,however this may be1 it seems undeniable that there is an actual and considerable difference in the use of the possessive to-day and its use ten years ago1 at least in formal titles and headings4 ,i have confined myself to book-titles1 because that is the department where the tendency presents itself to me most clearly2 but it may be seen on street signs1 in advertisements1 and in newspaper headings4 ,it is not to be found yet in the spoken language1 at least it is not noticeable there1 but it would be decidedly unsafe to prophesy that it will never appear there4 ,ten years from now we may hear about the breaking of the arm of ,john ,smith and the hat of ,tom1 without a thought that these phrases have not been part of our idiomatic speech since ,shakespeare's time4 ,,selective ,,education#a #a ,read before the ,schoolmen of ,new ,york4 ,since ,darwin called attention to the role of what he named natural selection in the genesis and preservation of species1 and since his successors1 both followers and opponents1 have added to this many other kinds of selection that are continually operative1 it has become increasingly evident that from one standpoint we may look on the sum of natural processes1 organic and inorganic1 as a vast selective system1 as the result of which things are as they are1 whether the results are the positions of celestial bodies or the relative places of human beings in the intellectual or social scale4 ,the exact constitution of the present population of ,new ,york is the result of a great number of selective acts1 some regular1 others more or less haphazard4 ,selection is no less selection because it occurs by what we call chance--for chance is only our name for the totality of trivial and unconsidered causes4 ,when1 however1 we count man and man's efforts in the sum of natural objects and forces1 we have to reckon with his intelligence in these selective processes4 ,i desire to call attention to the place that they play in educative systems and in particular to the way in which they may be furthered or made more effective by books1 especially by public collections of books4 ,when we think of any kind of training as it affects the individual1 we most naturally regard it as changing that individual1 as making him more fit1 either for life in general or for some special form of life's activities4 ,but when we think of it as affecting a whole community or a whole nation1 we may regard it as essentially a selective process4 ,in a given community it is not only desirable that a certain number of men should be trained to do a specified kind of work1 but it is even more desirable that these should be the men that are best fitted to do this work4 ,when ,mr4 ,luther ,burbank brings into play the selection by means of which he achieves his remarkable results in plant breeding he gets rid of the unfit by destruction1 and as all are unfit for the moment that do not advance the special end that he has in view1 he burns up plants--new and interesting varieties perhaps--by the hundred thousand4 ,we cannot destroy the unfit1 nor do we desire to do so1 for from the educational point of view unfitness is merely bad adjustment4 ,there is a place for every man in the world and it is the educator's business to see that he reaches it1 if not by formative1 then by selective processes4 ,this selection is badly made in our present state of civilization4 ,it depends to a large extent upon circumstances remote from the training itself--upon caprice1 either that of the person to be trained or of his parents1 upon accidents of birth or situation1 upon a thousand irrelevant things2 but in every case there are elements present in the training itself that aid in determining it4 ,a young man begins to study medicine1 and he finds that his physical repulsion for work in the dissecting-room can not be overcome4 ,he abandons the study and by doing so eliminates an unfit person4 ,a boy who has no head for figures enters a business college4 ,he can not get his diploma1 and the community is spared one bad bookkeeper4 ,certainly in some instances1 possibly in all1 technical and professional schools that are noted for the excellence of their product are superior not so much because they have better methods of training1 but because their material is of better quality1 owing to selection exercised either purposely1 or automatically1 or perhaps by some chance4 ,the same is true of colleges4 ,of two institutions with the same curriculum and equally able instructors1 the one with the widest reputation will turn out the best graduates because it attracts abler men from a wider field4 ,this is true even in such a department as athletics4 ,to him that hath shall be given4 ,this is purely an automatic selective effect4 ,it would appear desirable to dwell more upon selective features in educational training1 to ascertain what they are in each case and how they work1 and to control and dispose them with more systematic care4 ,different minds will always attach different degrees of importance to natural and acquired fitness1 but probably all will agree that training bestowed upon the absolutely unfit is worse than useless1 and that there are persons whose natural aptitudes are so great that upon them a minimum of training will produce a maximum effect4 ,such selective features as our present educational processes possess1 the examination1 for instance1 are mostly exclusive2 they aim to bar out the unfit rather than to attract the fit4 ,here is a feature on which some attention may well be fixt4 ,how do these considerations affect the subject of general education8 ,are we to affirm that arithmetic is only for the born mathematician and ,latin for the born linguist1 and endeavor to ascertain who these may be8 ,not so2 for here we are training not experts but citizens4 ,discrimination here must be not in the quality but in the quantity of training4 ,we may divide the members of any community into classes according as their formal education--their school and college training--has lasted one1 two1 three1 four1 or more years4 ,there has been a selection here1 but it has operated1 in general1 even more imperfectly than in the case of special training4 ,persons who are mentally qualified to continue their schooling to the end of a college course1 and who by so doing would become more useful members of the community1 are obliged to be content with two or three years in the lower grades1 while others1 who are unfitted for the university1 are kept at it until they take1 or fail to take1 the bachelor's degree4 ,an ideal state of things1 of course1 would be to give each person the amount of general education for which he is fitted and then stop4 ,this would be difficult of realization even if financial considerations did not so often interfere4 ,but at least we may keep in view the desirability of preventing too many misfits and of insisting1 so far as possible1 on any selective features that we may discover in present systems4 ,for instance1 a powerful selective feature is the attractiveness of a given course of study to those who are desired to pursue it4 ,if we can find a way1 for example1 to make our high school courses attractive to those who are qualified to take them1 while at the same time rendering them very distasteful to those who are not so qualified1 we shall evidently have taken a step in the right direction4 ,it is clear that both parts of this prescription must be taken together or there is no true selection4 ,much has been done of late years toward making educational courses of all kinds interesting and attractive1 but it is to be feared that their attractiveness has been such as to appeal to the unfit as well as to the fit4 ,if we sugar-coat our pills indiscriminately and mix them with candy1 many will partake who need another kind of medicine altogether4 ,we must so arrange things that the fit will like while the unfit dislike1 and for this purpose the less sugar-coating the better4 ,this is no easy problem and it is intended merely to indicate it here1 not to propose a general solution4 ,the one thing to which attention should be directed is the role that may be and is played by the printed book in selective education4 ,there is more or less effort to discredit books as educative tools and to lay emphasis on oral instruction and manual training4 ,we need not decry these1 but1 it must be remembered that after all the book contains the record of man's progress2 we may tell how to do a thing1 and show how to do it1 but we shall never do it in a better way or explain the why and wherefore1 and surely transmit that ability and that explanation to posterity1 without the aid of a stable record of some kind4 ,if we are sure that our students could and would pick out only what they needed1 as a wild animal picks his food in the woods1 we might go far toward solving our problem1 by simply turning them loose in a collection of books4 ,some people have minds that qualify them to profit by such browsing1 and some of these have practically educated themselves in a library4 ,even in the more common cases where formal training is absolutely necessary1 access to other books than text-books is an aid to selection both qualitative and quantitative4 ,books may serve as samples4 ,to take an extreme case1 a boy who had no knowledge whatever of the nature of law or medicine would certainly not be competent to choose between them in selecting a profession1 and a month spent in a library where there were books on both subjects would certainly operate to lessen his incompetence4 ,probably it would not be rash to assert that with free access to books1 under proper guidance1 both before and during a course of training1 the persons who begin that course will include more of the fit and those who finish it will include less of the unfit1 than without such access4 ,let us consider one or two concrete examples4 ,a college boy has the choice of several different courses4 ,he knows little of them1 but thinks that one will meet his needs4 ,he elects it and finds too late that he is wasting his time4 ,another boy1 whose general reading has been sufficient to give him some superficial knowledge of the subject-matter in all the courses1 sees clearly which will benefit him1 and profits by that knowledge4 ,again1 a boy1 full of the possibilities that would lead him to appreciate the best in literature1 has gained his knowledge of it from a teacher who looks upon a literary masterpiece only as something to be dissected4 ,the student has been disgusted instead of inspired1 and his whole life has been deprived of one of the purest and most uplifting of all influences4 ,had he been brought up in a library where he could make literary friends and develop literary enthusiasms1 his course with the dry as dust teacher would have been only an unpleasant incident1 instead of the wrecking of a part of his intellectual life4 ,still again1 a boy on a farm has vague aspirations4 ,he knows that he wants a broader horizon1 to get away from his cramped environment--that is about all4 ,how many boys1 impelled by such feelings1 have gone out into the world with no clear idea of what they are fitted to do1 or even what they really desire6 ,to how many others has the companionship of a few books meant the opening of a peep-hole1 thru which1 dimly perhaps1 but none the less really1 have been descried definite possibilities1 needs1 and opportunities6 ,to all of these youths books have been selective aids merely--they have added little or nothing to the actual training whose extent and character they have served to point out4 ,such cases1 which it would be easy to multiply1 illustrate the value of books in the selective functions of training4 ,to assert that they exercise such a function is only another way of saying that a mind orients itself by the widest contact with other minds4 ,there are other ways of assuring this contact1 and these should not be neglected2 but only thru books can it approach universality both in space and in time4 ,how else could we know exactly what ,homer and ,st4 ,augustine and ,descartes thought and what ,tolstoi and ,lord ,kelvin and ,william ,james1 we will say1 are even now thinking8 ,it has scarcely been necessary to say all this to convince you of the value of books as aids to education2 but it is certainly interesting to find that in an examination of the selective processes in education1 we meet with our old friends in such an important role4 ,a general collection of books1 then1 constitutes an important factor in the selective part of an education4 ,where shall we place this collection8 ,i venture to say that altho every school must have a library to aid in the formative part of its training1 the library as a selective aid should be large and central and should preferably be at the disposal of the student not only during the period of his formal training1 but before and after it4 ,this points to the public library1 and to close cooperation between it and the school1 rather than to the expansion of the classroom library4 ,this is1 perhaps1 not the place to dispute the wisdom of our ,board of ,education in developing classroom libraries1 but it may be proper to put in a plea for confining them to books that bear more particularly on the subjects of instruction4 ,the general collection of books should be outside of the school1 because the boy is destined to spend most of his life outside of the school4 ,his education by no means ends with his graduation4 ,the agents that operate to develop and change him will be at work so long as he lives1 and it is desirable that the book should be one of these4 ,if he says good-by to the book when he leaves school1 that part of his training is likely to be at an end4 ,if he uses1 in connection with1 and parallel to1 his formal education a general collection of books outside of the school1 he will continue to use it after he leaves school4 ,and even so far as the special classroom library is concerned1 it must be evident that a large general collection of books that may be drawn upon freely is a useful supplement4 ,for the teacher's professional use1 the larger the collection at his disposal the better4 ,a sum of money spent by the city in improving and making adequate the pedagogical section of its public library1 particularly in the department of circulation1 will be expended to greater advantage than many times the amount devoted to a large number of small collections on the same subjects in schools4 ,these are the considerations that have governed the ,new ,york ,public ,library in its effort to be of assistance to the teachers and pupils in the public schools of the city4 ,stated formally1 these efforts manifest themselves in the following directions3 7#a7 ,the making of library use continuous from the earliest possible age1 thru school life and afterwards2 7#b7 ,cooperation with the teacher in guiding and limiting the child's reading during the school period2 7#c7 ,aid within the library in the preparation of school work2 7#d7 ,the supplementing of classroom libraries by the loan of books in quantity2 7#e7 ,the cultivation of personal relations between library assistants and teachers in their immediate neighborhood2 7#f7 ,the furnishing of accurate and up-to-date information to schools regarding the library's resources and its willingness to place them at the school's disposal2 7#g7 ,the increase of the library's circulation collection along lines suggested and desired by teachers2 7#h7 ,the granting of special privileges to teachers and special students who use the library for purposes of study4 ,toward the realization of these aims three departments are now cooperating1 each of them in charge of an expert in his or her special line of work4 7#a7 ,the children's rooms in the various libraries1 now under the direction of an expert supervisor4 7#b7 ,the traveling library office4 7#c7 ,the division of school work1 with an assistant in each branch1 under skilled headquarters superintendence4 ,when our plans1 which are already in good working order1 are completely carried out1 we shall be able to guarantee to every child guidance in his reading up to and thru his school course1 with direction in a line of influence that will make him a user of books thruout his life and create in him a feeling of attachment to the public library as the home and dispenser of books and as a permanent intellectual refuge from care1 trouble1 and material things in general1 as well as a mine of information on all subjects that may benefit or interest him4 ,some of the obstacles to the immediate realization of our plans in full may be briefly stated as follows3 7#a7 ,lack of sufficient funds4 ,with more money we could buy more books1 pay higher salaries1 and employ more persons4 ,the assistants in charge of children's rooms should be women of the highest culture and ability1 and it is difficult to secure proper persons at our present salaries4 ,assistants in charge of school work must be persons of tact and quickness of perception1 and they should have no other work to do2 whereas at present we are obliged to give this work to library assistants in addition to their ordinary routine duties1 to avoid increasing our staff by about forty assistants1 which our appropriation does not permit4 7#b7 ,misunderstanding on the part of the public1 and also to some extent on the part of teachers1 of our aims1 ability1 and attitude4 ,this ,i am glad to say is continually lessening4 ,we can scarcely expect that each of our five hundred assistants should be thoroly imbued with the spirit of helpfulness toward the schools or even that they should perfectly understand what we desire and aim to do4 ,nor can we expect that our wish to aid should be appreciated by every one of fifty thousand teachers or a million parents4 ,this will come in time4 7#c7 ,a low standard of honesty on the part of certain users of the library4 ,it is somewhat disheartening to those who are laboring to do a public service to find that some of those whom they are striving to benefit1 look upon them merely as easy game4 ,to prevent this and at the same time to withstand those who urge that such misuse of the library should be met by the withdrawal of present privileges and facilities uses up energy that might otherwise be directed toward the improvement of our service4 ,now1 like the intoxicated man1 we sometimes refuse invitations to advance because it is all we can do to stay where we are4 ,here is an opportunity for all the selective influences that we may bring to bear1 and unfortunately the library can have but little part in these4 ,have ,i wandered too far from my theme8 ,the good that a public library may do1 the influence that it may exert1 and the position that it may assume in a community1 depend very largely on the ability and tact with which it is administered and the resources at its disposal4 ,its public services may be various1 but probably there is no place in which it may be of more value than side by side with the public school2 and ,i venture to think that this is the case largely because education to be complete must select as well as train1 must compel the fit to step forward and the unfit to retire1 and must do this1 not only at the outset of a course of training but continuously thruout its duration4 ,we speak of a student being put thru the mill1 and we must not forget that a mill not only grinds and stamps into shape but also sifts and selects4 ,a finished product of a given grade is always such not only by virtue of formation and adaptation but also by virtue of selection4 ,in human training one of the most potent of these selective agencies is the individual will1 and to train that will and make it effective in the right direction there is nothing better than constant association with the records of past aims and past achievements4 ,this must be my excuse for saying so much of libraries in general1 and of one library in particular1 in an address on what ,i have ventured to give the name of ,selective ,education4 ,,the ,,uses ,,of ,,fiction#b #b ,read before the ,american ,library ,association1 ,asheville ,conference1 ,may #bh1 #aijg4 ,literature is becoming daily more of a dynamic and less of a static phenomenon4 ,in other days the great body of written records remained more or less stable and with its attendant body of tradition did its work by a sort of quiet pressure on that portion of the community just beneath it--on a special class peculiarly subject to its influence4 ,to-day we have added to this effect that of a moving multitude of more or less ephemeral books1 which appear1 do their work1 and pass on out of sight4 ,they are light1 but they make up for their lack of weight by the speed and ease with which they move4 ,owing to them the use of books is becoming less and less limited to a class1 and more and more familiar to the masses4 ,the book nowadays is in motion4 ,even the classics1 the favorites of other days1 have left their musty shelves and are moving out among the people4 ,where one man knew and loved ,shakespeare a century ago1 a thousand know and love him to-day4 ,the literary blood is circulating and in so doing is giving life to the body politic4 ,in thus wearing itself out the book is creating a public appreciation that makes itself felt in a demand for reprinting1 hence worthy books are surer of perpetuation in this swirling current than they were in the old time reservoir4 ,but besides these books whose literary life is continuous1 though their paper and binding may wear out1 there are other books that vanish utterly4 ,by the time that the material part of them needs renewing1 the book itself has done its work4 ,its value at that moment is not enough1 or is not sufficiently appreciated1 to warrant reprinting4 ,it drops out of sight and its place is taken by another1 fresh from the press4 ,this part of our moving literature is what is called ephemeral1 and properly so2 but no stigma necessarily attaches to the name4 ,in the first place1 it is impossible to draw a line between the ephemeral and the durable4 ,one storm in the world's history has never cleared off1 said the wit--the one we are having now4 ,yet the conditions of to-day1 literary as well as meteorological1 are not necessarily lasting4 ,we are accustomed to regard what we call standard literature as necessarily the standard of innumerable centuries to come1 forgetful of the fact that other so-called standards have had their day and ceased to be4 ,some literature lasts a century1 some a year1 some a week2 where shall we draw the line below which all must be condemned as ephemeral8 ,is it not possible that all literary work that quickly achieves a useful purpose and having achieved it passes at once out of sight1 may really count for as much as one that takes the course of years to produce its slow results8 ,the most ephemeral of all our literary productions--the daily paper--is incalculably the most influential1 and its influence largely depends on this dynamic quality that has been noted--the penetrative power of a thing of light weight moving at a high speed4 ,and this penetrative power effective literature must have to-day on account of the vastly increased mass of modern readers4 ,reading is no longer confined to a class1 it is well-nigh universal1 in our own country1 at least4 ,and the habit of mind of the thoughtful and intent reader is not an affair of one generation but of many4 ,new readers are young readers1 and they have the characteristics of intellectual youth4 ,narrative--the recapitulation of one's own or someone else's experience1 the telling of a story--is the earliest form in which artistic effort of any kind is appreciated4 ,the pictorial art that appeals to the young or the ignorant is the kind that tells a story--perhaps historical painting on enormous canvasses1 perhaps the small genre picture1 possibly something symbolic or mythological2 but at any rate it must embody a narrative1 whether it is that of the signing of a treaty1 a charge of dragoons1 a declaration of love or the feeding of chickens4 ,the same is true of music4 ,the popular song tells something1 almost without exception4 ,even in instrumental music1 outside of dance rhythms1 whose suggestion of the delights of bodily motion is a reason of their popularity1 the beginner likes program music of some kind1 or at least its suggestion4 ,so it is in literature4 ,with those who are intellectually young1 whether young in years or not1 the narrative form of expression is all in all4 ,it is1 of course1 in all the arts1 a most important mode1 even in advanced stages of development4 ,we shall never be able to do without narrative in painting1 sculpture1 music and poetry2 but wherever1 in a given community1 the preference for this form of expression in any art is excessive1 we may be sure that appreciation of that form of art is newly aroused4 ,this is an interesting symptom and a good sign4 ,to be sure1 apparent intellectual youth may be the result of intellectual decadence2 there is a second as well as a first childhood1 but it is not difficult to distinguish between them4 ,in general1 if a large proportion of those in a community who like to look at pictures1 prefer such as tell a story1 this fact1 if the number of the appreciative is at the same time increasing1 means a newly stimulated interest in art4 ,and similarly1 if a large proportion of those persons who enjoy reading prefer the narrative forms of literature1 while at the same time their total numbers are on the increase1 this surely indicates a newly aroused interest in books4 ,and this is precisely the situation in which we find ourselves to-day4 ,a very large proportion of the literature that we circulate is in narrative form--how large a proportion ,i daresay few of us realize4 ,not only all the fiction1 adult and juvenile1 but all the history1 biography and travel1 a large proportion of literature and periodicals1 some of the sciences1 including all reports of original research1 and a lesser proportion of the arts1 philosophy and religion1 are in this form4 ,it may be interesting to estimate the percentage of narrative circulated by a large public library1 and ,i have attempted this in the case of the ,new ,york public library for the year ending ,july #a1 #aijf4 ,class ,per cent4 ,estimated per ,fiction cent4 of narrative ,juvenile #bf ,adult #cb 44444444444 #eh #eh ,history 44444444444444444 #f #f ,biography 444444444444444 #c #c ,travel 444444444444444444 #c #c ,literature 44444444444444 #g #c ,periodicals 4444444444444 #d #b ,sciences 4444444444444444 #i #c ,arts 44444444444444444444 #c #a ,philos4 ,relig4 44444444 #b #a ,foreign 44444444444444444 #e #d --- -- #ajj #hd ,in other words1 if my estimates are not too much out of the way--and ,i have tried to be conservative--only #af per cent4 of our whole circulation1 and #ch per cent4 of our non-fiction1 is non-narrative1 despite the fact that our total fiction percentage is low4 ,i attach little importance in this regard to any distinction between true and fictitious narrative1 people who read novels do not enjoy them simply because the subject matter is untrue4 ,they enjoy the books because they are interesting4 ,in fact1 in most good fiction1 little beside the actual sequence of the events in the plot and the names of the characters is untrue4 ,the delineation of character1 the descriptions of places and events and the statements of fact are intended to be true1 and the further they depart from truth the less enjoyable they are4 ,indeed1 when one looks closely into the matter1 the dividing line between what we call truth and fiction in narrative grows more and more hazy4 ,in pictorial art we do not attempt to make it at all4 ,our museums do not classify their pictures into true and imaginary4 ,our novels contain so much truth and our other narrative works so much fiction1 that it is almost as difficult to draw the line in the literary as it is in the pictorial arts4 ,and in any case objections to a work of fiction1 as well as commendations1 must be based on considerations apart from this classification4 ,to represent a fictitious story as real or an imaginary portrait as a true one is1 of course1 a fault1 but the story and the portrait may both be of the highest excellence when the subjects are wholly imaginary4 ,it should be noted that the crime of false representation1 when committed with success1 removes a work from library classification as fiction and places it in one of the other classes4 ,indeed1 it is probable that much more lasting harm is done by false non-fiction than by fiction4 ,the reader1 provided he uses literature temperately1 has much less need to beware of the novel1 which he reads frankly for entertainment1 than of the history full of things that are not so1 of the biased biography1 of science popularized out of all likeness to nature1 of absurd theories in sociology or cosmology1 of silly and crude ideas masquerading as philosophy1 of the out-and-out falsehood of fake travellers and pseudo-naturalists4 ,in what has gone before it has been assumed that the reader is temperate4 ,one may read to excess either in fiction or non-fiction1 and the result is the same2 mental over-stimulation1 with the resulting reaction4 ,one may thus intoxicate himself with history1 psychology or mathematics--the mathematics-drunkard is the worst of all literary debauchees when he does exist--and the only reason why fiction-drunkenness is more prevalent is that fiction is more attractive to the average man4 ,we do not have to warn the reader against over-indulgence in biography or art-criticism1 any more than we have to put away the vichy bottle when a bibulous friend appears1 or forbid the children to eat too many shredded-wheat biscuits4 ,fiction has the fatal gift of being too entertaining4 ,the novel-writer must be interesting or he fails2 the historian or the psychologist does not often regard it as necessary--unless he happens to be a ,frenchman4 ,but with this danger of literary surfeit or over-stimulation1 ,i submit that the librarian has nothing to do2 it is beyond his sphere1 at least in so far as he deals with the adult reader4 ,we furnish parks and playgrounds for our people2 we police them and see that they contain nothing harmful1 but we cannot guarantee that they will not be used to excess--that a man may not1 for example1 be so enraptured with the trees and the squirrels that he will give up to their contemplation time that should be spent in supporting his family4 ,so in the library we may and do see that harmful literature is excluded1 but we cannot be expected to see that books which are not in themselves injurious are not sometimes used to excess4 ,i venture to suggest that very much of our feeling of disquietude about the large use of fiction in the public library and elsewhere arises from our misapprehension of something that must always force itself upon the attention in a state of society where public education and public taste are on the increase4 ,in this case the growth will necessarily be uneven in different departments of knowledge and taste1 and in different localities2 so that discrepancies frequently present themselves4 ,we may observe1 for instance1 a quietly and tastefully dressed woman reading1 we will say1 ,laura ,jean ,libbey4 ,we are disconcerted1 and the effect is depressing4 ,but the discrepancy may arise in either of two ways4 ,if we have here a person formerly possessing good taste both in dress and reading1 whose taste in the latter regard has deteriorated1 we certainly have cause for sadness2 but if1 as is much more likely1 we have one who had formerly bad taste of both kinds and whose taste in dress has improved1 we should rather rejoice4 ,the argument is the same whether the change has taken place in the same generation or in more than one4 ,our masses are moving upward and the progress along the more material lines is often more rapid than in matters of the intellect4 ,or1 on the contrary1 intellectual progress may be in advance of manners4 ,such discrepancies are frequently commented upon by foreign travelers in the ,united ,states1 who almost invariably misinterpret them in the same way4 ,can we blame them1 when we make the same mistake ourselves8 ,m4 ,jules ,huret1 in his recent interesting book ,en ,amerique1 notes frequently the lapses in manners and taste of educated persons among us4 ,he describes1 for instance1 the bad table-manners of a certain clergyman4 ,his thought is evidently1 ,how shocking that a clergyman should act in this way6 ,but we might also put it3 ,how admirable that professional education in this country is so easily obtained that one of a class in which such manners prevail can secure it6 ,how encouraging that he should desire to enter the ministry and succeed in doing so6 ,these are extreme standpoints2 we need of course endorse neither of them4 ,but when ,i find that on the upper west side of ,new ,york1 where the patrons of our branch libraries are largely the wives and daughters of business men with good salaries1 whose general scale of living is high1 the percentage of fiction circulated is unduly great1 ,i do not say1 as ,i am tempted to do ,how surprising and how discouraging that persons of such apparent cultivation should read nothing but fiction1 and that not of the highest grade6 ,i say rather3 ,what an evidence it is of our great material prosperity that persons in an early stage of mental development1 as evidenced by undue preference for narrative in literature1 are living in such comfort or even luxury6 ,is not this the right way to look at it8 ,i confess that ,i can see no reason for despairing of the ,american people because it reads more fiction than it used to read1 so long as this is for the same reason that a ten year old boy reads more stories than a baby4 ,intellectual youth is at least an advance over mental infancy so long as it is first childhood--not second4 ,it is undoubtedly our duty1 as it is our pleasure1 to help these people to grow1 but we cannot force them1 and should not try4 ,complete growth may take several generations4 ,and even when full stature has been obtained1 literature in its narrative modes1 though not so exclusively as now1 will still be loved and read4 ,romance will always serve as the dessert in the feast of reason--and we should recollect that sugar is now highly regarded as a food4 ,it is a producer of energy in easily available form1 and1 thinking on some such novels as ,uncle ,tom1 ,die ,waffen nieder and shall we say ,the jungle8 we realize that this thing is a parable1 which the despiser of fiction may well read as he runs4 ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,association#c #c ,an address delivered before the ,library ,associations of ,iowa1 ,nebraska1 ,kansas1 ,missouri1 ,indiana and ,ohio1 ,october #i-ah1 #aijg4 ,man is a gregarious animal2 he cannot think1 act1 or even exist except in certain relations to others of his kind4 ,for a complete description of those relations we must go to a treatise on sociology2 our present subject is a very brief consideration of certain groups of individuals1 natural or voluntary1 and the application of the laws that govern such groups to the voluntary associations with which we are all familiar in library work4 ,men have joined together to effect certain things that they could not accomplish singly1 ever since two savages found that they could lift a heavy log or stone together1 when neither one could manage it alone4 ,until recently the psychology of human groups has received little study4 ,le ,bon1 in his book on ,the ,crowd1 gives the modern treatment of it4 ,a group of persons does not think and act precisely as each of its component individuals would think or act4 ,the very act of association1 loose as it may be1 introduces a new factor4 ,even the two savages lifting the log do not work together precisely as either would have worked singly4 ,their co-operation affects their activity2 and both thought and action may likewise be affected in larger groupings even by the mere proximity of the individuals of the group1 where there is no stronger bond4 ,but although the spirit that collectively animates a group of men cannot be calculated by taking an arithmetical sum1 it does depend on that possessed by each individual in the group1 and more particularly on what is common to them all and on the nature of the bonds that connect them4 ,even a chance group of persons previously unconnected and unrelated is bound together by feelings common to all humanity and may be appealed to collectively on such grounds4 ,the haphazard street crowd thrills with horror at the sight of a baby toddling in front of a trolley-car and shouts with joy when the motorman stops just in time4 ,but the same crowd1 if composed of newly-arrived ,poles1 ,hungarians and ,slovaks1 would fail utterly to respond to some patriotic appeal that might move an ,american crowd profoundly4 ,you may sway a ,methodist congregation with a tale of ,john ,wesley that would leave ,presbyterians or ,episcopalians cold4 ,try a ,yale mob with ,boola and then play the same tune at ,princeton1 and watch the effect4 ,thus1 the more carefully our group is selected the more particular and definite are the motives that we can bring to bear in it1 and the more powerful will its activities be along its own special lines4 ,the mob in the street may be roused by working on elemental passions--so roused it will kill or burn1 but you cannot excite in it enthusiasm for ,dante's ,inferno1 or induce it to contribute money or labor toward the preparation of a new annotated edition4 ,to get such enthusiasm and stimulate such action you must work upon a body of men selected and brought together for this very purpose4 ,besides this1 we must draw a distinction between natural and artificial groups4 ,the group brought together by natural causes and not by man's contriving is generally lower in the scale of civilization when it acts collectively than any one of its components4 ,this is the case with a mob1 a tribe1 even a municipal group4 ,but an artificial or selected group1 where the grouping is for a purpose and has been specially effected with that end in view may act more intelligently1 and be1 so far as its special activities are concerned1 more advanced in the scale of progress than its components as individuals4 ,there is the same difference as between a man's hand and a delicate tool4 ,the former is the result of physical evolution only2 the latter of evolution into which the brain of man has entered as a factor4 ,the tool is not as good for all round use as the hand2 but to accomplish its particular object it is immeasurably superior4 ,if1 then1 we are to accomplish anything by taking advantage of the very peculiar crowd or group psychology--owing to which a collected body of men may feel as a group and act as a group1 differently from the way in which any one of its components would feel or act--we must see that our group is properly selected and constituted4 ,this does not mean that we are to go about and choose individuals1 one by one1 by the exercise of personal judgment4 ,such a method is generally inferior and unnecessary4 ,if we desire to separate the fine from the coarse grains in a sand-pile we do not set to work with a microscope to measure them1 grain by grain2 we use a sieve4 ,the sieve will not do to separate iron filings from copper filings of exactly the same size1 but here a magnet will do the business4 ,and so separation or selection can almost always be accomplished by choosing an agency adapted to the conditions2 and such agencies often act automatically without the intervention of the human will4 ,in a voluntary association formed to accomplish a definite purpose we have a self-selected group4 ,such a body may be freely open to the public1 as all our library clubs and associations practically are2 yet it is still selective1 for no one would care to join it who is not in some way interested in its objects4 ,on the other hand1 the qualifications for membership may be numerous and rigid1 in which case the selection is more limited4 ,the ideal of efficiency in an association is probably reached when the body is formed for a single definite purpose and the terms of admission are so arranged that each of its members is eager above all things to achieve its end and is specially competent to work for it1 the purpose of the grouping being merely to attain the object more surely1 thoroughly and rapidly4 ,a good example is a thoroughly trained military organization1 all of whose members are enthusiastic in the cause for which the body is fighting--a band of patriots1 we will say--or perhaps a band of brigands1 for what we have been saying applies to evil as well as to good associations4 ,the most efficient of such bodies may be very temporary1 as when three persons1 meeting by chance1 unite to help each other over a wall that none of them could scale by himself1 and1 having reached the other side1 separate again4 ,the more clearly cut and definite the purpose the less the necessity of retaining the association after its accomplishment4 ,the more efficient the association the sooner its aims are accomplished and the sooner it is disbanded4 ,such groups or bodies1 by their very nature are affairs of small detail and not of large and comprehensive purpose4 ,as they broaden out into catholicity they necessarily lose in efficiency4 ,and even when they are accomplishing their aims satisfactorily the very largeness of those aims1 the absence of sharp outline and clear definition1 frequently gives rise to complaint4 ,i know of clubs and associations that are doing an immense amount of good1 in some cases altering for the better the whole intellectual or moral tone of a community1 but that are the objects of criticism because they do not act in matters of detail4 ,why don't they do something8 is the constant cry4 ,and doing something1 as you may presently discover1 is carrying on some small definite1 relatively unimportant activity that is capable of clear description and easily fixes the attention1 while the greater services1 to the public and to the individual1 of the association's quiet influences pass unnoticed4 ,the church that has driven out of business one corner-saloon gets more praise than the one that has made better men and women of a whole generation in one neighborhood2 the police force that catches one sensational murderer is more applauded than the one that has made life and property safe for years in its community by quiet1 firm pressure4 ,there is no reason of course1 why the broader and the more definite activities may not be united1 to some degree1 in one organization4 ,either smaller groups with related aims may federate for the larger purpose1 or the larger may itself be the primary group1 and may subdivide into sections each with its specified object4 ,both these plans or a combination of the two may be seen in many of our large organizations1 and it is this combination that seems finally to have been selected as the proper form of union for the libraries and the librarians of the ,united ,states4 ,we have a large organization which1 as it has grown more and more unwieldy1 has been subdivided into smaller specialized sections without losing its continuity for its broader and perhaps vaguer work4 ,at the same time1 specialized bodies with related aims have been partially or wholly absorbed1 until1 by processes partly of subdivision and partly of accretion1 we have a body capable of dealing alike with the general and the special problems of library work4 ,it should not be forgotten1 however1 that its success in dealing with both kinds of problems is still conditioned by the laws already laid down4 ,the general association1 as it grows larger1 will be marked less and less by the enthusiasm of the specialist1 will be less and less efficient1 will move more slowly1 will deliver its opinions with reticence and will hesitate to act upon them4 ,the smaller constituent bodies will be affected by none of these drawbacks1 but their purposes appeal to the few and their actions1 though more energetic1 will often seem to the majority of the larger group devoid of meaning4 ,this is1 of course1 the case with the ,national ,educational ,association1 the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 and hosts of similar bodies here and abroad4 ,to state the difficulty is merely to confess that all attempts hitherto have failed to form a group that is at once comprehensive1 powerful and efficient1 both in the larger matters with which it deals and in details4 ,probably the most successful attempt of this kind is formulated in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states itself and is being carried on in our country from day to day1 yet successful as it is1 our history is witness1 and the daily press testifies1 that the combination of general and local governments has its weak points and is dependent for its smooth working on the cordial consent and forbearance of the governed4 ,this is true also of smaller combinations4 ,in our own organization it is easy to find fault1 it is easy to discover points of friction2 only by the cordial effort of every member to minimize these points can such an organization begin to accomplish its aims4 ,failure is much more apt to be due to lack of appreciation of this fact than to any defect in the machinery of organization4 ,this being the case we are thrown back upon consideration of the membership of our institution4 ,how should it be selected and how constituted8 ,the constitution of the association says that ,any person or institution engaged in library work may become a member by paying the annual dues1 and others after election by the executive board4 ,we have thus two classes of members1 those by their own choice and those by election4 ,the annual lists of members do not record the distinction1 but among those in the latest list we find #bd booksellers1 #ag publishers1 #e editors1 #i school and college officials1 #h government employees not in libraries1 and #bd wives and relatives of other members1 while in the case of #acb persons no qualification is stated in the list4 ,we have or have had as our associates1 settlement workers1 lawyers1 lecturers1 indexers1 binders1 and so on almost indefinitely4 ,our membership is thus freely open to librarians1 interpreting this word very broadly1 and to any others that we may desire to have with us1 which means1 practically1 any who have sufficient interest in library work to come to the meetings4 ,we must1 therefore1 be classed with what may be called the open as opposed to the closed professional or technical associations4 ,the difference may be emphasized by a reference to two well-known ,new ,york clubs1 the ,players and the ,authors4 ,these organizations would appear by their names to be composed respectively of actors and writers4 ,the former1 however1 admits also to membership persons interested in the drama1 which may mean little or much1 while the ,authors ,club1 despite repeated efforts to broaden it out in the same way1 has insisted on admitting none but bona fide authors4 ,in advocacy of the first plan it may be said that by adopting it the ,players has secured larger membership1 embracing many men of means4 ,its financial standing is better and it is enabled to own a fine club house4 ,on the other hand1 the ,authors has a small membership1 and owns practically no property1 but makes up in esprit de corps what it lacks in these other respects4 ,it is another phase of the question of specialization that we have already considered4 ,the larger and broader body has certain advantages1 the smaller and more compact1 certain others4 ,we have1 doubtless been right in deciding1 or rather in accepting what circumstances seem to have decided for us1 that our own association shall be of the larger and less closely knit type1 following the analogy of the ,national ,educational ,association and the various associations for the advancement of science1 ,american1 ,british and ,french1 rather than that of the ,society of ,civil ,engineers1 for instance1 or the various learned academies4 ,our body has thus greater general but less special influence1 just as on a question of general scientific policy a petition from the ,american association might carry greater weight1 whereas on a question of engineering it would be incomparably inferior to an opinion of the civil engineers4 ,there is in this country1 it is true1 a general scientific body of limited membership--the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 which speaks both on general and special questions with expert authority4 ,in the formation of the ,american ,library ,institute it was sought to create some such special body of librarians1 but it is too soon to say whether or not that expectation is to be fulfilled4 ,the fact remains that in the ,american ,library ,association we are committed to very nearly the broadest plan of organization and work that is possible4 ,we are united only by our connection with library work or our interest in its success1 and are thus limited in our discussions and actions as a body to the most general problems that may arise in this connection1 leaving the special work to our sections and affiliated societies1 which are themselves somewhat hampered by our size in the treatment of the particular subjects that come before them1 inasmuch as they are not separate groups whose freedom of action no one can call in question4 ,in illustration of the limitations of a general body of the size and scope of our ,association1 ,i may perhaps be allowed to adduce the recent disagreement among librarians regarding the copyright question1 or rather regarding the proper course to be followed in connection with the conference on that question called by the ,librarian of ,congress4 ,it will be remembered that this conference was semi-official and was due to the desire of members of ,congress to frame a bill that should be satisfactory to the large number of conflicting interests involved4 ,to this conference our ,association was invited to send1 and did send1 delegates4 ,it is obvious that if these and all the other delegates to the conference had simply held out for the provisions most favorable to themselves no agreement would have been possible and the objects of the conference would have been defeated4 ,recognizing this1 all the bodies and interests represented worked from the beginning to secure an agreement1 striving only that it should be such as would represent a minimum of concession on all sides4 ,this view was shared by the delegates of this ,association4 ,the law as it stood was1 it is true1 most favorable to libraries in its provisions regarding importation1 and the retention of these provisions might have been facilitated by withdrawal from the conference and subsequent opposition to whatever new bill might have been framed4 ,but the delegates assumed that they were appointed to confer1 not to withdraw1 and that if the ,association had desired to hold aloof from the conference that result would have been best attained by appointing no delegates at all4 ,the ,association's delegates accordingly joined with their fellows in the spirit of compromise to agree on such a bill as might be least unacceptable to all1 and the result was a measure slightly1 but only slightly1 less favorable to libraries than the existing law4 ,with the presentation of this bill to the proper committees of ,congress1 and a formal statement that they approved it on behalf of the ,association1 the duties of the delegates ended4 ,and here begins to appear the applicability of this chapter from library history to what has preceded4 ,the action of the delegates was officially that of the ,association4 ,but it was disapproved by very many members of the ,association on the ground that it seemed likely to result in lessening the importation privilege of libraries4 ,whether these dissidents were in a majority or not it seemed impossible to say4 ,the ,association's legislative body1 the ,council1 twice refused to disapprove or instruct the delegates1 thus tacitly approving their action1 but the dissidents asserted that the ,council1 in this respect1 did not rightly reflect the opinion of the ,association4 ,the whole situation was an instructive illustration of the difficulty of getting a large body of general scope to act on a definite1 circumscribed question1 or even of ascertaining its opinion or its wishes regarding such action4 ,recognizing this1 the dissidents properly and wisely formed a separate association with a single end in view--the retention of present library importation privileges1 and especially the defeat of the part of the bill affecting such privileges as drafted in the conference4 ,the efforts of this body have been crowned with success in that the bill as reported by the committee contains a modified provision acceptable to the dissidents4 ,thus a relatively small body formed for a definite purpose has quickly accomplished that purpose1 while the objects of the larger body have been expressed but vaguely1 and so far as they have been definitely formulated have failed of accomplishment4 ,there is a lesson in this both for our own association and for others4 ,it must not be assumed1 however1 that limitation of action along the lines ,i have indicated means weakness of organization4 ,on the contrary1 foreign observers have generally testified to the exceptional strength and efficiency of societies and groups of all kinds in this country4 ,it may be interesting to quote here what a recent ,french writer on the ,united ,states has to say of the part played by associations of all kinds in our national life4 ,and1 in passing1 he who is proud of his country nowadays should read what is said of her by ,french and ,german1 and even ,english writers4 ,the muck-raking is all on this side of the water4 ,the writer from whom ,i quote1 ,m4 ,paul de ,rousiers1 author of ,la ,vie ,amricaine1 does not commend without discrimination1 which makes what he has to say of more value4 ,he notes at the outset that the spirit of free association is widely extended in the ,united ,states1 and it produces results of surprising efficiency4 ,there are two motives for association1 he thinks1 the consciousness of weakness1 which is generally operative abroad1 and the consciousness of strength1 which is our motive here4 ,he says3 ,the need of association comes generally from the conscience of one's own feebleness or indolence4444 ,when such people join they add together their incapacities2 hence the failure of many societies formed with great eclat4 ,on the contrary1 when men accustomed to help themselves without depending on their neighbors form an association1 it is because they really find themselves facing a common difficulty 444 such persons add their capacities2 they form a powerful union of capables1 the only one that has force4 ,hence the general success of ,american associations4 ,the radical difference in the motives for association here and in the old world was noted long ago by ,de ,tocqueville1 who says3 ,european societies are naturally led to introduce into their midst military customs and formulas4444 ,the members of such associations respond to a word of command like soldiers in a campaign2 they profess the dogma of passive obedience1 or rather1 by uniting1 they sacrifice entirely1 at a single stroke1 their judgment and free will4444 ,in ,american associations1 on the other hand1 individual independence finds its part2 as in society every man moves at the same time toward the same goal1 but all are not forced to go by the same road4 ,no one sacrifices his will or his reason1 but applies them both toward the success of the common enterprise4 ,commenting on this1 ,de ,rousiers goes on3 ,this is not to say that the discipline necessary to the pursuit of the common end is less exact than with us4 ,as far as ,i can judge1 the members of an ,american association1 on the contrary1 take their obligations more seriously than we1 and precisely because they have undertaken them very freely1 without being forced into them by environment or fashion1 and also because the heads of the association have not sought to make it serve their own interests4 ,in fine1 their discipline is strong1 but it is applied only to one precise object2 it may thus subsist intact and without tyranny1 despite the most serious divergences of view among the members regarding objects foreign to its aim4 ,these happy conditions--this large and concrete mind1 joined to the effective activity of the ,americans1 have given rise to a multitude of groups that are rendering the greatest service4 ,de ,rousiers enlarges on this point at great length and gives many illustrations4 ,he returns to it even when he appears to have gone on to other subjects4 ,in an account of a visit to a militia encampment in ,massachusetts1 where he was inclined at the outset to scoff at the lack of formal military training1 but finally became enthusiastic over the individual efficiency and interest of the militiamen1 he ends by saying3 ,what ,i have seen here resembles what ,i have seen everywhere throughout the ,united ,states2 each organism1 each individual1 preserves all its freedom1 as far as it can2 hence the limited and special character of the public authorities1 to whom little is left to do4 ,this doubtless detracts from the massed effects that we are in the habit of producing2 we are apt to think that this kind of liberty is only disorder2 but individual efforts are more energetic and when they converge toward a single end1 by spontaneous choice of each will1 their power is incalculable4 ,this it is that makes the strength of ,america4 ,an interesting and satisfactory summary4 ,there is1 however1 another way of looking at it4 ,a well-known scientific man recently expressed to me his conviction that an ,american association of any kind is destined to failure1 whether it be of scientific men1 commercial travellers or plumbers4 ,by ,american here he meant continental in extent4 ,there may thus be1 according to this view1 a successful ,maine hotel-keeper's association1 a ,new ,york bar association1 or a ,pennsylvania academy of fine arts1 but no such body truly representative of the whole ,united ,states4 ,many such organizations are ,american or ,national in name only2 for instance1 the ,american ,academy of ,sciences1 which is a ,boston institution1 or the ,national ,academy of ,fine ,arts1 which belongs to ,new ,york ,city4 ,many bodies have attempted to obviate this trouble by the creation of local sections in different parts of the country1 and the newly-formed ,society of ,illuminating ,engineers has1 ,i understand1 in mind the organization of perfectly co-ordinate bodies in various parts of the country1 without any attempt to create a central body having headquarters at a definite place4 ,this is somewhat as if the ,american ,library ,association should consist of the federated state associations1 perhaps with a council consisting of a single representative from each4 ,it would seem to be a workable and rather attractive plan4 ,we may remind ourselves again that the ,united ,states itself is the classic example of an ,american association1 and that it has been fairly successful by adopting this very system4 ,our recognition of the necessity of local divisions in our own association and of close affiliation with the various state bodies is shown by the recent resolution of the council providing for sectional meetings and by the presence at this and several other state meetings in the present month of an official representative of the ,american ,library ,association4 ,that these1 or similar means of making our national body continental in something more than name are necessary we may freely admit4 ,possibly it may take some years of experimentation1 ending perhaps in appropriate constitutional revision1 to hit upon the best arrangement4 ,too much centralization is bad2 but there must be some centralization4 ,we must have our capital and our legislative and administrative machinery1 as the ,united ,states has at ,washington4 ,for legislative purposes our ,washington is a shifting one4 ,it is wherever the ,association may hold its annual meeting and wherever the ,council may convene in the interim4 ,for such administrative and executive purposes as require a fixed location1 our ,washington is for the present in ,boston4 ,next year it may be elsewhere2 but whether it shall remain there or move to some other place would seem to be a matter of small importance4 ,wherever it may be1 it will be inaccessible to a large majority of ,american librarians4 ,if immediate accessibility is a requisite1 therefore1 some of its functions may and should be divided4 ,it may not be too much to look forward to a sectional headquarters in every state in the ,union1 related perhaps to the general headquarters somewhat as branch libraries to a central library1 or1 perhaps1 carried on under the auspices of the state associations4 ,at any rate1 it is encouraging to reflect that we are not insensible to the obstacles in the way of making our own1 or any other association truly ,american in scope1 and are experimenting toward obviating them4 ,all these considerations appear to me to lead to one conclusion--the duty of every librarian to become and remain a member of the ,american ,library ,association4 ,i do not desire to dwell on the direct advantages that membership offers--these are not few1 and they are sufficiently obvious4 ,possibly most of those who are likely to be affected by them are already members of the ,association4 ,i would recommend for consideration higher grounds than these4 ,instead of asking the question1 ,what is there in it for me8 ,i should inquire1 ,what is there in it for other people8 ,how will it benefit the general status of library work1 the general standing of librarians in the community1 the influence of libraries on those who use or ought to use them--these and a hundred other elements of progress that are closely bound up with the success of library effort1 but that may not add to the welfare of any one individual4 ,there seems to be no doubt that the answers to these questions all point toward increased membership4 ,as we have chosen to work along the broader lines and by the energy of mass rather than that of velocity--with the sledge-hammer rather than the rifle bullet--it is surely our duty to make that mass as efficient and as impressive as possible1 which means that it must be swelled to the largest possible proportions4 ,large membership may be efficient in two ways1 by united weight and by pervasiveness4 ,an army is powerful in the first way4 ,ten thousand men concentrated in one spot may strike a sledge-hammer blow and carry all before them4 ,yet the same ten thousand men may police a great city without even seeing one another4 ,scattered about on different beats they are everywhere4 ,every block or two one meets a patrol and the sense of security that they give is overwhelming4 ,it is in this way1 it seems to me1 that large membership in the ,american ,library ,association may be effective4 ,we meet together but once a year1 and even then we do not bring out our full force4 ,we have no intention of marching on ,washington en masse to secure legislation or even of forcing our trustees to raise salaries by a general library strike4 ,but if we can make it an unusual thing for a librarian not to be a member of the ,american ,library ,association2 if wherever one goes he meets our members and recognizes what they stand for1 then1 it seems to me1 public opinion of librarians and librarianship is sure to rise4 ,our two savages1 who band together for a few moments to lift a log1 become by that act of association marked men among their fellows2 the mere fact that they have intelligence enough to work together for any purpose raises them above the general level4 ,it is not alone that increasing numbers1 strength1 and influence make for the glory of the ,association itself2 the most successful bodies of this kind are those that exalt1 not themselves but the professions1 localities or ideals that they represent4 ,it is because increasing our numbers and scattering our membership throughout the land will increase the influence of the library and strengthen the hands of those who work in it that ,i believe such increase a worthy object of our effort4 ,associations and societies come and go1 form and disband2 they are no more immortal than the men and women that compose them4 ,yet an association1 like a man1 should seek to do the work that lies before it with all its strength1 and to keep that strength at its maximum of efficiency4 ,so doing1 it may rest content that1 be its accomplishment large or small1 its place in the history of human endeavor is worthy and secure4 ,,modern ,,educational ,,methods ,those who complain that the average of general education has been lowered are both right and wrong--right literally and wrong in the general impression that they give4 ,it is undoubtedly true that among young persons with whom an educated adult comes intellectually in contact the average of culture is lower than it was twenty years ago4 ,this is not1 however1 because the class of persons who were well educated then are to-day less well trained1 but rather because the class has been recruited from the ignorant classes1 by the addition of persons who were not educated at all then1 or educated very slightly1 and who are now receiving a higher1 though still inadequate degree of training4 ,in other words the average of education among all persons in the community is higher1 but the average among educated persons is lower1 because the educated class has been enlarged by the addition of large numbers of slightly educated persons4 ,this phenomenon is common to all stages of progress in all sorts of things4 ,it is true1 for instance1 in the general advance of the world in civilization4 ,the average degree of appreciation of art among persons who know anything of art at all is less1 for instance1 than in the days of ancient ,greece1 because the class of art-lovers throughout the world is vastly larger and includes a very large number of persons whose appreciation of art is slight and crude4 ,there is1 nevertheless1 a greater total amount of love for art1 and a higher average of art education1 taking into account the world's entire population1 than there was then4 ,let us state the case mathematically3 ,if1 of one thousand persons1 ten have a hundred dollars each and the rest nothing1 a gift of five dollars each to five hundred others will raise the average amount owned by each of the thousand1 but will greatly lower the average amount held by the property owners in the group1 who will now number #eaj1 instead of ten4 ,how do you demonstrate all this8 will probably be asked4 ,i do not know of any statistical data that will enable it to be proved directly1 but it is certain that education is becoming more general1 which must increase the number of partly educated persons having an imperfect educational background--a lack of ancestral training and home influence4 ,thus1 among the persons with whom the educated adult comes in contact1 he necessarily meets a larger number of individuals than formerly who betray lack of education in speech1 writing or taste2 and he wrongly concludes that the schools are not doing their work properly4 ,if the schools were not doing their work properly1 we should have direct statistical evidence of it1 and all the direct evidence ,i have seen goes to show that the schools are accomplishing more to-day and accomplishing it by better methods1 than ever before4 ,similarly1 ,i believe that the totality of teaching ability in the profession has increased4 ,the conspicuous failures are persons who are unfit to be teachers and who have been drafted into service because of our sudden increase in educational plant4 ,the result in some cases has been a curious aberration in disciplinary methods--a freakishness that is inseparable from any sudden advance such as we are making4 ,our schools can and will advance much further in personnel1 methods and results2 but they are by no means on the downward path now4 ,one way in which they may do better work is by greater appreciation of their selective as well as their training function4 ,suppose we have twenty bushels of raspberries and the same quantity of potatoes to be prepared for food4 ,our present educational methods are a good deal like those of a cook who should try to make the whole into either jam or ,saratoga chips1 or should divide the lot in some arbitrary way unrelated to their fitness for one or the other operation4 ,we are giving in our educational institutions many degrees and many kinds of training without proper selection of the persons to whom the training is to be applied4 ,selection must be and is made1 of course1 but it is made on arbitrary lines1 or for reasons unrelated to fitness4 ,one boy's education lasts ten years1 and another's two1 not because the former is fitted to profit by a longer period of training1 but because his father happens to have money and inclination to give it to him4 ,one young man studies medicine and another goes into business1 not because these are the careers for which they are specially fitted1 but because one thinks that the prefix ,doctor would look well in front of his name and the other has a maternal uncle in the dry-goods trade4 ,i am not so foolish as to think that selection of this kind could ever be made with unerring accuracy1 but ,i do assert that an effort should be made to effect it in a greater degree through our regular educational institutions and to leave it less to chance4 ,our present methods are like those of wild nature1 which scatters seeds broadcast in the hope that some may settle on favoring soil1 rather than those of the skilled cultivator1 who sees that seed and soil are fitted for each other4 ,in this and other particulars ,i look for great improvement in our educational methods2 but ,i do not think that1 except in local and unessential particulars1 here and there1 they are now retrograding4 ,,some ,,economic ,,features ,,of ,,libraries#d #d ,read at the opening of the ,chestnut ,hill ,branch1 ,philadelphia ,free ,library1 ,january #bb1 #aiji4 ,of the three great divisions of economics--production1 distribution and consumption--the library has to do chiefly with the second1 and it is as a distributor of literature that ,i desire to speak of it1 although it has its share both in the production and consumption of books--more briefly1 in the writing and reading of them4 ,much writing of books is done wholly in libraries and by their aid1 and much reading is done therein4 ,these functions ,i pass by with this brief notice4 ,a library distributes books4 ,so does a bookseller4 ,the functions of these two distributors1 however1 should differ somewhat as do those of the two producers of books--the author and the publisher4 ,the author creates the soul of the book and the publisher gives it a body4 ,the former produces the immaterial1 possibly the eternal1 part and the latter merely the material part4 ,likewise1 in our distribution we librarians should lay stress upon what is in the book1 upon the production of the author rather than on that of the publisher1 though we may not neglect the latter4 ,we are1 however1 eminently distributors of ideas rather than of mere merchandise1 and in so far as we lay stress on the material side of the book--important as this is--and neglect what is in it1 we are but traders in books and not librarians4 ,among many of the great distributors of ideas--the magazine1 the newspaper1 the school--it is becoming increasingly difficult to find any that do not feel what ,i may call an anti-civic tendency4 ,they have come to be supported largely by other agencies than the public1 and they are naturally controlled by those agencies4 ,as for the public1 it has become accustomed to paying less than cost for what it gets along these lines1 and is thus becoming intellectually pauperized4 ,it is no more possible to distribute ideas at a profit1 as a commercial venture1 nowadays1 than it would have been to run a circus1 with an admission fee1 in ,imperial ,rome4 ,thus a literary magazine is possible only because it is owned by some publisher who uses it as an advertising medium4 ,he can afford to sell it to the public for less than cost2 the public would leave a publication sold at a fair profit severely alone1 hence such a venture is impossible4 ,a scientific magazine in like manner must have some one to back it--a firm of patent-office brokers or a scientific society4 ,the daily papers depend almost wholly on their advertisements2 the public would not buy a simple compilation of the day's news at a fair profit4 ,even our great institutions of higher education give their students more than the latter pay for2 the student is getting part of his tuition for nothing4 ,a college that depends wholly on tuition fees for its support is soon left without students4 ,thus all these disseminators of ideas are not dependent on the persons to whom they distribute those ideas1 for whose interest it is that the ideas shall be good and true and selected with discrimination4 ,they depend rather for support on outside bodies of various kinds and so tend to be controlled by them--bodies whose interests do not necessarily coincide with those of the public4 ,this is not true of material things4 ,their distributors still strive to please the public1 for it is by the public that they are supported4 ,if the public wants raspberry jam1 raspberry jam it gets2 and if1 being aroused1 it demands that this shall be made out of raspberries instead of apples1 dock-seeds and aniline1 it ultimately has its way4 ,but if the department store were controlled by some outside agency1 benevolent or otherwise1 which partly supported it and enabled it to sell its wares below cost1 then if this controlling agency willed that we should eat dock-seeds and aniline--dock-seeds and aniline we should doubtless eat4 ,not that the controlling powers in all these instances are necessarily malevolent4 ,the publisher who owns a literary magazine may honestly desire that it shall be fearlessly impartial4 ,the learned body that runs a scientific periodical may be willing to admit to its pages a defense of a thesis that it has condemned in one of its meetings2 the page-advertiser in a great daily may be able to see his pet policy attacked in its editorial columns without yielding to the temptation to bring pressure to bear2 the creator of an endowed university may view with equanimity an attack by one of its professors on the methods by which he amassed his wealth4 ,all these things may be2 we know in fact that they have been and that they are4 ,but unfortunately we all know of cases where the effect of outside control has been quite the contrary4 ,the government of a benevolent despot1 we are told1 would be ideal2 but alas6 rules for making a despot benevolent and for ensuring that he and his successors shall remain so1 are not yet formulated4 ,we have fallen back on the plan of fighting off the despot--good though he may possibly be2 would that we could also abolish the non-civic control of the disseminators of ideas6 ,are there1 then1 no disseminators of ideas free from interference8 ,yes1 thank heaven1 there are at least two--the public school and the public library4 ,of these1 the value of academic freedom to the public school is slight1 because the training of the very young is of its nature subject little to the influences of which we have spoken4 ,there is little opportunity1 during a grammar school or high school course1 to influence the mind in favor of particular government policies and particular theories in science or literature or art4 ,this opportunity comes later4 ,and it is later that the public library does its best work4 ,supported by the public it has no impulse and no desire to please anyone else4 ,no suspicion of outside control hangs over it4 ,it receives gifts2 but they are gifts to the public1 held by the public1 not by outsiders4 ,it is tax-supported1 and the public pays cost price for what it gets--no more and no less4 ,the community has the power of abolishing the whole system in the twinkling of an eye4 ,the library's power in an ,american municipality lies in the affections of those who use and profit by it4 ,it holds its position by love4 ,no publisher may say to it3 ,buy my books1 not those of my rival2 no scientist may forbid it to give his opponent a hearing2 no religious body may dictate to it2 no commercial influence may throw a blight over it4 ,it is untrammeled4 ,how long is it to remain thus8 ,that is for its owners1 the public1 to say4 ,i confess that ,i feel uneasy when ,i realize how little the influence of the public library is understood by those who might try to wield that influence1 either for good or for evil4 ,occasionally an individual tries to use it sporadically--the poet who tries to secure undying fame by distributing free copies of his verses to the libraries1 the manufacturer who gives us an advertisement of his product in the guise of a book1 the enthusiast who runs over our shelf list to see whether the library is well stocked with works on his fad--socialism or ,swedenborgianism1 or the new thought4 ,but1 so far1 there has been no concerted1 systematic effort on the part of classes or bodies of men to capture the public library1 to dictate its policy1 to utilize its great opportunities for influencing the public mind4 ,when this ever comes1 as it may1 we must look out6 ,so far as my observation goes1 the situation--even the faintest glimmering of it--is far from dawning on most of these bodies4 ,most individuals1 when the policy of the library suits them not1 exhaust their efforts in an angry kick or an epistolary curse2 they never even think of trying to change that policy1 even by argument4 ,most of them would rather write a letter to a newspaper1 complaining of a book's absence1 than to ask the librarian to buy it4 ,organizations--civil1 religious1 scientific1 political1 artistic--have usually let us severely alone1 where their influence1 if they should come into touch with the library1 would surely be for good--would be exerted along the line of morality1 of more careful book selection1 of judicial mindedness instead of one-sidedness4 ,let us trust that influences along this line--if we are to have influences at all--may gain a foothold before the opposite forces--those of sordid commercialism1 of absurdities1 of falsities1 of all kinds of self-seeking--find out that we are worth their exploitation4 ,when it comes1 as ,i expect it will some day--this general realization of what only a few now understand--that the public library is worth trying to influence and to exploit1 our trouble will be that we shall be without any machinery at all to receive it1 to take care of it1 to direct the good into proper channels and to withstand the evil4 ,we are occasionally annoyed and disconcerted now by the infinitesimal amount of it that we see2 we wish people would mind their own business2 we detest meddlers2 we should be able to do more work if it were not for the bores--and so on4 ,but what--what in heaven's name shall we do with the deluge when it comes8 ,with what dam shall we withstand it2 through what sluices shall we lead it2 into what useful turbines shall we direct it8 ,these things are worth pondering4 ,for the present then1 this independence of the library as a distributor may be regarded as one of its chief economic advantages4 ,another is its power as a leveler1 and hence as an adjunct of democracy4 ,democracy is a result1 not a cause1 of equality4 ,it is natural in a community whose members resemble each other in ability1 modes of thought and mental development1 just as it is unthinkable where great natural differences1 racial or otherwise1 exist4 ,if we wish to preserve democracy1 therefore1 we must first maintain our community on something like a level4 ,and we must level it up1 not down2 for although a form of democracy may exist temporarily among individuals equally ignorant or degraded1 the advent of a single person more advanced in the scale of ability1 quickly transforms it into absolutism4 ,similar inequalities may result in an aristocratic rgime4 ,the reason why ,england1 with its ancient aristocracy1 on the whole1 is so democratic1 is that its commoners are constantly recruited by the younger sons of its nobility1 so that the whole body politic is continually stirred and kept more homogeneous than on the continent1 where all of a noble's sons and daughters are themselves noble4 ,this stirring or levelling process may be effected in many ways and along many lines1 but in no way better than by popular education1 as we have well understood in this country4 ,this is why our educational system is a bulwark of our form of government1 and this is why the public library--the only continuous feature of that system1 exercising its influence from earliest childhood to most advanced age--is worth to the community whatever it may cost in its most improved form4 ,there are enough influences at work to segregate classes in our country1 and they come to us ready-made from other countries2 we may be thankful that the public library is helping to make ,americans of our immigrants and to make uniformly cultivated and well-informed ,americans of us all4 ,another interesting light on the functions of the printed page1 and hence of the library1 is shown by the recent biological theory that connects the phenomena of heredity with those of habit and memory4 ,the inheritance of ancestral characteristics1 according to this view1 may be described as racial memory4 ,to illustrate1 we may take an interesting study of a family of ,danish athletes1 recently made and published in ,france4 ,the members of this family1 adults and children1 men and women1 have all been gymnasts for over three hundred years--no one of them would think of adopting any other means of gaining a livelihood4 ,it seems certain to the scientific men who have been conducting the investigation1 that not only the physical ability to become an acrobat1 but also the mental qualities that contribute so much to success in this occupation--pride in the acrobatic pre-eminence of the family1 courage1 love of applause1 and so on--have been handed down from one generation to another1 and that it has cost each generation less time and effort to acquire its skill than its predecessor4 ,in other words1 we are told1 members of this family are born with certain predispositions--latent ancestral memories1 we may say1 of the occupations of previous generations4 ,to make these effective1 it is necessary only to awaken them1 and this may be done simply by the sight of other persons performing gymnastic feats4 ,these they learn in weeks1 where others1 without such ancestral memories1 would require months or years4 ,evidently this may be applied much more widely than to mere physical skill4 ,few of us can boast of gymnastic ancestry1 but all of us have inherited predispositions and have ancestral memories that make it easier for us to learn certain things and to choose certain courses than we should find it without them4 ,some of these are good2 some bad4 ,some are useful2 some injurious4 ,it is necessary only to awaken them to set going a train of consequences2 if not awakened1 they may remain permanently dormant4 ,how important1 therefore1 are the suggestions that may serve as such awakeners2 how necessary to bring forward the useful1 and to banish the injurious ones6 ,now of all possible agencies that may bring these predispositions into play--that may awaken our ancestral memories1 if you choose to adopt this theory--,i submit that the book stands at the very head4 ,for it is itself a racial record2 it may contain1 in the form best suited to awaken our predispositions1 the very material which1 long ages ago1 was instrumental in handing those predispositions down to us4 ,it is in tune with our latent memories1 and it may set them vibrating more vigorously than any merely contemporary agency4 ,does this not place in a new and interesting light the library and the books of which it is composed8 ,we have learned to respect them as the records of the race and to recognize their value as teachers and their power as energizers2 in addition we now see that they may act as fingers on invisible mental triggers4 ,a slight impulse--altogether trivial compared with its effect--and off goes the gun4 ,the discharge may carry a line to a wrecked ship1 or it may sink her with all on board4 ,we frequently hear it said of some book whose tendency is bad3 ,well1 it can't hurt me1 anyway2 ,i'm immune4 ,are you quite sure8 ,have you gone quite to the bottom of those ancestral memories of yours1 and are you certain that there are none that such a book may rouse1 to your harm8 ,on the other hand1 does this not explain much that has always interested the librarian2 for instance1 the vast popularity of fairy tales1 especially those that date back to our racial infancy8 ,i need dwell no further on the economic importance of the book as viewed from this standpoint4 ,but it has also a function almost diametrically opposed to that which we have just considered2 besides harking back to what is oldest it looks forward to what is newest4 ,it may stir us by awakening dim racial recollections2 but it may also thrill us by adding to the store of what is already in the mind4 ,in fact1 we like to assimilate new ideas1 to think new thoughts1 to do new acts2 we like to read or hear something that we could not have produced ourselves4 ,when we are young and ignorant1 therefore1 we like music or art or literature that appears trivial to us as we grow older and have developed our own creative powers4 ,a poem that is no better than one a man might dash off himself he likes no longer2 he prefers to be confronted with something that is above and beyond his own powers1 though not above his comprehension4 ,thus1 as he grows1 his zone of enjoyment shifts upward1 and the library covers the whole moving field4 ,when ,solomon ,john ,peterkin1 pen in hand1 sat down to write a book1 he discovered that he hadn't anything to say4 ,happy lad6 ,he had before him all literature as a field of enjoyment1 for all1 apparently1 was beyond his creative efforts4 ,do those of you who are musicians remember when you first apprehended the relations between the tonic and the dominant chords8 ,i have heard a small boy at a piano play these alternately for hours4 ,such a performance is torture to you and me2 it is the sweetest harmony to him1 because it is new and has just come into his sphere of creative power4 ,when he is thoroughly satisfied that he can produce the effect at will1 he abandons it for something newer and a little higher4 ,the boy who discovers1 without being told1 that the dominant chord1 followed by the tonic1 produces a certain musical effect1 is doing something that for him is on a par with ,wagner's searching the piano for those marvellous effects of his that are often beyond technical explanation4 ,the child who reads what you think is a trivial book1 re-reads it1 and reads others like it1 is doing this same thing in the domain of literature--he is following the natural course that will bring him out at the top after a while4 ,when we distribute books1 then1 we distribute ideas1 not only actual1 but potential4 ,a book has in it not only the ideas that lie on its surface1 but millions of others that are tied to these by invisible chords1 of which we have touched on but a few--the invisible ancestral memories of centuries ago1 the foretastes of future thoughts in our older selves and our posterity of centuries hence4 ,when we think of it1 it is hard to realize that a book has not a soul4 ,gerald ,stanley ,lee1 in his latest book1 a collection of essays on millionaires1 sneers at the efforts of the rich mill owners to improve their employees by means of libraries4 ,life in a modern mill1 he thinks1 is so mechanical as to dull all the higher faculties4 ,andrew ,carnegie1 he says 7and he apparently uses the name merely as that of a type71 has been taking men's souls away and giving them paper books4 ,now the mills may be soul-deadening--possibly they are1 though it is hard to benumb a soul--but ,i will venture to say that for every soul that ,mr4 ,carnegie1 or anyone else1 has taken away1 he has created1 awakened and stimulated a thousand by contact with that almost soul--that near-soul--that resides in books4 ,mr4 ,lee's books may be merely paper2 mine have paper and ink only for their outer garb2 their inner warp and woof is of the texture of spirit4 ,this is why ,i rejoice when a new library is opened4 ,i thank ,god for its generous donor4 ,i clasp hands with the far-reaching municipality that accepts and supports it4 ,i wish good luck to the librarians who are to care for it and give it dynamic force2 ,i congratulate the public whose privilege it is to use it and to profit by it4 ,,simon ,,newcomb3 ,,america',s ,,foremost ,,astronomer ,among those in all parts of the world whose good opinion is worth having1 ,simon ,newcomb was one of the best known of ,america's great men4 ,astronomer1 mathematician1 economist1 novelist1 he had well-nigh boxed the compass of human knowledge1 attaining eminence such as is given to few to reach1 at more than one of its points4 ,his fame was of the far-reaching kind1--penetrating to remote regions1 while that of some others has only created a noisy disturbance within a narrow radius4 ,best and most widely known as an astronomer1 his achievements in that science were not suited for sensational exploitation4 ,he discovered no apple-orchards on the moon1 neither did he dispute regarding the railways on the planet ,venus4 ,his aim was to make still more exact our knowledge of the motions of the bodies constituting what we call the solar system1 and his labors toward this end1 begun more than thirty years ago1 he continued almost until the day of his death4 ,conscious that his span of life was measured by months and in the grip of what he knew to be a fatal disease1 he yet exerted himself with all his remaining energy to complete his monumental work on the motion of the moon1 and succeeded in bringing it to an end before the final summons came4 ,his last days thus had in them a cast of the heroic1 not less than if1 as the commander of a torpedoed battleship1 he had gone down with her1 or than if he had fallen charging at the head of a forlorn hope4 ,it is pleasant to think that such a man was laid to rest with military honors4 ,the accident that he was a retired professor in the ,united ,states ,navy may have been the immediate cause of this1 but its appropriateness lies deeper4 ,newcomb saw the light not under the ,stars and ,stripes1 but in ,nova ,scotia1 where he was born1 at the town of ,wallace on ,march #ab1 #ahce4 ,his father1 a teacher1 was of ,american descent1 his ancestors having settled in ,canada in #agfa4 ,after studying with his father and teaching for some little time in his native province he came to the ,united ,states while yet a boy of eighteen1 and while teaching in ,maryland in #ahed-'ef was so fortunate as to attract1 by his mathematical ability1 the attention of two eminent ,american scientific men1 ,joseph ,henry and ,julius ,hilgard1 who secured him an appointment as computer on the ,nautical ,almanac4 ,the date of this was #aheg1 and ,newcomb had thus1 at his death1 been in ,government employ for fifty-two years4 ,as the work of the almanac was then carried on in ,cambridge1 ,mass41 he was enabled to enter the ,lawrence ,scientific ,school of ,harvard ,university1 where he graduated in #aheh and where he pursued graduate studies for three years longer4 ,on their completion in #ahfa he was appointed a professor of mathematics in the ,united ,states ,navy1 which office he held till his death4 ,this appointment1 made when he was twenty-six years old1--scarcely more than a boy1--is a striking testimony to his remarkable ability as a mathematician1 for of practical astronomy he still knew little4 ,one of his first duties at ,washington was to supervise the construction of the great #bf-;inch equatorial just authorized by ,congress and to plan for mounting and housing it4 ,in #ahgg he became senior professor of mathematics in the navy1 and from that time until his retirement as a ,rear ,admiral in #ahig he had charge of the ,nautical ,almanac office1 with its large corps of naval and civilian assistants1 in ,washington and elsewhere4 ,in #ahhd he also assumed the chair of mathematics and astronomy in ,johns ,hopkins ,university1 ,baltimore1 and he had much to to do1 in an advisory capacity1 with the equipment of the ,lick ,observatory and with testing and mounting its great telescope1 at that time the largest in the world4 ,to enumerate his degrees1 scientific honors1 and medals would tire the reader4 ,among them were the degree of ,,ll4,d4 from all the foremost universities1 the gold medal of the ,royal ,astronomical ,society of ,london in #ahgd1 the great gold ,huygens medal of the ,university of ,leyden1 awarded only once in twenty years1 in #ahgh1 and the ,schubert gold medal of the ,imperial ,academy of ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,the collection of portraits of famous astronomers at the ,observatory of ,pulkowa contains his picture1 painted by order of the ,russian ,government in #ahhg4 ,he was1 of course1 a member of many scientific societies1 at home and abroad1 and was elected in #ahfi to our own ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 becoming its vice-president in #ahhc4 ,in #ahic he was chosen one of the eight foreign associates of the ,institute of ,france1--the first native ,american since ,benjamin ,franklin to be so chosen4 ,newcomb's most famous work as an astronomer1--that which gained him world-wide fame among his brother astronomers1--was1 as has been said1 too mathematical and technical to appeal to the general public among his countrymen1 who have had to take his greatness1 in this regard1 on trust4 ,they have known him at first hand chiefly as author or editor of popular works such as his ,popular ,astronomy 7#ahgg72 of his text-books on astronomy1 algebra1 geometry1 trigonometry1 and calculus2 of his books on political economy1 which science he was accustomed to call his recreation2 and of magazine articles on all sorts of subjects not omitting psychical research1 which was one of the numerous by-paths into which he strayed4 ,he held at one time the presidency of the ,american ,society for ,psychical ,research4 ,the technical nature of his work in mathematical astronomy1--his profession1 as he called it1 in distinction to his recreations and minor scientific amusements1--may be seen from the titles of one or two of his papers3 ,on the ,secular ,variations and ,mutual ,relations of the ,orbits of the ,asteroids 7#ahfj72 ,investigation of the ,orbit of ,neptune1 with ,general ,tables of ,its ,motion 7#ahfg72 ,researches on the ,motion of the ,moon 7#ahgf72 and so on4 ,of this work ,professor ,newcomb himself says1 in his ,reminiscences of an ,astronomer 7,boston1 #aijc71 that it all tended toward one result1--the solution of what he calls the great problem of exact astronomy1 the theoretical explanation of the observed motions of the heavenly bodies4 ,if the universe consisted of but two bodies1--say1 the sun and a planet1--the motion would be simplicity itself2 the planet would describe an exact ellipse about the sun1 and this orbit would never change in form1 size1 or position4 ,with the addition of only one more body1 the problem at once becomes so much more difficult as to be practically insoluble2 indeed1 the problem of the three bodies has been attacked by astronomers for years without the discovery of any general formula to express the resulting motions4 ,for the actually existing system of many planets with their satellites and countless asteroids1 only an approximation is possible4 ,the actual motions as observed and measured from year to year are most complex4 ,can these be completely accounted for by the mutual attractions of the bodies1 according to the law of gravitation as enunciated by ,sir ,isaac ,newton8 ,in ,newcomb's words1 ,does any world move otherwise than as it is attracted by other worlds8 ,of course1 ,newcomb has not been the only astronomer at work on this problem1 but it has been his life-work and his contributions to its solution have been very noteworthy4 ,it is difficult to make the ordinary reader understand the obstacles in the way of such a determination as this4 ,its two elements are1 of course1 the mapping out of the lines in which the bodies concerned actually do move and the calculations of the orbits in which they ought to move1 if the accepted laws of planetary motion are true4 ,the first involves the study of thousands of observations made during long years by different men in far distant lands1 the discussion of their probable errors1 and their reduction to a common standard4 ,the latter requires the use of the most refined methods of mathematical analysis2 it is1 as ,newcomb says1 of a complexity beyond the powers of ordinary conception4 ,in works on celestial mechanics a single formula may fill a whole chapter4 ,this problem first attracted ,newcomb's attention when a young man at ,cambridge1 when by analysis of the motions of the asteroids he showed that the orbits of these minor planets had not1 for several hundred thousand years past1 intersected at a single point1 and that they could not1 therefore1 have resulted1 during that period1 from the explosion of a single large body1 as had been supposed4 ,later1 when ,newcomb's investigations along this line had extended to the major planets and their satellites1 a curious anomaly in the moon's motion made it necessary for him to look for possible observations made long before those hitherto recorded4 ,the accepted tables were based on observations extending back as far as #agej1 but ,newcomb1 by searching the archives of ,european observatories1 succeeded in discovering data taken as early as #affj1 not1 of course1 with such an investigation as this in view1 but chiefly out of pure scientific curiosity4 ,the reduction of such observations1 especially as the old ,french astronomers used apparent time1 which was frequently in error by quarter of an hour or so1 was a matter of great difficulty4 ,the ancient observer1 having no idea of the use that was to be made of his work1 had supplied no facilities for interpreting it1 and much comparison and examination was necessary to find out what sort of an instrument was used1 how the observations were made1 and how they should be utilized for the required purpose4 ,the result was a vastly more accurate lunar theory than had formerly been obtained4 ,during the period when ,newcomb was working among the old papers of the ,paris ,observatory1 the city1 then in possession of the ,communists1 was beset by the national forces1 and his studies were made within hearing of the heavy siege guns1 whose flash he could even see by glancing through his window4 ,newcomb's appointment as head of the ,nautical ,almanac office greatly facilitated his work on the various phases of this problem of planetary motions4 ,their solution was here a legitimate part of the routine work of the office1 and he had the aid of able assistants1--such men as ,g4,w4 ,hill1 who worked out a large part of the theory of ,jupiter and ,saturn1 and ,cleveland ,keith1 who died in #ahif1 just as the final results of his work were being combined4 ,in connection with this work ,professor ,newcomb strongly advocated the unification of the world's time by the adoption of an international meridian1 and also international agreement upon a uniform system of data for all computations relating to the fixed stars4 ,the former still hangs fire1 owing to mistaken patriotism2 the latter was adopted at an international conference held in ,paris in #ahif1 but after it had been carried into effect in our own ,nautical ,almanac1 professional jealousies brought about a modification of the plan that relegated the improved and modernized data to an appendix4 ,professor ,newcomb's retirement from active service made the continuance of his great work on an adequate scale somewhat problematical1 and his data on the moon's motion were laid aside for a time until a grant from the newly organized ,carnegie ,institution in #aijc enabled him to employ the necessary assistance1 and the work has since gone forward to completion4 ,what is the value of such work1 and why should fame be the reward of him who pursues it successfully8 ,professor ,newcomb himself raises this question in his ,reminiscences1 and without attempting to answer it directly he notes that every civilized nation supports an observatory at great annual expense to carry on such research1 besides which many others are supported by private or corporate contributions4 ,evidently the consensus of public opinion must be that the results are worth at least a part of what they cost4 ,the question is included in the broader one of the value of all research in pure science4 ,speaking generally1 the object of this is solely to add to the sum of human knowledge1 although not seldom some application to man's physical needs springs unexpectedly from the resulting discoveries1 as in the case of the dynamo or that of wireless telegraphy4 ,possibly a more accurate description of the moon's motion is unlikely to bring forth any such application1 but those who applaud the achievements of our experts in mathematical astronomy would be quick to deny that their fame rests on any such possibility4 ,passing now to ,professor ,newcomb's recreation1 as he called1 it1--political economy1 we may note that his contributions to it were really voluminous1 consisting of papers1 popular articles and several books1 including ,the ,a ,b ,c of ,finance 7#ahgg7 and ,principles of ,political ,economy 7#ahhf74 ,authorities in the science never really took these as seriously as they deserved1 possibly because they regarded ,professor ,newcomb as scarcely orthodox4 ,some of his distinctions1 however1 are of undoubted value and will live2 for instance1 that between the fund and the flux of wealth1 on which he insists in his treatises on finance4 ,as to ,professor ,newcomb's single excursion into fiction1 a romance entitled ,his ,wisdom the ,defender1 it is perhaps sufficient to say that1 like everything he attempted1 it is at least worth notice4 ,it is a sort of cross between ,jules ,verne and ,bulwer ,lytton's ,coming ,race4 ,professor ,newcomb's mind was comprehensive in its activity4 ,one might have thought that an intellect occupied to the last in carrying out one of the most stupendous tasks ever attempted by a mathematical astronomer would have had little time or little energy left for other things2 but ,newcomb took his rest and pleasure in popular articles and interviews4 ,only a short time before his death he published an essay on aeronautics that attracted wide attention1 drawing the conclusions that the aeroplane can never be of much use either as a passenger-carrier or in war1 but that the dirigible balloon may accomplish something within certain lines1 although it will never put the railways and steamships out of business4 ,in particular1 he treated with unsparing ridicule the panic fear of an aerial invasion that so lately seized upon our transatlantic cousins4 ,personally1 ,newcomb was an agreeable companion and a faithful friend4 ,his success was due largely to his tenacity of purpose4 ,the writer's only personal contact with him came through the ,standard ,dictionary1--of whose definitions in physical science ,newcomb had general oversight4 ,on one occasion he came into the office greatly dissatisfied with the definition that we had framed for the word magnet4--a conception almost impossible to define in any logical way4 ,we had simply enumerated the properties of the thing1--a course which in the absence of authoritative knowledge of their causes was the only rational procedure4 ,but ,newcomb's mind demanded a logical treatment1 and though he must have seen from the outset that this was a forlorn hope1 his tenacity of purpose kept him1 pencil in hand1 writing and erasing alternately for an hour or more4 ,finally he confessed that he could do no better than the following pair of definitions1--,magnet1 a body capable of exerting magnetic force1 and ,magnetic ,force1 the force exerted by a magnet4 ,with a hearty laugh at this beautiful circulus in definiendo he threw down his pencil1 and the imperfect and illogical office definition was accepted4 ,logical as he was1 however1 he was in no sense bound by convention4 ,his economics1 as has been said1 was often unorthodox1 and even in his mathematical text-books he occasionally shocked the hide-bound4 ,i well remember an interesting discussion among members of the ,yale mathematical faculty just after the appearance of ,newcomb's text-book of geometry1 in which he was unsparingly condemned by some because he assumed in certain elementary demonstrations that geometrical figures could be removed from the paper1 turned over and laid down again1--the so-called method of superposition1 now generally regarded as quite allowable4 ,of course1 a figure can be treated in this way only in imagination and for this season1 probably1 the method was not employed by ,euclid4 ,its use1 however1 leads always to true results1 as anyone may see2 and it was quite characteristic of ,professor ,newcomb that he should have taken it up1 not having the fear of the ,greek geometers before him4 ,such was ,newcomb2 it will be long before ,american science sees his equal4 ,mathematical genius is like an automobile1--it is looked upon in two opposing fashions as one has it or has it not4 ,a noted educator not long ago announced his belief that the possession of a taste for mathematics is an exact index of the general intellectual powers4 ,not much later1 another eminent teacher asserted that mathematical ability is an exotic1--that one may1 and often does1 possess it who is in other respects practically an imbecile4 ,this is scarcely a subject in which a single illustration decides1 but surely ,newcomb's career justifies the former opinion rather than the latter2 the amount and kind of his mental abilities along all lines seemed to run parallel to his mathematical genius1 to resemble it in quantity and in kind4 ,the great volumes of astronomical tables without which no astronomer may now venture upon a computation are his best monument2 yet the general reader will longer remember1 perhaps1 the lucid expositor1 the genial essayist1 the writer of one of the most readable autobiographies of our day4 ,,the ,,companionship ,,of ,,books#e #e ,read before the ,pacific ,northwest ,library ,association1 ,june1 #aiaj4 ,are books fitted to be our companions8 ,that depends4 ,you and ,i read them with pleasure2 others do not care for them2 to some the reading of any book at all is as impossible as the perusal of a volume in ,old ,slavonic would be to most of us4 ,these people simply do not read at all4 ,to a suggestion that he supplement his usual vacation sports by reading a novel1 a ,new ,york police captain--a man with a common school education--replied1 ,well1 ,i've never read a book yet1 and ,i don't think ,i'll begin now4 ,here was a man who had never read a book1 who had no use for books1 and who could get along perfectly well without them4 ,he is not a unique type4 ,hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens might as well be quite illiterate1 so far as the use that they make of their ability to read is concerned4 ,these persons are not all uneducated2 they possess and are still acquiring much knowledge1 but since leaving school they have acquired it chiefly by personal experience and by word of mouth4 ,is it possible that they are right8 ,may it be that to read books is unnecessary and superfluous8 ,there has been some effort of late to depreciate the book--to insist on its inadequacy and on the impracticality of the knowledge that it conveys4 ,book-learning has always been derided more or less by so-called practical men4 ,a recent series of comic pictures in the newspapers makes this clear4 ,it is about ,book-taught ,bilkins4 ,bilkins tries to do everything by a book4 ,he raises vegetables1 builds furniture1 runs a chicken farm1 all by the directions contained in books1 and meets with ignominious failure4 ,he makes himself1 in fact1 very ridiculous in every instance and thousands of readers laugh at him and his absurd books4 ,they inwardly resolve1 doubtless1 that they will be practical and will pay no attention to books4 ,are they right8 ,is the information contained in books always useless and absurd1 while that obtained by experience or by talking to one's neighbor is always correct and valuable8 ,many of our foremost educators are displeased with the book4 ,they are throwing it aside for the lecture1 for laboratory work1 for personal research and experiment4 ,does this mean that the book1 as a tool of the teacher1 will have to go8 ,what it all certainly does mean is that we ought to pause a minute and think about the book1 about what it does and what it can not do4 ,this means that we ought to consider a little the whole subject of written as distinguished from spoken language4 ,why should we have two languages--as we practically do--one to be interpreted by the ear and the other by the eye8 ,could we or should we abandon either8 ,what are the advantages and what the limitations of each8 ,we are so accustomed to looking upon the printed page1 to reading newspapers1 books1 and advertisements1 to sending and receiving letters1 written or typewritten1 that we are apt to forget that all this is not part of the natural order1 except in the sense that all inventions and creations of the human brain are natural4 ,written language is a conscious invention of man2 spoken language is a development1 shaped by his needs and controlled by his sense of what is fitting1 but not at the outset consciously devised4 ,we are apt to think of written language as simply a means of representing spoken language to the eye2 but it is more than this2 originally1 at least in many cases1 it was not this at all4 ,the written signs represented not sounds1 but ideas themselves2 if they were intended to correspond directly with anything1 it was with the rude gestures that signified ideas and had nothing to do with their vocal expression4 ,it was not until later that these written symbols came to correspond to vocal sounds and even to-day they do so imperfectly2 languages that are largely phonetic are the exception4 ,the result is1 as ,i have said1 that we have two languages--a spoken and a written4 ,what we call reading aloud is translation from the written to the spoken tongue2 while writing from dictation is translation from the spoken to the written4 ,when we read1 as we say1 to ourselves1 we sometimes1 if we are not skilful1 pronounce the spoken words under our breath1 or at least form them with our vocal organs4 ,you all remember the story of how the ,irishman who could not read made his friend stop up his ears while reading a letter aloud1 so that he might not hear it4 ,this anecdote1 like all good comic stories1 has something in it to think about4 ,the skilful reader does not even imagine the spoken words as he goes4 ,he forgets1 for the moment1 the spoken tongue and translates the written words and phrases directly into the ideas for which they stand4 ,a skilful reader thus takes in the meaning of a phrase1 a sentence1 even of a paragraph1 at a glance4 ,likewise the writer who sets his own thoughts down on paper need not voice them1 even in imagination2 he may also forget all about the spoken tongue and spread his ideas on the page at first hand4 ,this is not so common because one writes slower than he speaks1 whereas he reads very much faster4 ,the swift reader could not imagine that he was speaking the words1 even if he would2 the pace is too incredibly fast4 ,our written tongue1 then1 has come to be something of a language by itself4 ,in some countries it has grown so out of touch with the spoken tongue that the two have little to do with each other4 ,where only the learned know how to read and write1 the written language takes on a learned tinge2 the popular spoken tongue has nothing to keep it steady and changes rapidly and unsystematically4 ,where nearly all who speak the language also read and write it1 as in our own country1 the written tongue1 even in its highest literary forms1 is apt to be much more familiar and colloquial1 but at the same time the written and the spoken tongue keep closer together4 ,still1 they never accurately correspond4 ,when a man talks like a book1 or in other words1 uses such language that it could be printed word for word and appear in good literary form1 we recognize that he is not talking ordinary colloquial ,english--not using the normal spoken language4 ,on the other hand1 when the speech of a southern negro or a down-east ,yankee is set down in print1 as it so often is in the modern dialect story1 we recognize at once that although for the occasion this is written language1 it is not normal literary ,english4 ,it is most desirable that the two forms of speech shall closely correspond1 for then the written speech gets life from the spoken and the spoken has the written for its governor and controller2 but it is also desirable that each should retain more or less individuality1 and fortunately it is almost impossible that they should not do so4 ,we must not forget1 therefore1 that our written speech is not merely a way of setting down our spoken speech in print4 ,this is exactly what our friends the spelling reformers appear to have forgotten4 ,the name that they have given to what they propose to do1 indicates this clearly4 ,when a word as written and as spoken have drifted apart1 it is usually the spoken word that has changed4 ,reform1 therefore1 would be accomplished by restoring the old spoken form4 ,instead of this1 it is proposed to change the written form4 ,in other words1 the two languages are to be forced together by altering that one of them that is by its essence the most immutable4 ,where the written word has been corrupted as in spelling guild for gild1 the adoption of the simpler spelling is a reform2 otherwise1 not4 ,now is the possession of two languages1 a spoken and a written1 an advantage or not8 ,with regard to the spoken tongue1 the question answers itself4 ,if we were all deaf and dumb1 we could still live and carry on business1 but we should be badly handicapped4 ,on the other hand1 if we could neither read nor write1 we should simply be in the position of our remote forefathers or even of many in our own day and our own land4 ,what then is the reasons for a separate written language1 beyond the variety thereby secured1 by the use of two senses1 hearing and sight1 instead of only one8 ,evidently the chief reason is that written speech is eminently fitted for preservation4 ,without the transmittal of ideas from one generation to another1 intellectual progress is impossible4 ,such transmittal1 before the invention of writing1 was effected solely by memory4 ,the father spoke to the son1 and he1 remembering what was said1 told it1 in turn1 to the grandson4 ,this is tradition1 sometimes marvellously accurate1 but often untrustworthy4 ,and as it is without check1 there is no way of telling whether a given fact1 so transmitted1 is or is not handed down faithfully4 ,now we have the phonograph for preserving and accurately reproducing spoken language4 ,if this had been invented before the introduction of written language1 we might never have had the latter2 as it is1 the device comes on the field too late to be a competitor with the book in more than a very limited field4 ,for preserving particular voices1 such as those of great men1 or for recording intonation and pronunciation1 it fills a want that writing and printing could never supply4 ,for the long preservation of ideas and their conveyance to a human mind1 written speech is now the indispensable vehicle4 ,and1 as has been said1 this is how man makes progress4 ,we learn in two ways3 by undergoing and reflecting on our own experiences and by reading and reflecting on those of others4 ,neither of these ways is sufficient in itself4 ,a child bound hand and foot and confined in a dark room would not be a fit subject for instruction1 but neither would he reach a high level if placed on a desert island far from his kind and forced to rely solely on his own experiences4 ,the experiences of our forebears1 read in the light of our own2 the experiences of our forebears1 used as a starting-point from which we may move forward to fresh fields--these we must know and appreciate if we are to make progress4 ,this means the book and its use4 ,books may be used in three ways--for information1 for recreation1 for inspiration4 ,there are some who feel inclined to rely implicitly on the information that is to be found in books--to believe that a book can not lie4 ,this is an unfortunate state of mind4 ,the word of an author set down in print is worth no more than when he gives it to us in spoken language--no more and no less4 ,there was1 to be sure1 a time when the printed word implied at least care and thoughtfulness4 ,it is still true that the book implies somewhat more of this than the newspaper1 but the difference between the two is becoming unfortunately less4 ,now a wrong record1 if it purports to be a record of facts1 is worse than none at all4 ,the man who desires to know the distance between two towns in ,texas and is unable to find it in any book of reference may obtain it at the cost of some time and trouble2 but if he finds it wrongly recorded1 he accepts the result and goes away believing a lie4 ,if we are to use books for information1 therefore1 it is of the utmost consequence that we know whether the information is correct or not4 ,a general critical evaluation of all literature1 even on this score alone1 without going into the question of literary merit1 is probably beyond the possibilities1 although it has been seriously proposed4 ,some partial lists we have1 and a few lists of those lists1 so that we may know where to get at them4 ,there are many books about books1 especially in certain departments of history1 technology1 or art1 but no one place to which a man may go1 before he begins to read his book1 to find out whether he may believe what he reads in it4 ,this is a serious lack1 especially as there is more than one point of view4 ,books that are of high excellence as literature may not be at all accurate4 ,how shall the boy who hears enthusiastic praise of ,prescott's histories and who is spellbound when he reads them know that the results of recent investigation prove that those histories give a totally incorrect idea of ,mexico and ,peru8 ,how is the future reader of ,dr4 ,cook's interesting account of the ascent of ,mount ,mc,kinley to know that it has been discredited8 ,and how is he to know whether other interesting and well-written histories and books of travel have not been similarly proved inaccurate8 ,at present1 there is no way except to go to one who knows the literature of the subject1 or to read as many other books on the subject as can be obtained1 weighing one against the other and coming to one's own conclusions4 ,possibly the public library may be able to help4 ,mr4 ,charles ,f4 ,lummis of the ,los ,angeles library advocates labelling books with what he calls ,poison ,labels to warn the reader when they are inaccurate or untrustworthy4 ,most librarians have hesitated a little to take so radical a step as this1 not so much from unwillingness to assume the duty of warning the public1 as from a feeling that they were not competent to undertake the critical evaluation of the whole of the literature of special subjects4 ,the librarian may know that this or that book is out of date or not to be depended on1 but there are others about which he is not certain or regarding which he must rely on what others tell him4 ,and he knows that expert testimony is notoriously one-sided4 ,it is this fear of acting as an advocate instead of as a judge that has generally deterred the librarian from labelling his books with notes of advice or warning4 ,there is1 however1 no reason why the librarian should take sides in the matter4 ,he may simply point out to the reader that there are other books on the same subject1 written from different points of view1 and he may direct attention to these1 letting the reader draw his own conclusions4 ,there is probability that the public library in the future will furnish information and guidance of this kind about books1 more than it has done in the past4 ,and here it may be noted in passing that the library is coming out of its shell4 ,it no longer holds itself aloof1 taking good care of its books and taking little care of the public that uses them4 ,it is coming to realize that the man and the book are complementary1 that neither is much without the other1 and that to bring them together is its duty4 ,it realizes also that a book is valuable1 not because it is so much paper and ink and thread and leather1 but because it records and preserves somebody's ideas4 ,it is the projection of a human mind across space and across time and where it touches another human mind those minds have come into contact just as truly and with as valuable results as if the bodies that held them stood face to face in actual converse4 ,this is the miracle of written speech--a miracle renewed daily in millions of places with millions of readers4 ,we have1 in the modern library1 the very best way of perpetuating such relations as this and of ensuring that such as are preserved shall be worth preserving4 ,when the ancients desired to make an idea carry as far as possible1 they saw to the toughness and strength of the material object constituting the record2 they cut it in stone or cast it in metal1 forgetting that all matter is in a state of continual flux and change2 it is the idea only that endures4 ,stone and metal will both one day pass away and unless some one sees fit to copy the inscription on a fresh block or tablet1 the record will be lost4 ,it is1 then1 only by continual renewal of its material basis that a record in written language can be made to last1 and there is no reason why this renewal should not take place every few years1 as well as every few centuries4 ,there is even an advantage in frequent renewal2 for this ensures that the value of the record shall be more frequently passed upon and prevents the preservation of records that are not worth keeping4 ,this preservation by frequent renewal is just what is taking place with books2 we make them of perishable materials2 if we want to keep them1 we reprint them2 otherwise they decay and are forgotten4 ,we should not forget that by this plan the reader is usually made the judge of whether a book is worth keeping4 ,why do we preserve by continual reprinting ,shakespeare and ,scott and ,tennyson and ,hawthorne8 ,the reprinting is done by publishers as a money-making scheme4 ,it is profitable to them because there is a demand for those authors4 ,if we cease to care for them and prefer unworthy writers1 ,shakespeare and ,scott will decay and be forgotten and the unworthy ones will be preserved4 ,thus a great responsibility is thrown upon readers2 so far they have judged pretty well4 ,just now1 however1 we are confining ourselves to the use of books for information2 and here there is less preservation than elsewhere4 ,especially in science1 statements and facts quickly become out of date2 here it is not the old but the new that we want--the new based on the accurate and enduring part of the old4 ,before we leave this part of the subject it may be noted that many persons have no idea of the kinds of information that may be obtained from books4 ,even those who would unhesitatingly seek a book for data in history1 art1 or mathematics would not think of going to books for facts on plumbing1 weaving1 or shoe-making1 for methods of shop-window decoration or of display-advertising1 for special forms of bookkeeping suitable for factories or for stock-farms--for a host of facts relating to trades1 occupations1 and business in general4 ,yet there are books about all these things--not books perhaps to read for an idle hour1 but books full of meat for them who want just this kind of food4 ,if ,book-taught ,bilkins fails1 after trying to utilize what such books have taught him1 it is doubtless because he has previously failed to realize that books plus experience1 or1 to put it differently1 the recorded experience of others plus our own is better than either could be separately4 ,and the same is true of information that calls for no physical action to supplement it4 ,books plus thought--the thoughts of others plus our own--are more effective in combination than either could be by itself4 ,reading should provoke thought2 thought should suggest more reading1 and so on1 until others' thoughts and our own have become so completely amalgamated that they are our personal intellectual possessions4 ,but we may not read for information at all--recreation may be what we are after4 ,do not misunderstand me4 ,many persons have an idea that if one reads to amuse himself he must necessarily read novels4 ,i think most highly of good novels4 ,narrative is a popular form of literary expression2 it is used by those who wish to instruct as well as to amuse4 ,one may obtain plenty of information from novels--often in a form nowhere else available4 ,if we want exact statement1 statistical or otherwise1 we do not go to fiction for it2 but if we wish to obtain what is often more important--accurate and lasting general impressions of history1 society1 or geography1 the novel is often the only place where these may be had4 ,likewise1 one may amuse himself with history1 travel1 science1 or art--even with mathematics4 ,the last is rarely written primarily to amuse1 although we have such a title as ,mathematical recreations1 but there are plenty of non-fiction books written for entertainment and one may read for entertainment any book whatever4 ,the result depends not so much on the book or its contents as on the reader4 ,recreation is now recognized as an essential part of education4 ,and just as physical recreation consists largely in the same muscular movements that constitute work1 only in different combinations and with different ends in view1 so mental recreation consists of intellectual exercise with a similar variation of combinations and aims4 ,somebody says that play is work that you don't have to do4 ,so reading for amusement may closely resemble study--the only difference is that it is purely voluntary4 ,here again1 however1 the written language is only an intermediary2 we have as before1 the contact of two minds--only here it is often the lighter contact of good-fellowship4 ,and one who reads always for such recreation is thus like the man who is always bandying trivialities1 story-telling1 and jesting--an excellent1 even a necessary1 way of passing part of one's time1 but a mistaken way of employing all of it4 ,the best kind of recreation is gently stimulating1 but stimulation may rise easily to abnormality4 ,there are fiction drunkards just as there are persons who take too much alcohol or too much coffee4 ,in fact1 if one is so much absorbed by the ideas that he is assimilating that the process interferes with the ordinary duties of life1 he may be fairly sure that it is injuring him4 ,if one loves coffee or alcohol1 or even candy1 so dearly that one can not give it up1 it is time to stop using it altogether4 ,if a reader is so fond of an exciting story that he can not lay it aside1 so that he sits up late at night reading it1 or if he can not drop it from his mind when he does lay it aside1 but goes on thinking about the deadly combat between the hero and ,lord ,william ,fitz ,grouchy when he ought to be studying his lessons or attending to his business1 it is time to cut out fiction altogether4 ,this advice has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the fiction4 ,it will not do simply to warn the habitual drunkard that he must be careful to take none but the best brands2 he must drop alcohol altogether4 ,if you are a fiction drunkard1 enhanced quality will only enslave you further4 ,this sort of use is no more recreation in the proper sense of the word than is gambling1 or drinking to excess1 or smoking opium4 ,and now we come to a use of books that is more important--lies more at the root of things--than their use for either information or recreation--their use for inspiration4 ,one may get help and inspiration along with the other two--reading about how to make a box may inspire a boy to go out and make one himself4 ,it is this kind of thing that should be the final outcome of every mental process4 ,nothing that goes on in the brain is really complete until it ends in a motor stimulus4 ,the action1 it is true1 may not follow closely2 it may be the result of years of mental adjustment2 it may even take place in another body from the one where it originated4 ,the man who tells us how to make a box1 and tells it so fascinatingly that he sets all his readers to box-making1 presumably has made boxes with his own hands1 but there may be those who are fitted to inspire action in others rather than to undertake it themselves4 ,and the larger literature of inspiration is not that which urges to specific deeds like box-making1 or even to classes of deeds1 like caring for the sick or improving methods of transportation2 rather does it include in its scope all good thoughts and all good actions4 ,it makes better men and women of those who read it2 it is revolutionary and evolutionary at the same time1 in the best sense of both words4 ,what will thus inspire me1 do you ask8 ,it would be easy to try to tell you2 it would also be easy to fail4 ,many have tried and failed4 ,this is a deeply personal matter4 ,i can not tell what book1 or what passage in a book1 will touch the magic spring that shall make your life useful instead of useless1 that shall start your thoughts and your deeds climbing up instead of grovelling or passively waiting4 ,only search will reveal it4 ,the diamond-miner who expects to be directed to the precise spot where he will find a gem will never pick one up4 ,only he who seeks1 finds4 ,there are1 however1 places to look and places to avoid4 ,the peculiar clay in which diamonds occur is well known to mineralogists4 ,he who runs across it1 looks for diamonds1 though he may find none4 ,but he who hunts for them on the rock-ribbed hills of ,new ,hampshire or the sea-sands of ,florida is doing a foolish thing--although even there he may conceivably pick up one that has been dropped by accident4 ,so you may know where it is best to go in your search for inspiration from books1 for we know where seekers in the past have most often found it4 ,he who could read the ,bible or ,shakespeare without finding some of it is the exception4 ,it may be looked for in the great poets--,homer1 ,virgil1 ,dante1 ,chaucer1 ,milton1 ,hugo1 ,keats1 ,goethe2 or the great historians--,tacitus1 ,herodotus1 ,froissart1 ,macaulay1 ,taine1 ,bancroft2 or in the great travellers from ,sir ,john ,mandeville down1 or in biographies like ,boswell's life of ,johnson1 or in books of science--,laplace1 ,lagrange1 ,darwin1 ,tyndall1 ,helmholtz2 in the lives of the great artists2 in the great novels and romances--,thackeray1 ,balzac1 ,hawthorne1 ,dickens1 ,george ,eliot4 ,yet each and all of these may leave you cold and you may pick up your gem in some out-of-the-way corner where neither you nor anyone else would think of looking for it4 ,did you ever see a car-conductor fumbling about in the dark with the trolley pole1 trying to hit the wire8 ,while he is pulling it down and letting it fly up again1 making fruitless dabs in the air1 the car is dark and motionless2 in vain the motorman turns his controller1 in vain do the passengers long for light4 ,but sooner or later the pole strikes the wire2 down it flows the current that was there all the time up in the air2 in a jiffy the car is in motion and ablaze with light4 ,so your search for inspiration in literature may be long and unsuccessful2 you are dark and motionless4 ,but the life-giving current from some great man's brain is flowing through some book not far away4 ,one day you will make the connection and your life will in a trice be filled with light and instinct with action4 ,and before we leave this subject of inspiration1 let us dwell for a moment on that to be obtained from one's literary setting in general--from the totality of one's literary associations and impressions1 as distinguished from that gained from some specific passage or idea4 ,it has been said that it takes two to tell the truth2 one to speak and one to listen4 ,in like manner we may say that two persons are necessary to a great artistic interpretation--one to create and one to appreciate4 ,and of no art is this more true than it is of literature4 ,the thought that we are thus cooperating with ,shakespeare and ,schiller and ,hugo in bringing out the full effect of their deathless conceptions is an inspiring one and its consideration may aid us in realizing the essential oneness of the human race1 so far as its intellectual life is concerned4 ,would you rather be a citizen of the ,united ,states than1 we will say1 of ,nicaragua8 ,you might be as happy1 as well educated1 as well off1 there as here4 ,why do you prefer your present status8 ,simply and solely because of associations and relationships4 ,if this is sentiment1 as it doubtless is1 it is the kind of sentiment that rules the world--it is in the same class as friendship1 loyalty1 love of kin1 affection for home4 ,the links that bind us to the past and the threads that stretch out into the future are more satisfactory to us here in the ,united ,states1 with the complexity of its interests for us1 than they would be in ,nicaragua1 or ,guam1 or ,iceland4 ,then of what country in the realm of literature do you desire to be a citizen8 ,of the one where ,shakespeare is king and where your familiar and daily speech is with the great ones of this earth--those whose wise1 witty1 good1 or inspiring words1 spoken for centuries past1 have been recorded in books8 ,or would you prefer to dwell with triviality and banality--perhaps with ,laura ,jean ,libbey or even with ,mary ,j4 ,holmes1 and those a little better than these--or a little worse4 ,i am one of those who believe in the best associations1 literary as well as social4 ,and associations may have their effect even if they are apparently trivial or superficial4 ,when the open-shelf library was first introduced we were told that one of its chief advantages was that it encouraged browsing--the somewhat aimless rambling about and dipping here and there into a book4 ,obviously this can not be done in a closed-shelf library4 ,but of late it has been suggested1 in one quarter or another1 that although this may be a pleasant occupation to some1 or even to most1 it is not a profitable one4 ,opponents of the open shelf of whom there are still one or two1 here and there1 find in this conclusion a reason for negativing the argument in its favor1 while those of its advocates who accept this view see in it only a reason for basing that argument wholly on other grounds4 ,now those of us who like a thing do not relish being told that it is not good for us4 ,we feel that pleasure was intended as an outward sign of benefits received and although it may in abnormal conditions deceive us1 we are right in demanding proof before distrusting its indications4 ,when the cow absorbs physical nutriment by browsing1 she does so without further reason than that she likes it4 ,does the absorber of mental pabulum from books argue wrongly from similar premises8 ,many things are hastily and wrongly condemned because they do not achieve certain results that they were not intended to achieve4 ,and in particular1 when a thing exists in several degrees or grades1 some one of those grades is often censured1 although good in itself1 because it is not a grade or two higher4 ,obviously everything depends on what is required4 ,when a shopper wants just three yards of cloth1 she would be foolish to buy four4 ,she would1 of course1 be even more foolish to imagine that1 if she really wished four1 three would do just as well4 ,but if a man wants to go to the eighth story of a building1 he should not be condemned because he does not mount to the ninth2 if he wishes a light lunch1 he should not be found fault with for not ordering a seven-course dinner4 ,and yet we continually hear persons accused of superficiality who purposely and knowingly acquire some slight degree of knowledge of a subject instead of a higher degree4 ,and others are condemned1 we will say1 for reading for amusement when they might have read for serious information1 without inquiring whether amusement1 in this instance1 was not precisely what they needed4 ,it may be1 therefore1 that browsing is productive of some good result1 and that it fails to effect some other1 perhaps some higher1 result which its critics have wrongly fixed upon as the one desirable thing in this connection4 ,when a name embodies a figure of speech1 we may often learn something by following up the figure to see how far it holds good4 ,what does an animal do1 and what does it not do1 when it browses8 ,in the first place it eats food--fresh1 growing food2 but1 secondly1 it eats this food by cropping off the tips of the herbage1 not taking much at once1 and again1 it moves about from place to place1 eating now here and now there and then making selection1 from one motive or another1 but presumably following the dictates of its own taste or fancy4 ,what does it not do8 ,first1 it does not1 from choice1 eat anything bad4 ,secondly1 it does not necessarily consume all of its food in this way4 ,if it finds a particularly choice spot1 it may confine its feeding to that spot2 or1 if its owner sees fit1 he may remove it to the stable1 where it may stand all day and eat what he chooses to give it4 ,the benefits of browsing are1 first1 the nourishment actually derived from the food taken1 coupled with the fact that it is taken in small quantities1 and in great variety2 and secondly1 the knowledge of good spots1 obtained from the testing of one spot after another1 throughout the whole broad pasture4 ,now ,i submit that our figure of speech holds good in all these particulars4 ,the literary browser partakes of his mental food from books and is thereby nourished and stimulated2 he takes it here and there in brief quantities1 moving from section to section and from shelf to shelf1 selecting choice morsels of literature as fancy may dictate4 ,he does not1 if he is a healthy reader1 absorb voluntarily anything that will hurt him1 and this method of literary absorption does not preclude other methods of mental nourishment4 ,he may like a book so much that he proceeds to devour it whole1 or his superiors in knowledge may remove him to a place where necessary mental food is administered more or less forcibly4 ,and having gone so far with our comparison1 we shall make no mistake if we go a little further and say that the benefits of browsing to the reader are twofold1 as they are to the material feeder--the absorption of actual nutriment in his own wilful1 wayward manner--a little at a time and in great variety2 and the knowledge of good reading obtained from such a wide testing of the field4 ,are not these real benefits1 and are they not desirable8 ,i fear that our original surmise was correct and that browsing is condemned not for what it does1 but because it fails to do something that it could not be expected to do4 ,of course1 if one were to browse continuously he would be unable to feed in any other way4 ,attendance upon school or the continuous reading of any book whatever would be obviously impossible4 ,to avoid misunderstanding1 therefore1 we will agree at this point that whatever may be said here in commendation of browsing is on condition that it be occasional and not excessive and that the normal amount of continuous reading and study proceed together with it4 ,having settled1 therefore1 that browsing is a good thing when one does not occupy one's whole time with it1 let us examine its advantages a little more in detail4 ,first3 about the mental nourishment that is absorbed in browsing2 the specific information1 the appreciation of what is good1 the intellectual stimulation--not that which comes from reading suggested or guided by browsing1 but from the actual process itself4 ,i have heard it strenuously denied that any such absorption occurs2 the bits taken are too small1 the motion of the browser is too rapid1 the whole process is too desultory4 ,let us see4 ,in the first place a knowledge of authors and titles and of the general character of their works is by no means to be despised4 ,i heard the other day of a presumably educated woman who betrayed in a conversation her ignorance of ,omar ,khayyam--not lack of acquaintance with his works1 but lack of knowledge that such a person had ever existed4 ,if at some period in her life she had held in her hand a copy of ,the ,rubaiyat1 and had glanced at its back1 without even opening it1 how much embarrassment she might have been spared6 ,and if1 in addition1 she had glanced within for just ten seconds and had discovered that he wrote poetry in stanzas of four lines each1 she would have known as much about ,omar as do many of those who would contemptuously scoff at her ignorance4 ,with so brief effort may we acquire literary knowledge sufficient to avoid embarrassment in ordinary conversation4 ,browsing in a good library1 if the browser has a memory1 will soon equip him with a wide range of knowledge of this kind4 ,nor is such knowledge to be sneered at as superficial4 ,it is all that we know1 or need to know1 about scores of authors4 ,one may never study higher mathematics1 but it may be good for him to know that ,lagrange was a ,french author who wrote on analytical mechanics1 that ,euclid was a ,greek geometer1 and that ,hamilton invented quaternions4 ,all this and vastly more may be impressed on the mind by an hour in the mathematical alcove of a library of moderate size4 ,and it will do no harm to a boy to know that ,benvenuto ,cellini wrote his autobiography1 even if the inevitable perusal of the book is delayed for several years1 or that ,felicia ,hemans1 ,james ,thomson1 and ,robert ,herrick wrote poetry1 independently of familiarity with their works1 or that ,lamia is not something to eat or ,as you like it a popular novel4 ,information of this kind is almost impossible to acquire from lists or from oral statement1 whereas a moment's handling of a book in the concrete may fix it in the mind for good and all4 ,so far1 we have not supposed that even a word of the contents has been read4 ,what1 now1 if a sentence1 a stanza1 a paragraph1 a page1 passes into the brain through the eye8 ,those who measure literary effect by the thousand words or by the hour are making a great mistake4 ,the lightning flash is over in a fraction of a second1 but in that time it may reveal a scene of beauty1 may give the traveller warning of the fatal precipice1 or may shatter the farmer's home into kindling wood4 ,intellectual lightning may strike the browser as he stands there book in hand before the shelf4 ,a word1 a phrase1 may sear into his brain--may turn the current of his whole life4 ,and even if no such epoch-making words meet his eye1 in how brief a time may he read1 digest1 appreciate1 some of the gems of literature6 ,leigh ,hunt's ,jennie kissed me would probably take about thirty seconds2 on a second reading he would have it by heart--the joy of a life-time4 ,how many meaty epigrams would take as long8 ,the whole of ,gray's ,elegy is hardly beyond the browser's limit4 ,in an editorial on the ,harvard ,classics in the ,chicago evening post1 7,april #bb71 we read1 the cultural tabloid has very little virtue2444 to gain everything that a book has to give one must be submerged in it1 saturated and absorbed4 ,this is very much like saying1 there is very little nourishment in a sandwich2 to get the full effect of a luncheon you must eat everything on the table4 ,it is a truism to say that you can not get everything in a book without reading all of it2 but it by no means follows that the virtue of less than the whole is negligible4 ,so much for the direct effect of what one may thus take in1 bit by bit4 ,the indirect effect is even more important4 ,for by sampling a whole literature1 as he does1 he not only gets a bird's-eye view of it1 but he finds out what he likes and what he dislikes2 he begins to form his taste4 ,are you afraid that he will form it wrong8 ,i am not4 ,we are assuming that the library where he browses is a good one2 here is no chance of evil1 only a choice between different kinds of good4 ,and even if the evil be there1 it is astonishing how the healthy mind will let it slip and fasten eagerly on the good4 ,would you prefer a taste fixed by someone who tells the browser what he ought to like8 ,then that is not the reader's own taste at all1 but that of his informant4 ,we have too much of this sort of thing--too many readers without an atom of taste of their own who will say1 for instance1 that they adore ,george ,meredith1 because some one has told them that all intellectual persons do so4 ,the man who frankly loves ,george ,ade and can yet see nothing in ,shakespeare may one day discover ,shakespeare4 ,the man who reads ,shakespeare merely because he thinks he ought to is hopeless4 ,but what a triumph1 to stand spell-bound by the art of a writer whose name you never heard1 and then discover that he is one of the great ones of the world6 ,nought is comparable to it except perhaps to pick out all by yourself in the exhibition the one picture that the experts have chosen for the museum or to be able to say you liked olives the first time you tasted them4 ,who are your favorites8 ,did some one guide you to them or did you find them yourselves8 ,i will warrant that in many cases you discovered them and that this is why you love them4 ,i discovered ,de,quincey's romances1 ,praed's poetry1 ,branger in ,french1 ,heine in ,german1 ,the ,arabian nights1 ,molire1 ,irving's ,alhambra1 hundreds of others probably4 ,i am sure that ,i love them all far more than if some one had told me they were good books4 ,if ,i had been obliged to read them in school and pass an examination on them1 ,i should have hated them4 ,the teacher who can write an examination paper on ,gray's ,elegy1 would1 ,i firmly believe1 cut up his grandmother alive before the physiology class4 ,and next to the author or the book that you have discovered yourself comes the one that the discoverer himself--your boy or girl friend--tells you about4 ,he knows a good thing--she knows it6 ,no school nonsense about that2 no adult misunderstanding4 ,i found out ,poe that way1 and ,thackeray's ,major ,gahagan1 and many others4 ,to go back to our old illustration and consider for a moment not the book but the mind1 the personality whose ideas it records1 such association with books represents association with one's fellowmen in society--at a reception1 in school or college1 at a club4 ,some we pass by with a nod1 with some we exchange a word2 sometimes there is a warm handgrasp2 sometimes a long conversation4 ,no matter what the mental contact may be1 it has its effects--we are continually gaining knowledge1 making new friends1 receiving fresh inspiration4 ,the complexion of this kind of daily association determines the cast of one's mind1 the thoroughness of his taste1 the usefulness or uselessness of what he does4 ,a man is known by the company he keeps1 because that company forms him2 he gets from it what becomes brain of his brain and soul of his soul4 ,and no less is he formed by his mental associations with the good and the great of all ages whom he meets in books and who talk to him there4 ,more rather than less2 for into a book the writer puts generally what is best in him1 laying aside the pettiness1 the triviality1 the downright wickedness that may have characterized him in the flesh4 ,i have often heard the comment from one who had met face to face a writer whose work he loved--,oh6 he disappointed me so6 ,how disappointed might we be with ,thackeray1 with ,dickens1 even with ,shakespeare1 could we meet them in the flesh6 ,now they can not disappoint us1 for we know only what they have left on record--the best1 the most enduring part1 purified from what is gross and earthly4 ,in and among such company as this it is your privilege to live and move1 almost without money and without price4 ,thank ,god for books2 let them be your friends and companions through life--for information1 for recreation1 but above all for inspiration4 ,,atomic ,,theories ,,of ,,energy#f #f ,read before the ,st4 ,louis ,academy of ,science4 ,a theory involving some sort of a discrete or discontinuous structure of energy has been put forward by ,prof4 ,max ,planck of the ,university of ,berlin4 ,the various aspects of this theory are discussed and elaborated by the late ,m4 ,henri ,poincar in a paper entitled ,l',hypothse des ,quanta1 published in the ,revue ,scientifique 7,paris1 ,feb4 #ba1 #aiab74 ,a paper in which a discontinuous or atomic structure of energy was suggested was prepared by the present writer fifteen years ago but remains unpublished for reasons that will appear later4 ,although he has no desire to put in a claim of priority and is well aware that failure to publish would put any such claim out of court1 it seems to him that in connection with present radical developments in physical theory the paper1 together with some correspondence relating thereto1 has historical interest4 ,planck's theory was suggested by thermodynamical considerations4 ,in the paper now to be quoted the matter was approached from the standpoint of a criterion for determining the identity of two portions of matter or of energy4 ,the paper is as follows3 ,some ,consideration on the ,identity of ,definite ,portions of ,energy ,it has been remarked recently that physicists are now divided into two opposing schools according to the way in which they view the subject of energy1 some regarding it as a mere mathematical abstraction and others looking upon it as a physical entity1 filling space and continuously migrating by definite paths from one place to another4 ,it may be added that there are numerous factions within these two parties2 for instance1 not all of those who consider energy to be something more than a mere mathematical expression would maintain that a given quantity of it retains its identity just as a given quantity of matter does4 ,in fact a close analysis would possibly show that opinions are graded very closely and continuously from a view hardly differing from that of ,lagrange1 who clearly saw and freely used the mathematical considerations involving energy before the word had been invented or its physical meaning developed1 up to that stated recently in its extreme form by ,professor ,ostwald1 who would replace what he terms a mechanical theory of the universe by an energetical theory1 and would dwell exclusively on energy as opposed to its vehicles4 ,differences of opinion of this sort very frequently reduce to differences of definition1 and in this case the meaning of the word identity or some similar word or phrase has undoubtedly much to do with the view that is taken of the matter4 ,it may be interesting1 for instance1 to look for a moment at our ideas of the identity of matter and the extent to which they are influenced by the accepted theory of its constitution4 ,very few persons would hesitate to admit that the matter that now constitutes the universe is identical in amount with that which constituted it one million years ago1 and that any given portion of that matter is identical with an equal amount of matter that then existed1 although the situations of the parts of that portion might be and probably were widely different in the two classes4 ,to assert this is of course a very different thing from asserting that the identity of the two portions or any parts thereof could have been practically shown by following them during all their changes of location or state4 ,that cannot be done even in the case of some simple changes that are effected in a fraction of a second4 ,for instance1 if water from the pail ,a be mixed with water from the pail ,b there is no possible way of telling which pail any given portion of the mixture came from or in what proportions1 yet it is certain that such portion is identical with a portion of equal mass that recently occupied part of one or both pails4 ,how far our certainty as to this is influenced by our ideas regarding the ultimate constitution of the water is worthy of investigation4 ,all who accept the molecular theory1 for instance1 will regard our inability to trace the elements of a mixture as due to purely physical limitations4 ,a set of ,maxwell's demons if bidden to watch the molecules of the water in pail ,a1 one demon being assigned to each molecule1 would be able to tell us at any time the precise proportions of any given part of the mixture4 ,but if we should not accept the molecular theory and believe for instance1 that water is a continuum1 absolutely homogeneous1 no matter how small portions of it be selected1 then our demons would be as powerless as we ourselves now are to trace the constituents in the mixture4 ,we are now in a position to ask the question3 ,is the matter in a mixture of two continua identical with that of its constituents8 ,the identity certainly seems of a different kind or degree from that which obtains in the first case1 for there is no part1 however small1 that was derived from one pail alone4 ,the mixture is something more than a mere juxtaposition of elements each of which has retained its identity2 it is now of such nature that no part of it is identical with any part of ,a alone or of ,b alone1 nor of ,a,b1 where the sign denotes simple juxtaposition4 ,it is identical1 to be sure1 with a perfect mixture of certain parts of ,a and ,b1 but this is simply saying that it is identical with what it is now1 that is1 with itself1 not with something that went before4 ,probably no one now believes that water or any other kind of matter is a continuum1 but the bearing of what has been said may be seen when we remember that this is precisely the present stage of our belief regarding energy4 ,no one1 so far as ,i know1 has ventured to suggest what may be termed a molecular theory of energy1 a somewhat remarkable fact when we consider the control now exercised over all thought in physics by molecular theories of matter4 ,while we now believe1 for instance1 that a material body1 say a crystal1 can by no possibility increase continuously in mass1 but must do so step by step1 the minimum mass of matter that can be added being the molecule1 we believe on the contrary that the energy possessed by the same body can and may increase with absolutely perfect continuity1 being hampered by no such restriction4 ,it is not the purpose of this paper to discuss whether we have grounds for belief that there is such a thing as a minimum quantity1 or atom1 of energy1 that does not separate into smaller parts1 no matter what changes it undergoes4 ,suffice it to say that there appears to be no a priori absurdity in such an idea4 ,at first sight both matter and energy appear non-molecular in structure4 ,but we have been forced to look upon the gradual growth of a crystal as a step-by-step process1 and we may some day1 by equally cogent considerations1 be forced to regard the gradual increase of energy of an accelerating body as also a step-by-step process1 although the discontinuity is as invisible to the eye in the latter case as in the former4 ,without following this out any farther1 however1 the point may be here emphasized that it is hardly possible for one who1 like the majority of physicists1 regards matter as molecular and energy as a continuum1 to hold the same ideas regarding the identity of the two4 ,efforts to show that definite portions of energy1 like definite portions of matter1 retain their identity have hitherto been made chiefly on the lines of a demonstration that energy travels by definite and continuous paths in space just as matter does4 ,this is very well1 but it would appear to be necessary to supplement it with evidence to show that the lines representing these paths do not form at their intersections continuous blurs that not only forbid any practical attempt at identification on emergence1 but make it doubtful whether we can in any true sense call the issuing path identical with the entering one4 ,otherwise the identity of energy can be admitted to be only that kind of identity that could be preserved by matter if its molecular structure did not exist4 ,one who can admit that this sort of identity is the same sort that can be preserved by molecular matter may be able to hold the identity of energy in the present state of the evidence1 but the present attitude of physicists would seem to show that1 whether they realize the connection of the two subjects or not1 they cannot take this view4 ,in other words1 modern views of the identity of matter seem closely connected with modern views of its structure1 and the same connection will doubtless hold good for energy4 ,regarding the probable success of an attempt to prove that energy has a structure analogous to the molecular structure of matter1 any prediction would doubtless be rash just now4 ,the writer has been unable1 up to the present time1 to disprove the proposition1 but the subject is one of corresponding importance to that of the whole molecular theory of matter and should not be entered upon lightly4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the writer freely acknowledges at present that the illustrations in the foregoing are badly chosen and some of the statements are too strong1 but it still represents essentially his ideas on the subject4 ,no reputable scientific journal would undertake to publish it4 ,the paper was then sent to ,prof4 ,j4 ,willard ,gibbs of ,yale1 and elicited the following letter from him3 ,,new ,,haven1 ,,june #b1 #ahig4 ,,my ,,dear ,,mr4 ,,bostwick3 ,i regret that ,i have allowed your letter to lie so long unanswered4 ,it was in fact not very easy to answer1 and when one lays a letter aside to answer1 the weeks slip away very fast4 ,i do not think that you state the matter quite right in regard to the mixture of fluids if they were continuous4 ,the mixing of water as ,i regard it would be like this1 if it were continuous and not molecular4 ,suppose you should take strips of white and red glass and heat them until soft and twist them together4 ,keep on drawing them out and doubling them up and twisting them together4 ,it would soon require a microscope to distinguish the red and white glass1 which would be drawn out into thinner and thinner filaments if the matter were continuous4 ,but it would be always only a matter of optical power to distinguish perfectly the portion of red and white glass4 ,the stirring up of water from two pails would not really mix them but only entangle filaments from the pails4 ,to come to the case of energy4 ,all our ideas concerning energy seem to require that it is capable of gradual increase4 ,thus the energy due to velocity can increase continuously if velocity can4 ,since the energy is as the square of the velocity1 if the velocity can only increase discontinuously by equal increments1 the energy of the body will increase by unequal increments in such a way as to make the exchange of energy between bodies a very awkward matter to adjust4 ,but apart from the question of the increase of energy by discontinuous increments1 the question of relative and absolute motion makes it very hard to give a particular position to energy1 since the 'energy' we speak of in any case is not one quantity but may be interpreted in a great many ways4 ,take the important case of two equal elastic balls4 ,one1 moving1 strikes the other at rest1 we say1 and gives it nearly all its energy4 ,but we have no right to call one ball at rest and we can not say 7as anything absolute7 which of the balls has lost and which has gained energy4 ,if there is such a thing as absolute energy of motion it is something entirely unknowable to us4 ,take the solar system1 supposed isolated4 ,we may take as our origin of coordinates the center of gravity of the system4 ,or we may take an origin with respect to which the center of gravity of the solar system has any 7constant7 velocity4 ,the kinetic energy of the earth1 for example1 may have any value whatever1 and the principle of the conservation of energy will hold in any case for the whole solar system4 ,but the shifting of energy from one planet to another will take place entirely differently when we estimate the energies with reference to different origins4 ,it does not seem to me that your ideas fit in with what we know about nature4 ,if you ask my advice1 ,i should not advise you to try to publish them4 ,at best you would be entering into a discussion 7perhaps not in bad company7 in which words would play a greater part than precise ideas4 ,this is the way ,i feel about it4 ,i remain1 ,yours faithfully1 ,j4,w4 ,,gibbs4 ,professor ,gibbs's criticism of the illustration of water-mixture is evidently just4 ,another might well have been used where the things mixed are not material--for instance1 the value of money deposited in a bank4 ,if ,a and ,b each deposits #ajj to ,c's credit and ,c then draws #aj1 there is evidently no way of determining what part of it came from ,a and what from ,b4 ,the structure of value1 in other words1 is perfectly continuous4 ,professor ,gibbs's objections to an atomic theory of the structure of energy are most interesting4 ,the difficulties that it involves are not overstated4 ,in #ahig they made it unnecessary1 but since that time considerations have been brought forward1 and generally recognized1 which may make it necessary to brave those difficulties4 ,planck's theory was suggested by the apparent necessity of modifying the generally accepted theory of statistical equilibrium involving the so called law of equipartition1 enunciated first for gases and extended to liquids and solids4 ,in the first place the kinetic theory fixes the number of degrees of freedom of each gaseous molecule1 which would be three for argon1 for instance1 and five for oxygen4 ,but what prevents either from having the six degrees to which ordinary mechanical theory entitles it8 ,furthermore1 the oxygen spectrum has more than five lines1 and the molecule must therefore vibrate in more than five modes4 ,why1 asks ,poincar1 do certain degrees of freedom appear to play no part here2 why are they1 so to speak1 'ankylosed'8 ,again1 suppose a system in statistical equilibrium1 each part gaining on an average1 in a short time1 exactly as much as it loses4 ,if the system consists of molecules and ether1 as the former have a finite number of degrees of freedom and the latter an infinite number1 the unmodified law of equipartition would require that the ether should finally appropriate all energy1 leaving none of it to the matter4 ,to escape this conclusion we have ,rayleigh's law that the radiated energy1 for a given wave length1 is proportional to the absolute temperature1 and for a given temperature is in inverse ratio to the fourth power of the wave-length4 ,this is found by ,planck to be experimentally unverifiable1 the radiation being less for small wave-lengths and low temperatures1 than the law requires4 ,still again1 the specific heats of solids1 instead of being sensibly constant at all temperatures1 are found to diminish rapidly in the low temperatures now available in liquid air or hydrogen and apparently tend to disappear at absolute zero4 ,all takes place1 says ,poincar1 as if these molecules lost some of their degrees of freedom in cooling--as if some of their articulations froze at the limit4 ,planck attempts to explain these facts by introducing the idea of what he calls quanta of energy4 ,to quote from ,poincar's paper3 ,how should we picture a radiating body8 ,we know that a ,hertz resonator sends into the ether ,hertzian waves that are identical with luminous waves2 an incandescent body must then be regarded as containing a very great number of tiny resonators4 ,when the body is heated1 these resonators acquire energy1 start vibrating and consequently radiate4 ,planck's hypothesis consists in the supposition that each of these resonators can acquire or lose energy only by abrupt jumps1 in such a way that the store of energy that it possesses must always be a multiple of a constant quantity1 which he calls a 'quantum'--must be composed of a whole number of quanta4 ,this indivisible unit1 this quantum1 is not the same for all resonators2 it is in inverse ratio to the wave-length1 so that resonators of short period can take in energy only in large pieces1 while those of long period can absorb or give it out by small bits4 ,what is the result8 ,great effort is necessary to agitate a short-period resonator1 since this requires at least a quantity of energy equal to its quantum1 which is great4 ,the chances are1 then1 that these resonators will keep quiet1 especially if the temperature is low1 and it is for this reason that there is relatively little short-wave radiation in 'black radiation'444 ,the diminution of specific-heats is explained similarly3 ,when the temperature falls1 a large number of vibrators fall below their quantum and cease to vibrate1 so that the total energy diminishes faster than the old theories require4 ,here we have the germs of an atomic theory of energy4 ,as ,poincar now points out1 the trouble is that the quanta are not constant4 ,in his study of the matter he notes that the work of ,prof4 ,wilhelm ,wien1 of ,wrzburg1 leads by theory to precisely the conclusion announced by ,planck that if we are to hold to the accepted ideas of statistical equilibrium the energy can vary only by quanta inversely proportional to wave-length4 ,the mechanical property of the resonators imagined by ,planck is therefore precisely that which ,wien's theory requires4 ,if we are to suppose atoms of energy1 therefore1 they must be variable atoms4 ,there are other objections which need not be touched upon here1 the whole theory being in a very early stage4 ,to quote ,poincar again3 ,the new conception is seductive from a certain standpoint3 for some time the tendency has been toward atomism4 ,matter appears to us as formed of indivisible atoms2 electricity is no longer continuous1 not infinitely divisible4 ,it resolves itself into equally-charged electrons2 we have also now the magneton1 or atom of magnetism4 ,from this point of view the quanta appear as atoms of energy4 ,unfortunately the comparison may not be pushed to the limit2 a hydrogen atom is really invariable4444 ,the electrons preserve their individuality amid the most diverse vicissitudes1 is it the same with the atoms of energy8 ,we have1 for instance1 three quanta of energy in a resonator whose wave-length is #c2 this passes to a second resonator whose wave-length is #e2 it now represents not #c but #e quanta1 since the quantum of the new resonator is smaller and in the transformation the number of atoms and the size of each has changed4 ,if1 however1 we replace the atom of energy by an atom of action1 these atoms may be considered equal and invariable4 ,the whole study of thermodynamic equilibrium has been reduced by the ,french mathematical school to a question of probability4 ,the probability of a continuous variable is obtained by considering elementary independent domains of equal probability4444 ,in the classic dynamics we use1 to find these elementary domains1 the theorem that two physical states of which one is the necessary effect of the other are equally probable4 ,in a physical system if we represent by q one of the generalized coordinates and by p the corresponding momentum1 according to ,liouville's theorem the domain double integraldpdq1 considered at given instant1 is invariable with respect to the time if p and q vary according to ,hamilton's equations4 ,on the other hand p and q may1 at a given instant take all possible values1 independent of each other4 ,whence it follows that the elementary domain is infinitely small1 of the magnitude dpdq4444 ,the new hypothesis has for its object to restrict the variability of p and q so that these variables will only change by jumps4444 ,thus the number of elementary domains of probability is reduced and the extent of each is augmented4 ,the hypothesis of quanta of action consists in supposing that these domains are all equal and no longer infinitely small but finite and that for each double integraldpdq equals h1 h being a constant4 ,put a little less mathematically1 this simply means that as energy equals action multiplied by frequency1 the fact that the quantum of energy is proportional to the frequency 7or inversely to the wave-length as stated above7 is due simply to the fact that the quantum of action is constant--a real atom4 ,the general effect on our physical conceptions1 however1 is the same3 we have a purely discontinuous universe--discontinuous not only in matter but in energy and the flow of time4 ,m4 ,poincar thus puts it3 ,a physical system is susceptible only of a finite number of distinct states2 it leaps from one of these to the next without passing through any continuous series of intermediate states4 ,he notes later3 ,the universe1 then1 leaps suddenly from one state to another2 but in the interval it must remain immovable1 and the divers instants during which it keeps in the same state can no longer be discriminated from one another2 we thus reach a conception of the discontinuous variation of time--the atom of time4 ,i quote in conclusion1 ,poincar's final remarks3 ,the present state of the question is thus as follows3 the old theories1 which hitherto seemed to account for all the known phenomena1 have met with an unexpected obstacle4 ,seemingly a modification becomes necessary4 ,a hypothesis has presented itself to ,m4 ,planck's mind1 but so strange a one that one is tempted to seek every means of escaping it2 these means1 however1 have been sought vainly4 ,the new theory1 however1 raises a host of difficulties1 many of which are real and not simply illusions due to the indolence of our minds1 unwilling to change their modes of thought4444 ,is discontinuity to reign through out the physical universe1 and is its triumph definitive8 ,or rather shall we find that it is but apparent and hides a series of continuous processes8444 ,to try to give an opinion just now on these questions would only be to waste ink4 ,it only remains to call attention again to the fact that this conception of the discontinuity of energy1 the acceptance of which ,poincar says would be the most profound revolution that natural philosophy has undergone since ,newton was suggested by the present writer fifteen years ago4 ,its reception and serious consideration by one of the first mathematical physicists of the world seems a sufficient justification of its suggestion then as a legitimate scientific hypothesis4 ,,the ,,advertisement ,,of ,,ideas ,writing is a device for the storage of ideas--the only device for this purpose prior to the invention of the phonograph1 and not now likely to be generally superseded4 ,a book consists of stored ideas2 sometimes it is like a box1 from which the contents must be lifted slowly and with more or less toil2 sometimes like a storage battery where one only has to make the right kind of contact to get a discharge4 ,at any rate1 if we want people to use books or to use them more1 or to use them better1 or to use a different kind from that which they now use1 we must lose sight for a moment of the material part of the book1 which is only the box or the lead and acid of the storage battery1 and fix our attention on the stored ideas1 which are what everybody wants--everybody1 that is1 except those who collect books as curiosities4 ,the subject of this lecture is thus only library advertising1 about which we have heard a good deal of late1 but we shall try to confine its applications to this inner or ideal substance which it is our special business as librarians to purvey4 ,and first1 in considering the matter1 it may be worth while to say a word about advertising in general4 ,practically an advertisement is an announcement by somebody who has something to distribute4 ,announcements of this kind may be classified1 it seems to me1 as economic1 uneconomic and illegitimate4 ,the most elementary form is that of the person who tells you where you can get something that you want--a simple statement that someone is a barber or an inn-keeper1 or gives music lessons1 or has shoes for sale4 ,this may be accompanied by an effort to show that the goods offered are of specially good quality or have some feature that makes them particularly desirable1 either to consumers in general or to those of a certain class4 ,this is all surely economic1 so long as nothing but the truth is told4 ,next we have an effort not only to supply existing wants and to direct them into some particular channel1 but to create a new field1 to make people realize a lack previously not felt2 in other words to make people want something that they need4 ,this may be done simply by exhibiting or describing the article or it may require long and skillful presentation of the matter4 ,all this is still economic4 ,but it requires only a step to carry us across the line4 ,next the enthusiastic advertiser strives to make someone want that which he does not need4 ,as may be seen1 the line here is difficult to determine1 but this sort of advertising is surely not economic4 ,so long as the thing not needed is not really injurious1 however1 the advertising cannot be called illegitimate4 ,it is simply uneconomic4 ,the world would be better off without it1 but we may look for its abolition only to the increase of good judgment and intelligence among consumers4 ,when an attempt however1 is made to cause a man to want something that is really injurious1 then the act becomes illegitimate and should be prevented4 ,another class of illegitimate advertising is that which would be perfectly allowable if it were truthful and becomes objectionable only because its representations are false4 ,it may be ostensibly of any of the types noted above4 ,as we have already noted1 the material objects distributed by the librarian are valued not for their physical characteristics but for a different reason altogether1 the fact that they contain stored ideas4 ,ideas which1 according to some1 are merely the relative positions of material particles in the brain1 and which are indisputably accompanied and conditioned by such positions1 here subsist in the form of peculiar and visible arrangements of particles of printer's ink upon paper1 which are capable under certain conditions of generating in the human brain ideas precisely similar to those that gave them birth4 ,and although the book cannot think for itself1 but must merely preserve the idea intrusted to it1 without change1 it is vastly superior in stability to the brain that gave it birth1 so that thousands of years after that brain has mouldered into dust it is capable of reproducing the original ideas in a second brain where they may germinate and bear fruit4 ,how familiar all this is1 and yet how perennially wonderful6 ,the miracle of it is sufficient excuse for this digression4 ,now books1 beside this modern form of distribution by loan1 are widely distributed commercially both by loan and by sale1 and especially in the latter form advertisement is now very extensively used in connection with the distribution4 ,in fact we have all the different types specified above--economic1 uneconomic and illegitimate1 both through misrepresentation and the harmful character of the subject matter4 ,the reason for all illegitimate forms of advertising is of course not a desire to misrepresent or to do harm per se1 but to make money1 the profit to the distributor being proportioned to the amount of distribution done and not at all dependent on its economic value4 ,distribution by public officers is of course not open to this objection1 nor are the distributors subject to temptation1 since their compensation does not depend on the amount of distribution4 ,if they are capable and interested1 furthermore1 they are particularly desirous to increase the economic value of the work that they are doing4 ,since this is so and since the danger of uneconomic or harmful forms of advertising is thus reduced to a minimum1 there would seem to be special reason why the economic forms should be employed very freely4 ,but the fact is that they have been used sparingly1 and by some librarians shunned altogether4 ,let us see what library advertising of the economic types may mean4 ,in the first place it means telling those who want books where they may get them4 ,this simple task is rarely performed completely or satisfactorily4 ,it is astonishing how many inhabitants of a large town do not even know where the public library is4 ,everyone realizes this who has ever tried to find a public library in a strange place4 ,i once asked repeatedly of passers-by in a crowded city street a block distant from a library 7in this case not architecturally conspicuous7 before finding one who knew its whereabouts2 in another city ,i inquired in vain of a conductor who passed the building every few hours in his car4 ,in the latter case the library was a beautiful structure calculated to move the curiosity of a less stolid citizen4 ,in ,new ,york inquiry would probably cause you to reach the nearest branch library1 anything more remote than that being beyond the local intelligence4 ,sometimes ,i think we had better drop all our far-reaching plans for civic betterment and devote our time for a few years to causing citizens1 lettered and unlettered alike to memorize some such simple formula as this3 ,there is a ,public ,library4 ,it is on ,blank street4 ,we may borrow books there1 free4 ,you will notice that ,i have inserted in this formula one item of information that pertains to use1 not location4 ,for of those who know of the existence and location of the ,public ,library there are many whose ideas of its contents and their uses1 and of the conditions and value of such uses1 are limited and crude4 ,the advertising that succeeds in bettering this state of things is surely doing an economic service4 ,all these things the self-respecting citizen should know4 ,but beyond and above all this there is the final economic service of advertising--the causing a man to want that which he needs but does not yet desire4 ,every man1 woman and child in every town and village needs books in some shape1 degree1 form or substance4 ,and yet the proportion of those who desire them is yet outrageously small1 though encouragingly on the increase4 ,here no memorizing of a formula1 even could we compass it1 could suffice4 ,this kind of advertising means the realization of something lacking in a life4 ,is the awakening of such a realization too much for us8 ,are we to stand by and see our neighbors all about us awakening to the undoubted fact that they need telephones in their houses1 and electric runabouts1 and mechanical fans in hot weather1 and pianolas1 and new kinds of breakfast food1 while we despair of awakening them to their needs of books--quite as undoubted8 ,are we to admit that personal gain1 which was the victorious motive that spurred on the commercial advertisers in these and countless other instances1 is to be counted more mighty than the desire to do a service to our fellowmen and to fulfill the duties of our positions--which should spur us on8 ,i am not foolish enough to suppose that by placarding the fences with the words ,books6 ,books6 as the patent medicine man does with ,curoline6 ,curoline6 we shall make any progress4 ,the patent medicine man is right2 he wants to excite curiosity and familiarize the public with the name of his nostrum4 ,they all know what a book is--and alas the name is not even unknown and mysterious--would that it were6 ,it calls up in many minds associations which1 if we are to be successful we must combat1 overthrow1 and replace by others4 ,to many--sad it is to say it--a book is an abhorrent thing2 to more still1 it is a thing of absolute indifference4 ,to some a book is merely a collection of things1 having no ascertainable relationships1 that one is required to memorize2 to others it is a collection of statements1 difficult to understand1 out of which the meaning must be extracted by hard study2 to very few indeed does the book appear to be what it really is--a message from another mind4 ,people will go to a seance and listen with thrills to the silliest stuff purporting to proceed from ,plato or ,daniel ,webster or ,abraham ,lincoln1 when in the ,public ,library1 a few blocks away are important and authentic messages from those same persons1 to which they have never given heed4 ,such a message derives interest and significance from circumstances outside itself4 ,very few books create their own atmosphere unaided4 ,they presuppose a system of abilities1 opinions1 prejudices1 likes and dislikes1 intellectual connections and what not1 that is little less than appalling1 if we try to follow it up4 ,dislike of books or indifference toward them is often simply the result of a lack of these things or of some component part of them4 ,we must supply what is lacking if we are to arouse a desire for books in those who do not yet possess it4 ,i say that such a labor is difficult enough to interest him whose pleasure it is to essay hard tasks2 it is noble enough to attract him who loves his fellow-man2 success in it is rare enough and glorious enough to stimulate him who likes to succeed where others have failed4 ,advertising may be good or bad1 noble or ignoble1 right or wrong1 according to what is advertised and our methods of advertising it4 ,he who would scorn to announce the curative powers of bottled spring-water and pink aniline dye2 he who regards it as a commonplace task to urge upon the spendthrift public the purchase of unnecessary gloves and neckties1 may well feel a thrill of satisfaction and of anticipation in the task of advertising ideas and of persuading the unheeding citizen to appropriate what he has been accustomed to view with indifference4 ,to get at the root of the matter1 let us inquire why it is that so many persons do not care for books4 ,we may divide them1 ,i think1 into two classes--those who do not care1 or appear not to care for ideas at all1 whether stored in books or not2 and those who do care for ideas but who either do not easily get them out of storage or do not realize that they can be and are stored in books4 ,absolute carelessness of ideas is1 it seems to me1 rather apparent than real4 ,it exists only in the idiot4 ,there are those to be sure that care about a very limited range of ideas2 but about some ideas they always care4 ,we must1 in our advertisement of ideas1 bear this in mind--the necessity of offering to each that which he considers it worth his while to take4 ,if ,i were asked what is the most fundamentally interesting subject to all classes1 ,i should unhesitatingly reply philosophy4 ,not1 perhaps1 the philosophy of the schools1 but the individual philosophy that every man and woman has1 and that is precisely alike in no two of us4 ,i have heard a tiny boy1 looking up suddenly from his play1 ask ,why do we live8 ,this and its correlative ,why do we die8 ,whence come we and whither do we go8 ,what is the universe and what are our relations to it--these questions in some form have occurred to everyone who thinks at all4 ,they are discussed around the stove at the corner grocery1 in the logging camp1 on the ranch1 in clubs and at boarding-house tables4 ,sometimes they take a theological turn--free will1 the origin and purpose of evil1 and so on4 ,i do not purpose to give here a catalogue of the things in which an ordinary man is interested1 and ,i have said this only to remind you that his interest may be vivid even in connection with subjects usually considered abstruse4 ,this interest in ideas we may call the library's raw material2 anything that tends to create it1 to broaden it1 to extend it to new fields and to direct it into paths that are worth while is making it possible for the library to do better and wider work--is helping on its campaign of publicity4 ,this establishes a web of connecting fibers between the library and all human activity4 ,the man who is getting interested in his work1 debaters at a labor union1 students at school and college1 the worker for civic reform1 the poetic dreamer--all are creating a demand for ideas that makes it easier for the library to advertise them4 ,those who object to some of the outside work done by modern libraries should try to look at the whole matter from this standpoint4 ,the library is taking its place as a public utility with other public utilities4 ,its relations with them are becoming more evident2 the ties between them are growing stronger4 ,as in all cases of such growth it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify the boundaries between them1 so fast and so thoroughly do the activities of each reach over these lines and interpenetrate those of the others4 ,and unless there is actual wasteful duplication of work1 we need not bother about our respective spheres4 ,these activities are all human2 they are mutually interesting and valuable4 ,a library need be afraid of doing nothing that makes for the spread of interest in ideas1 so long as it is not neglecting its own particular work of the collection1 preservation and distribution of ideas as stored in books1 and is not duplicating others' work wastefully4 ,when we observe those who are already interested in ideas1 however1 we find that not all are interested in them as they are stored up in books4 ,some of these cannot read2 their number is small with us and growing smaller2 we may safely leave the schools to deal with them4 ,others can read1 but they do not easily apprehend ideas through print4 ,some of these must read aloud so that they may get the sound of the words1 before these really mean anything to them4 ,these persons need practice in reading4 ,they get it now largely through the newspapers1 but their number is still large4 ,a person in this condition may be intellectually somewhat advanced4 ,he may be able to discuss single-tax with some acumen1 for instance4 ,it is a mistake to suppose that because a person understands a subject or likes a thing and is able to talk well about it1 he will enjoy and appreciate a book on that subject or thing4 ,it may be as difficult for him to get at the meat of it as if it were a half-understood foreign tongue4 ,you who know enough ,french to buy a pair of gloves or sufficient ,german to inquire the way to the station1 may tackle a novel in the original and realize at once the hazy degree of such a person's apprehension4 ,he may stick to it and become an easy reader1 but on the other hand your well-meant publicity efforts may place in his hands a book that will simply discourage and ultimately repel him1 sending him to join the army of those to whom no books appeal4 ,next we find those who understand how to read and to read with ease1 but to whom books--at any rate certain classes of books--are not interesting4 ,now interest in a subject may be so great that one will wade through the driest literature about it1 but such interest belongs to the few--not to the many4 ,i have come to the conclusion that more readers have had their interest killed or lessened by books than have had it aroused or stimulated4 ,this is a proportion that it is our business as librarians to reverse4 ,more of this unfortunate and heart-breaking1 interest-killing work than ,i like to think of goes on in school4 ,not necessarily2 for the name of those is legion who have had their eyes opened to the beauties of literature by good teachers4 ,this makes it all the more maddening when we think how many poor teachers1 or good teachers with mistaken methods1 or indifferent teachers1 have succeeded in associating with books in the minds of their pupils simply burdensome tasks--the gloom and heaviness of life rather than its joy and lightness4 ,such boys and girls will no more touch a book after leaving school than you or ,i would touch a scorpion after one had stung us4 ,perhaps it is useless to try to change this2 possibly it is none of our business1 though we have already seen that there are reasons to the contrary4 ,but we can better matters1 and we are daily bettering them1 by our work with children4 ,if a child has once learned to love books and to associate them powerfully with something else than a burdensome task1 then the labors of the unskillful teachers will create no dislike of the book but only of the teacher and his methods2 while those of the good teacher will be a thousand times more fruitful than otherwise4 ,so much for the ways in which interesting books are sometimes made uninteresting4 ,now for the books that are uninteresting per se--and how many there are6 ,when a man has something to distribute commercially for personal gain1 the thing that he tries above all to do is to interest his public--to make them want what he has to sell4 ,his success or failure in doing this1 means the success or failure of his whole enterprise4 ,he does not decide what kind of an entertainment his clients ought to attend and then try to make them go to it1 or what kind of neckties they ought to wear and then try to make them wear them4 ,of ten promoters1 if nine proceeded on this principle and one on the plan of offering something attractive and interesting1 who would succeed8 ,it is one of the marvels of all time that this never seems to have occurred to writers of books4 ,we are almost forced to conclude that they do not care whether their volumes are read or not4 ,in only one class of books1 as a rule1 do the writers endeavor to interest the reader first and foremost2 you all know that ,i refer to fiction4 ,what is the result8 ,the writers of fiction are the ones read by the public4 ,more fiction is read1 as you very well know1 than all the other classes of literature put together4 ,the library that is able to show a fiction percentage of #fj1 points to it with pride1 while there are plenty with percentages between #gj and #hj4 ,now this is all to the credit of the fiction writers4 ,i refuse to believe that their readers are any more fundamentally interested in the subjects of which they treat than in others4 ,they simply follow the line of least resistance4 ,they want something interesting to read and they know from experience where to go for it4 ,of course this brings on abuses4 ,writers use illegitimate methods to arouse interest--appeals perhaps1 to unworthy instincts4 ,we need not discuss that here1 but simply focus our attention on the fact that writers of fiction always try to be interesting because they must2 while writers of history1 travel1 biography and philosophy do not usually try1 because they think it unnecessary4 ,this is simply a survival4 ,it used to be true that readers of these subjects read them because of their great antecedent interest in them--an interest so great that interesting methods of presentation became unnecessary4 ,no one cared about the masses1 still less about what they might or might not read4 ,things are changed now2 we are trying to advertise stored ideas to persons unfamiliar with them and we are suddenly awakening to the fact that our stock is not all that it should be4 ,we need history1 science and travel fascinatingly presented--at least as interestingly as the fiction-writer presents his subjects4 ,this is by no means impossible1 because it has been done1 in a few instances4 ,we are by no means in the position of the ,irishman who didn't know whether or not he could play the piano1 because he had never tried4 ,some of our authors have tried--and succeeded4 ,no one after ,william ,james can say that philosophy cannot be made interesting to the ordinary reader4 ,tyndall showed us long ago that physics could interest the unlearned1 and there are similarly interesting writers on history and travel--more perhaps in these two classes than any other4 ,but it remains true that the vast majority of non-fiction books do not attract1 and were not written with the aim of attracting1 the ordinary reader such as the libraries are now trying to reach4 ,the result is that the fiction writers are usurping the functions of these uninteresting scribes and are putting history1 science1 economics1 biology1 medicine--all sorts of subjects1 into fictional form--a sufficient answer to any who may think that the subjects themselves1 as distinguished from the manner in which they are presented1 are calculated to repel the ordinary reader4 ,fiction is thus becoming1 if it has not already become1 the sole form of literary expression1 so far as the ordinary reader is concerned4 ,this is interesting2 it justifies the large stock of fiction in public libraries and the large circulation of that stock4 ,it does not follow that it is commendable or desirable4 ,for one thing it places truth and falsehood precisely on the same plane4 ,the science or the economics in a good novel may be bad and that in a poor novel may be good4 ,then again1 it dilutes the interesting matter with triviality4 ,it is right that those who want to know how and when and under what circumstances ,edwin and ,angelina concluded to get married should have an opportunity of doing so1 but it is obviously unfair that the man who likes the political discussions put into the mouth of ,edwin's uncle1 or the clever descriptions of country-life incident to the courtship1 should be burdened with information of this sort1 in which he has little interest4 ,to those who are interested in the increase of non-fiction percentages ,i would therefore say3 devise some means of working upon the authors4 ,these gentry are yet ignorant of the existence of a special library public4 ,some day they will wake up1 and then fiction will be relieved from the burden that oppresses it at present--of carrying most of the interesting philosophy1 religion1 history and social science1 in addition to doing its own proper work4 ,meanwhile the librarian1 who is interested in advertising ideas1 must do what he can with his material4 ,there is still a saving remnant of interesting non-fiction1 and there is a goodly body of readers whose antecedent interest in certain subjects is great enough to attract them to almost any book on those subjects4 ,i have purposely avoided the discussion here of the details of library publicity1 which has been well done elsewhere2 but ,i cannot refrain from expressing my opinion that the ordinary work of the library and its stock of books if properly displayed1 are more effective than any other means that can be used for the purpose4 ,from a series of articles entitled ,how to ,start ,libraries in ,small ,towns by ,a4,m4 ,pendleton1 ,i quote the following1 which appears in ,the ,library ,journal for ,may #ac1 #ahgg3 ,plant it the library among the people1 where its presence will be seen and felt1444 ,other things being equal1 it is better to have it upon the first floor1 so that passers-by will see its goodly array of books and be tempted to inspect them4 ,excellent advice2 we might take it if we had not built our libraries as far away from the street as possible and lifted them up on as high a pedestal as our money would buy4 ,who1 passing by a modern library building1 branch or central1 can by any possibility see through the windows enough of the interior to tell whether it is a library rather than a postoffice1 a bank1 or an office8 ,before moving into its new home the ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library occupied temporarily a business building having a row of six large plate-glass windows on one side1 directly on the sidewalk1 enabling passers-by to see clearly all that went on in the adult lending-delivery room4 ,the effect on the circulation was noteworthy4 ,during the last months of our occupancy we went further and utilized each of the windows for a book display4 ,this was in charge of a special committee of the staff1 and its results were beyond expectation4 ,in one window we had a shelfful of current books1 open to attractive pictures1 with a sign reminding wayfarers that they might be taken out by cardholders and that cards were free4 ,in another we had standard works1 without pictures1 but open at attractive pages4 ,in another we had children's books2 in another1 open reference or art books in a dust-proof case--and so on4 ,each of these windows was seldom without its contingent of gazers1 and the direct effect on library circulation was noticed by all4 ,at the end of the year we moved into our great million-and-a-half-dollar building2 and beautiful as it is--satisfactory as are its arrangements--we have had--alas--to give up our show windows4 ,we can1 it is true1 have show cases in the great entrance hall1 but we want to attract outsiders1 not insiders4 ,some of our enthusiastic staff want to build permanent show cases on the sidewalk4 ,what we may possibly do is to rent real show windows opposite4 ,what we do not desire1 is to abandon our publicity plan altogether4 ,but when1 oh when1 shall we have libraries 7branches at any rate1 if our main buildings must be monumental7 that will throw themselves open to the public eye1 luring in the wayfarer to the joys of reading1 as the commercial window does to the delights of gumdrops or neckties8 ,one of the greatest steps ever taken toward the advertisement of ideas was the adoption1 on a large scale1 of the open shelf4 ,this throws the books of a library1 or many of them1 open to public inspection and handling2 it encourages browsing--the somewhat aimless rambling about and dipping here and there into a volume4 ,if we are to present ideas to our would-be readers in great variety1 hoping that among them there may be toothsome bait1 surely there could be no better way than this4 ,the only trouble is that it appeals only to those who are already sufficiently interested in stored ideas to enter the library4 ,we must remember1 however1 that by our method of sending out books for home use we are making a great open-shelf of the whole city4 ,while the number of volumes in any one place may be small1 the books are constantly changing so that the non-reader has a good chance of seeing in his friend's house something that may attract him4 ,that this may affect the use of the library it is essential that he who sees a library book on the table or in the hands of a fellow passenger on a car must be able to recognize its source at once1 so that1 if attracted1 he may be led thither by the suggestion4 ,nothing is better for this purpose than the library seal1 placed on the book where all may see it2 and that all may recognize it1 it should also be used wherever possible1 in connection with the library--on letter heads1 posters1 lists1 pockets and cards1 so that the public association between its display and the work of the library shall become strong4 ,this making the whole outstanding supply of circulating books an agency in our publicity scheme for ideas is evidently more effective as the books better fit and satisfy their users2 for in that case we have an unpaid agent with each book4 ,the adaptation of book to user helps our advertisement of ideas1 and that in turn aids us in adapting book to user4 ,when a dynamo starts1 the newly arisen current makes the field stronger and that in turn increases the current4 ,only here we must have just a little residual magnetism in the field magnet to start the whole process4 ,in the library's work the residual magnetism is represented by the latent interest in ideas that is present in every community4 ,and ,i can do no better1 in closing1 than to emphasize the fact that everything that advertises ideas1 even if totally unconnected with their recorded form in books1 helps the library and pushes forward its work4 ,itself a product of the great extension of intellectual activity to classes in which it was formerly bounded by narrow limits1 the library is bound to widen those limits wherever they can be stretched1 and every movement of them reacts to help it4 ,surely advertisement on its part is an evangel--a bearing of good intellectual tidings into the darkness4 ,we are spiritualistic mediums in the best sense--the bearers of authentic messages from all the good and great of past or present time2 only with us1 no turning on of the light1 no publicity however glaring1 will break the spell or do otherwise than aid1 for whether we succeed or fail1 whether we live or die1 those messages1 recorded as they are in books1 will stand while humanity remains4 ,,the ,,public ,,library1 ,,the ,,public ,,school1 ,,and ,,the ,,social ,,center ,,movement#g #g ,read before the ,national ,education ,association4 ,the center of a geometrical figure is important1 not for its size and content1 but for its position--not for what it is in itself1 but for its relations to the other elements of the figure4 ,and words used with derived meanings are used best when their original significations are kept in mind4 ,the business center of a city does not contain all of that city's commercial activity2 when we speak of the church as a religious center1 we do not mean that there is to be no religious activity in the home or in other walks of life2 as for the center of population of a large and populous country1 it may be out in the prairie where neither man nor his dwellings are to be seen4 ,all these centers are what they are because of certain relationships4 ,it is so with a social center4 ,but social relationships cover a wide field4 ,the relationships of business1 of religion1 even of mere co-existence1 are all social4 ,may we have a center for so wide a range of activities8 ,even the narrower relations of business or of religion tend to form subsidiary groups and to multiply subsidiary centers4 ,in a large city we may have not only a general business center but centers of the real estate business1 of the hardware or textile trades1 and so on4 ,our religious affiliations condense into denominational centers4 ,in the district of a large city where newly arrived foreign immigrants gather1 you will be shown the group of blocks where the ,poles or the ,hungarians have segregated themselves from the rest1 and even within these1 the houses where dwell families from a particular province or even from one definite city or village4 ,man is social but he is socially clannish1 and the broadest is not so much he who refuses to recognize these clan or caste relationships as he who enters into the largest number of them--he who keeps in touch with his childhood home1 has a wide acquaintance among those of his own religious faith and of his chosen business or profession1 keeps up his old college friendships1 is interested in collecting coins or paintings and knows all the other collectors1 is active in civic and charitable societies1 takes an interest in education and educators1 and so on4 ,the social democracy that should succeed in abolishing all these groups or leveling them--that should recognize no relationships but the broader ones that underly all human effort and feeling--the touches of nature that make the whole world kin--would be barren indeed4 ,we cannot spare these fundamentals2 we could not get rid of them if we would2 but civilization advances by building upon them1 and to do away with these additions would be like destroying a city to get at its foundation1 in the vain hope of securing some wide-reaching result in economics or aesthetics4 ,occupying a foremost place among these groupings is the large division embracing our educational activities4 ,and these are social not only in the broad sense1 but also in the narrower4 ,the intercourse of student with student in the school and even of reader with reader in the library1 especially in such departments as the children's room1 is so obviously that of society that we need dwell on it no further4 ,this intercourse1 while a necessary incident of education in the mass1 is only an incident4 ,it is sufficiently obtrusive1 however1 to make it evident that any use of school or library building for social purposes is fit and proper4 ,there is absolutely nothing new nor strange about such use4 ,in places that cannot afford separate buildings for these purposes1 the same edifice has often served for church1 schoolhouse1 public library1 and as assembly room for political meetings1 amateur theatricals1 and juvenile debating societies4 ,the propriety of all this has never been questioned and it is difficult to see why it should not be as proper in a town of #ejj1jjj inhabitants as in one of #ejj4 ,the incidence of the cost is a matter of detail4 ,why should such purely social use of these educational buildings--always common in small towns--have been allowed to fall into abeyance in the larger ones8 ,it is hard to say2 but with the recent great improvements in construction1 the building of schools and libraries that are models of beauty1 comfort1 and convenience1 there has arisen a not unnatural feeling in the public that all this public property should be put to fuller use4 ,why should children be forced to dance on the street or in some place of sordid association when comfortable and convenient halls in library or school are closed and unoccupied8 ,why should the local debating club1 the mothers' meeting--nay1 why should the political ward meeting be barred out8 ,side by side with this trend of public opinion there has been an awakening realization on the part of many connected with these institutions that they themselves might benefit by such extended use4 ,probably this realization has come earlier and more fully to the library1 because its educational function is directed so much more upon adults4 ,the library is coming to be our great continuation school--an institution of learning with an infinity of purely optional courses4 ,it may open its doors to any form of adult social activity4 ,there are forms of activity proper to a social center that require special apparatus or equipment4 ,these may be furnished in a building erected for the purpose1 as are the ,chicago fieldhouses4 ,here we have swimming-pools1 gymnasiums for men and for women1 and all the rest of it4 ,a branch library is included and some would house the school also under the same roof4 ,we may have to wait long for the general adoption of such a composite social center4 ,our immediate problem is to supply an immediate need by using means directly at our disposal4 ,and it is remarkable how many kinds of neighborhood activity may take place in a room unprovided with any special equipment4 ,a brief glance over our own records for only a few months past enables me to classify them roughly as athletic or outdoor1 purely social1 educational1 debating1 political1 labor1 musical1 religious1 charitable or civic1 and expository1 besides many that defy or elude classification4 ,the athletic or outdoor organizations include the various turning or gymnastic clubs and the ,boy and ,girl ,scouts2 the social organizations embrace dancing-classes1 welfare associations1 alumni and graduate clubs of schools and colleges1 and dramatic clubs2 the educational1 which are very numerous1 reading circles1 literary clubs galore1 free classes in chemistry1 ,french1 psychology1 philosophy1 etc41 and all such organizations as the ,jewish ,culture ,club1 the ,young ,people's ,ethical ,society1 the ,longan ,parliamentary ,class1 and the ,industrial and ,business ,women's ,educational leagues4 ,religious bodies are parish meetings1 committees of mission boards1 and such organizations as the ,theosophical ,society2 charitable or civic activities include the ,national ,conference of ,day ,nurseries1 the ,central ,council of ,civic ,agencies1 the ,w4,c4,t4,u41 playground rehearsals for the ,child ,welfare ,exhibit1 and the ,business ,men's ,association2 and the ,advertising ,men's ,league2 musical organizations embrace ,st4 ,paul's ,musical ,assembly1 the ,tuesday ,choral ,club1 etc4 ,among exhibitions are local affairs such as wild flower shows1 an exhibit of bird-houses1 collections from the ,educational ,museum1 the ,civil ,league's ,municipal ,exhibit1 selected screens from the ,child ,welfare ,exhibit1 and the prize-winners from the ,st4 ,louis ,art ,exhibit held in the art room of our central library4 ,then we have the ,queen ,hedwig ,branch1 the ,clay ,school ,picnic ,association1 the ,aero ,club1 the ,lithuanian ,club1 the ,philotechne ,club1 the ,fathers' ,club1 and the ,united ,spanish ,war ,veterans4 ,i trust you will not call upon me to explain the objects of some of these1 as such a demand might cause me embarrassment--not because their aims are unworthy1 but because these are skilfully obscured by their names4 ,if anyone believes that there is a limit to the capacity of the human race for forming groups and subgroups on a moment's notice1 for any reason or for no reason at all1 ,i would refer him to our assembly room and clubroom records2 and he would find1 ,i think1 that these are typical of every large library offering the use of such rooms somewhat freely4 ,it will be noted that the library takes no part in organizing or operating any of these activities2 it does not have to do so4 ,the successful leader is he who repairs to a hill and raises his standard1 knowing that at sight of it followers will flock around him4 ,when you drop a tiny crystal into a solution1 the atoms all rush to it naturally3 there is no effort or compulsion except that of the aptitudes that their ,creator has implanted in them4 ,so it is with all centers1 business or religious or social4 ,no one instituted a campaign to locate the business center of a city at precisely such a square or corner4 ,things aggregate1 and the point to which they tend is their center2 they make it1 it does not make them4 ,the leader on a hill is a leader because he has followers2 without them he would be but a lone warrior4 ,the school or the library that says proudly to itself1 ,go to2 ,i will be a social center1 may find itself in the same lonely position4 ,it can offer an opportunity3 that is all4 ,it can offer houseroom to clubs1 organizations1 and groups of all kinds1 whether permanent or temporary1 large or small1 but its usefulness as a social center depends largely on the existence of these and on their desire for a meeting place4 ,we have in ,st4 ,louis six branch libraries with assembly rooms and clubrooms--in all a dozen or so4 ,i have before me the calendar for a single week and ,i find #ee engagements1 running from #bd at one branch down thru #ac1 #h1 #f1 and #c to one4 ,if ,i had before me only the largest number ,i should conclude that branch libraries as social centers were a howling success2 if only the smallest1 ,i should say that they were dismal failures4 ,why the difference8 ,for the same reason that the leader who displays his standard may or may not be surrounded with eager flocking followers4 ,there may be no one within earshot1 or they may have no stomach for the war1 or they may not be interested in the cause that he represents4 ,or again1 he may not shout loud or persuasively enough1 or his standard may not be attractive enough in form or color1 or mounted on a sufficiently high staff4 ,i have said that all we can offer is opportunity2 to change our figure1 we can furnish the drinking-fountain--thirst must bring the horse to it4 ,but we must not forget that we offer our opportunity in vain unless we are sure that everyone who might grasp it realizes our offer and what it means4 ,here is the chance for personal endeavor4 ,if the young people in a neighborhood continue to hold their social meetings over a saloon when the branch library or the school is perfectly willing to offer its assembly room1 it is pretty certain that they do not understand that offer1 or that they mistrust its sincerity1 or that there is something wrong that might be remedied by personal effort4 ,in the one of our branches that is most used by organizations there is this personal touch4 ,but ,i should hesitate to say that the others do not have it too4 ,there are plenty of organizations near this busiest library and there are no other good places for them to meet4 ,in the neighborhood of some other branches there are other meeting-places1 and elsewhere1 perhaps1 the social instinct is not so strong1 or at any rate the effort to organize is lacking4 ,should the librarian step out and attempt to stimulate this social instinct and to guide this organizing effort8 ,there is room for difference of opinion here4 ,personally ,i think that he should not do it directly and officially as a librarian4 ,he may do it quietly and unobtrusively like any other private citizen1 but he needs all his efforts1 all his influence1 to bring the book and the reader together in his community4 ,sometimes by doing this he can be doing the other too1 and he can always do it vicariously4 ,he should bear in mind that the successful man is not he who does everything himself1 but he who can induce others to do things--to do them in his way and to direct them toward his ends4 ,even in the most sluggish1 the most indifferent community there are these potential workers with enthusiasms that need only to be awakened to be let loose for good4 ,the magic key is often in the librarian's girdle1 and his free offer of house room and sympathy1 with good literature thrown in1 will always be of powerful assistance in this kind of effort4 ,he will seldom need to do more than to make clear the existence and the nature of the opportunity that he offers4 ,i know that there are some librarians and many more teachers who hesitate to open their doors in any such way as this2 who are afraid that the opportunities offered will be misused or that the activities so sheltered will be misjudged by the public4 ,it has shocked some persons that a young people's dancing-class has been held1 under irreproachable auspices1 in one of our branch libraries2 others have been grieved to see that political ward meetings have taken place in them1 and that some rather radical political theories have been debated there4 ,these persons forget that a library never takes sides4 ,it places on its shelves books on the ,civil ,war from the standpoint of both ,north and ,south1 histories of the great religious controversies by both ,catholics and ,protestants1 ideas and theories in science and philosophy from all sides and at all angles4 ,it may give room at one time to a young people's dancing-class and at another to a meeting of persons who condemn dancing4 ,its walls may echo one day to the praises of our tariff system and on another to fierce denunciations of it4 ,these things are all legitimate and it is better that they should take place in a library or a school building than in a saloon or even in a grocery store4 ,the influence of environment is gently pervasive4 ,i may be wrong1 but ,i cannot help thinking that it is easier to be a gentleman in a library1 whether in social meeting or in political debate1 than it is in some other places4 ,in one of our branches there meets a club of men who would be termed anarchists by some people4 ,the branch librarian assures me that the brand of anarchism that they profess has grown perceptibly milder since they have met in the library4 ,it is getting to be literary1 academic1 philosophic4 ,nourished in a saloon1 with a little injudicious repression1 it might perhaps have borne fruit of bombs and dynamite4 ,in this catholicity ,i cannot help thinking that the library as an educational institution is a step ahead of the school4 ,most teachers would resent the imputation of partisanship on the part of the school1 and yet it is surely partisan--in some ways rightly and inevitably so4 ,one cannot well explain both sides of any question to a child of six and leave its decision to his judgment4 ,this is obvious2 and yet ,i cannot help thinking that there is one-sided teaching of children who are at least old enough to know that there is another side1 and that the one-sided teaching of two-sided subjects might be postponed in some cases until two-sided information would be possible and proper4 ,where a child is taught one side and finds out later that there is another1 his resentment is apt to be bitter2 it spoils the educational effect of much that he was taught and injures the influence of the institution that taught him4 ,my resentment is still strong against the teaching that hid from me the southern viewpoint concerning slavery and secession1 the ,catholic viewpoint of what we ,protestants call the ,reformation--dozens of things omitted from textbooks on dozens of subjects because they did not happen to meet the approval of the textbook compiler4 ,i am no less an opponent of slavery--,i am no less a ,protestant--because ,i know the other side1 but ,i think ,i am a better man for knowing it1 and ,i think it a thousand pities that there are thousands of our fellow citizens1 on all sides of all possible lines1 from whom our educative processes have hid even the fact that there is another side4 ,this question1 as ,i have said1 does not affect the library1 and fortunately need not affect it4 ,and as we are necessarily two-sided in our book material so we can open our doors to free social or neighborhood use without bothering our heads about whether the users are ,catholics1 ,protestants1 or ,jews2 ,democrats1 ,republicans1 or ,socialists2 ,christian ,scientists or suffragists4 ,the library hands our suffrage and anti-suffrage literature to its users with the same smile1 and if it hands the anti-suffrage books to the suffragist1 and vice versa1 both sides are certainly the better for it4 ,i have tried to make it clear in what ,i have said that in this matter of social activity1 public institutions should go as far as they can in furnishing facilities without taking upon themselves the burden of administration4 ,i believe fully in municipal ownership of all kinds of utilities1 but rarely in municipal operation4 ,municipal ownership safeguards the city1 and private or corporate operation avoids the numerous objections to close municipal control of detail4 ,so the library authorities may retain sufficient control of these social activities by the power that they have of admitting them to the parts of the buildings provided for them1 or of excluding them at any time4 ,these activities themselves are better managed by voluntary bodies1 and1 as ,i have said1 there is no indication that the formation of such bodies is on the wane4 ,the establishment and operation of a musical or athletic club1 a debating society1 or a ,boy ,scouts company1 are surely quite as educational as the activities themselves in which their members engage4 ,do not let us arrogate to ourselves such opportunities as these4 ,i should be inclined to take this attitude also with regard to the public playgrounds1 were they not somewhat without the province of this paper2 and ,i take it very strongly with regard to the public school4 ,throw open the school buildings as soon as you can1 and as freely as you can to every legitimate form of social activity1 but let your relationship to this activity be like that of the center to the circle--in it and of it1 but embracing no part of its areal content4 ,so1 ,i am convinced1 will it be best for all of us--for ourselves1 the administrators of public property1 and for the public1 the owning body which is now demanding that it should not be barred out by its servants from that property's freest and fullest use4 ,,the ,,systematization ,,of ,,violence ,the peace propaganda has suffered much from the popular impression that many of those engaged in it are impractical enthusiasts who are assuming the possibility of doing away with passions and prejudices incident to our very humanity1 and of bringing about an ideal reign of love and good will4 ,whether this impression is or is not justified we need not now inquire4 ,it is the impression itself that is injuring the cause of peace1 and will continue to injure it until it is removed4 ,it may at least be lessened by allowing the mind to dwell for a time on another aspect of the subject in which the regime of peace that would follow the discontinuance of all settlement of disputes by violence will appear to consist not so much in the total disappearance of violence from the earth as in the use of it for a different purpose1 namely1 the preservation of the peaceful status quo1 by a systematic and lawful use of force1 or at any rate1 the readiness to employ it4 ,a state of peace1 whether between individuals or nations1 whether without or within a regime of law1 always partakes of the nature of an armed truce3 under one regime1 however1 the arms are borne by the possible contestants themselves2 under the other1 by the community whose members they are4 ,if there is a resort to arms1 violence ensues under both regimes2 in both cases it tends ultimately to restore peace1 but the action is more certain and more systematic when the violence is exerted by the community4 ,these laws may apply indifferently to a community of individuals or to one of nations4 ,the most cogent and the most valid argument at the disposal of the peace advocate is the fact that we no longer allow the individual to take the law into his own hand1 and that logically we should equally prohibit the nation from doing so4 ,this is unanswerable1 but its force has been greatly weakened by the assumption1 which it requires no great astuteness to find unwarranted1 that the settlement of individual quarrels by individual force has resulted from--or at least resulted in--the discontinuance of violence altogether1 or in the dawn of a general era of good-will1 man to man4 ,on the contrary1 it is very doubtful whether there is less violence to-day than there would be if the operation of law were suspended altogether2 the difference1 is that the violence has shifted its incidence and altered its aim--it is civic and social and no longer individual4 ,if we are to introduce the regime of law among nations as among individuals1 our first step must be similarly to shift the incidence of violence4 ,in so doing we may not decrease it1 we may1 indeed1 increase it--but we shall none the less be taking that step in the only possible direction to achieve our purpose4 ,among individuals1 custom1 crystallizing into law1 generally precedes the enforcement of that law by the community4 ,hence1 a somewhat elaborate code may exist side by side with the settlement of disputes1 under that code1 by personal combat4 ,we have among nations such a code1 and we yet admit the settlement of disputes by war1 because the incidence of violence has not yet completely shifted4 ,we have established a tribunal to act1 in certain cases1 on behalf of the community of nations1 but we have not yet given that tribunal complete jurisdiction and we have given it no power whatever to enforce its decrees4 ,it is on this latter point that ,i desire to dwell4 ,in a community of individuals1 there are two ways of using violence to enforce law--by the professional police force and by the posse of citizens4 ,the former is more effective1 but the latter is often readier and more certain in particular instances1 especially in primitive communities4 ,to give it force we must have readiness on the part of every citizen to respond to a call from the proper officer1 and ability to do effective service1 especially by the possession of arms and skill in their use4 ,these requisites are not generally found in more advanced communities4 ,in like manner1 the decrees of an international tribunal might be enforced either by the creation of an international army or by calling upon as many of the nations as necessary to aid in coercing the non-law-abiding member of the international community4 ,each nation is already armed and ready4 ,whatever may be thought of the ultimate possibility of an international army1 it must be evident that the principle of the posse must serve us at the outset4 ,an international army would always consist in part of members of the nation to be coerced1 whereas1 in selecting a posse those furthest in race and in sympathy from the offender might always be chosen1 just as members of a hostile clan would make up the best posse to arrest a ,highlander for sheep-stealing4 ,moreover1 the posse has been used internationally more than once1 as when decrees have been pronounced by a general ,european ,congress and some particular nation or nations have been charged with their execution4 ,when a frontier community that has been a law unto itself gets its first sheriff1 the earliest visible result is not impossibly a sudden increase1 instead of a decrease1 of violence4 ,there is a war of the community1 represented by the sheriff and the good citizens1 against all the bad ones4 ,even so it may be expected that among the first results of an effective agreement to enforce the decrees of an international tribunal1 would be an exceptionally great and violent war4 ,sooner or later some nation would be sure to take issue with an unpopular decree and refuse to obey it4 ,this would probably be one of the larger and more powerful nations1 for a weaker power would not proceed to such lengths in protest4 ,not improbably other nations might join the protesting power4 ,the result would be a war2 it might even be the world war that we have been fearing for a generation4 ,it might conceivably be the greatest and the bloodiest war that the world has yet seen4 ,yet it would be far the most glorious war of history1 for it would be a struggle on behalf of law and order in the community of nations--a fight to uphold that authority by whose exercise alone may peace be assured to the world4 ,the man who shudders at the prospect of such a war1 who wants peace1 but is unwilling to fight for it1 should cease his efforts on behalf of a universal agreement among nations1 for there is no general agreement without power to quell dissension4 ,this is not the place to discuss the details of an international agreement to enforce the decrees of an international tribunal4 ,it may merely be said that if the most powerful and intelligent communities of men that have ever existed cannot devise machinery to do what puny individuals have long been successfully accomplishing1 they had better disband and coalesce in universal anarchy4 ,my object here is neither to propose plans nor to discuss details1 but merely to point out that not the abandonment1 but the systematization of violence is the goal of a rational peace propaganda1 and that when this is once acknowledged and universally realized1 an important step will have been taken toward winning over a class of persons who now oppose a world-peace as impractical and impossible4 ,these persons disapprove of disarmament3 and from the point of view here advocated1 a general disarmament would be the last thing to be desired4 ,the possible member of a posse must bear arms to be effective4 ,armaments may have to be limited and controlled by international decree1 but to disarm a nation would be as criminal and foolish as it would be to take away all weapons from the law-abiding citizens of a mining town as a preliminary to calling upon them to assist in the arrest of a notorious band of outlaws4 ,again3 a common objection to the peace propaganda is that without war we shall have none of the heroic virtues that war calls into being4 ,this objection fails utterly when we consider that what we shall get under a proper international agreement is not the abolition of war1 but simply an assurance that when there is a war it will be one in which every good citizen can take at once the part of international law and order--a contest between the law and the law-breaker1 and not one in which both contestants are equally lawless4 ,thus the profession of arms will still be an honorable one--it will1 in fact1 be much more honorable than it is to-day1 when it may at any moment be prostituted to the service of greed or commercialism4 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,re-,,reading ,i have nothing to read1 said a man to me once4 ,but your house seems to be filled with books4 ,o1 yes2 but ,i've read them already4 ,what should we think of a man who should complain that he had no friends1 when his house was thronged daily with guests1 simply because he had seen and talked with them all once before8 ,such a man has either chosen badly1 or he is himself at fault4 ,hold fast that which is good says the ,scripture4 ,do not taste it once and throw it away4 ,to get at the root of this matter we must go farther back than literature and inquire what it has in common with all other forms of art to compel our love and admiration4 ,now1 a work of art differs from any other result of human endeavor in this--that its effect depends chiefly on the way in which it is made and only secondarily upon what it is or what it represents4 ,were this not true1 all statues of ,apollo or ,venus would have the same art-value2 and you or ,i1 if we could find a tree and a hill that ,corot had painted1 would be able to produce a picture as charming to the beholder as his4 ,the way in which a thing is done is1 of course1 always important1 but its importance outside of the sphere of art differs from that within4 ,the way in which a machine is constructed makes it good or bad1 but the thing that is aimed at here is the useful working of the machine1 toward which all the skill of the maker is directed4 ,what the artist aims at is not so much to produce a likeness of a god or a picture of a tree1 as to produce certain effects in the person who looks at his complete work2 and this he does by the way in which he performs it4 ,the fact that a painting represents certain trees and hills is here only secondary2 the primary fact is what the artist has succeeded in making the on-looker feel4 ,while ,sorolla is painting a group of children on the beach1 ,i may take a kodak picture of the same group4 ,my photograph may be a better likeness than ,sorolla's picture1 but it has no art-value4 ,why8 ,because it was made mechanically1 whereas ,sorolla put into his picture something of himself1 making it a unique thing1 incapable of imitation or of reproduction4 ,the man who has a message1 one of those pervasive1 compelling messages that are worth while1 naturally turns to art4 ,he chooses his subject not as an end1 but as a vehicle1 and he makes it speak his message by his method of treatment1 conveying it to his public more or less successfully in the measure of his skill4 ,we have been speaking of the representative arts of painting and sculpture1 but the same is true of art in any form4 ,in music1 not a representative art1 in spite of the somewhat grotesque claims of so-called program music1 the method of the composer is everything1 or at least his subject is so vague and immaterial that no one would think of exalting it as an end in itself4 ,there is1 however1 an art in which the subject stands forth so prominently that even those who love the art itself are continually in danger of forgetting the subject's secondary character4 ,i mean the art of literature4 ,among the works of written speech the boundaries of art are much more ill-defined than they are elsewhere4 ,there is1 to be sure1 as much difference between ,shelley's ,ode to a ,skylark and ,todhunter's ,trigonometry as there is between the ,venus de ,milo and a battleship2 and ,i conceive that the difference is also of precisely the same kind1 being that by which1 as we have seen above1 we may always discriminate between a work of art and one of utility4 ,but where art-value and utility are closely combined1 as they are most frequently in literature1 it is1 ,i believe1 more difficult to divide them mentally and to dwell on their separate characteristics1 than where the work is a concrete object4 ,this is why we hear so many disputes about whether a given work does or does not belong to the realm of pure literature1 and it is also the reason why1 as ,i have said1 some1 even among those who love literature1 are not always ready to recognize its nature as an art1 or mistakenly believe that in so far as its art-value is concerned1 the subject portrayed is of primary importance--is an aim in itself instead of being a mere vehicle for the conveyance of an impression4 ,take1 if you please1 works which were intended by their authors as works of utility1 but have survived as works of art in spite of themselves1 such as ,walton's ,compleat ,angler and ,white's ,natural ,history of ,selborne4 ,will anyone maintain that the subject-matter of those books has much to do with their preservation1 or with the estimation in which they are now held8 ,nay2 we may even be so bold as to enter the field of fiction and to assert that those fictional works that have purely literary value are loved not for the story they tell1 but for the way in which the author tells it and for the effect that he thereby produces on the reader4 ,i conceive that pure literature is an art1 subject to the rules that govern all art1 and that its value depends primarily on the effect produced on the reader--the message conveyed--by the way in which the writer has done his work1 the subject chosen being only his vehicle4 ,where a man who has something to say looks about for means to say it worthily1 he may select a tale1 a philosophical disquisition1 a familiar essay1 a drama or a lyric poem4 ,he may choose badly or well1 but in any case it is his message that matters4 ,my excuse for dwelling on this matter must be that unless ,i have carried you with me thus far what ,i am about to say will have no meaning1 and ,i had best fold my papers1 make my bow1 and conclude an unprofitable business4 ,for my subject is re-reading1 the repetition of a message2 and the message that we would willingly hear repeated is not that of utility but of emotion4 ,it is the word that thrills the heart1 nerves the arm1 and puts new life into the veins1 not that which simply conveys information4 ,the former will produce its effect again and again1 custom can not stale it4 ,the latter1 once delivered1 has done its work4 ,i see two messengers approaching2 one1 whom ,i have sent to a library to ascertain the birth-date of ,oliver ,cromwell1 tells me what it is and receives my thanks4 ,the other tells me that one dear to my heart1 long lying at death's door1 is recovering4 ,my blood courses through my veins2 my nerves tingle2 joy suffuses me where gloom reigned before4 ,i cry out2 ,i beg the bearer of good tidings to tell them again and again2 ,i keep him by me1 so that ,i may ask him a thousand questions1 bringing out his message in a thousand variant forms4 ,but do ,i turn to the other and say1 ,o1 that blessed date6 was ,cromwell truly born thereon8 ,let me1 ,i pray1 hear you recite it again and again6 ,i trow1 not4 ,the message that we desire to hear again is the one that produces its effect again and again2 and that is the message of feeling1 the message of art--not that of mere utility4 ,this is so true that ,i conceive we may use it as a test of art-value4 ,the great works of literature do not lose their effect on a single reading4 ,one makes response to them the hundredth time as he did the first4 ,their appeal is so compelling that there is no denying it--no resisting it4 ,there are snatches of poetry--and of prose1 too--that we have by heart2 that we murmur to ourselves again and again1 sure that the response which never failed will come again1 thrilling the whole organism with its pathos1 uplifting us with the nobility of its appeal1 warming us with its humor4 ,there is a little sequence of homely verse that never fails to bring the tears to my eyes4 ,i have tested myself with it under the most unfavorable circumstances4 ,in the midst of business1 amid social jollity1 in the mental dullness of fatigue1 ,i have stopped and repeated to myself those three verses4 ,so quickly acts the magic of the author's skill that the earlier verses grip the fibers of my mind and twist them in such fashion that ,i feel the pathos of the last lines just as ,i felt them for the first time1 years ago4 ,you might all tell similar stories4 ,i believe that this is a characteristic of good literature1 and that all of it will bear reading1 and re-reading1 and reading again4 ,but ,i hear someone say1 ,do you mean to tell me that those three little verses that bring the tears to your eyes1 will bring them also to mine and my neighbor's8 ,i might listen to them appreciatively but dry-eyed2 my neighbor might not care for them enough to re-read them once4 ,all about us we see this personal equation in the appreciation of literature4 ,unless you are prepared1 then1 to maintain that literature may be good for one and bad for another1 your contention will scarcely hold water4 ,even so1 brother4 ,the messenger who told me of the safety of my dear one did not thrill your heart as he did mine4 ,she was dear to me1 not to you1 and the infinitely delicate yet powerful chain of conditions and relations that operated between the messenger's voice and my emotional nature did not connect him with yours4 ,assuredly1 the message that reaches one man may not reach another4 ,it may even reach a man in his youth and fall short in manhood1 or vice versa4 ,it may be good for him and inoperative on all the rest of the world4 ,we estimate literature1 it is true1 by the universality of its appeal or by the character of the persons whom alone that appeal reaches4 ,the message of literature as art may thus be to the crowd or to a select few4 ,i could even imagine intellect and feeling of such exquisite fineness1 such acknowledged superiority1 that appeal to it alone might be enough to fix the status of a work of art1 though it might leave all others cold4 ,still1 in general ,i believe1 that the greatest literature appeals to the greatest number and to the largest number of types4 ,i believe that there are very few persons to whom ,shakespeare1 properly presented1 will not appeal4 ,in him1 nevertheless1 the learned and those of taste also delight4 ,there are authors like ,walter ,pater who are a joy to the few but do not please the many4 ,there are others galore1 whom perhaps it would be invidious to name1 who inspire joy in the multitude but only distaste in the more discriminating4 ,we place ,pater above these1 just as we should always put quality above quantity2 but ,i place ,shakespeare vastly higher1 because his appeal is to the few and the many at once4 ,but we must1 ,i think1 acknowledge that an author whose value may not appeal to others may be great to one reader2 that his influence on that reader may be as strong for good as if it were universal instead of unique4 ,we may not place such a writer in the ,walhalla1 but ,i beseech you1 do not let us tear him rudely from the one or two to whom he is good and great4 ,do not lop off the clinging arms at the elbow1 but rather skilfully present some other object of adoration to the intent that they may voluntarily untwine and enfold this new object more worthily4 ,the man who desires to own books but who can afford only a small and select library can not do better than to make his selection on this basis--to get together a collection of well-loved books any one of which would give him pleasure in re-reading4 ,why should a man harbor in his house a book that he has read once and never cares to read again8 ,why should he own one that he will never care to read at all8 ,we are not considering the books of the great collectors1 coveted for their rarity or their early dates1 for their previous ownership or the beauty of their binding--for any reason except the one that makes them books rather than curiosities4 ,these collections are not libraries in the intellectual or the literary sense4 ,three well thumbed volumes in the attic of one who loves them are a better library for him than those on which ,pierpont ,morgan spent his millions4 ,this advice1 it will be noted1 implies that the man has an opportunity to read the book before he decides whether to buy it or not4 ,here is where the ,public ,library comes in4 ,some regard the ,public ,library as an institution to obviate all necessity of owning books4 ,it should rather be regarded from our present standpoint as an institution to enable readers to own the books that they need--to survey the field and make therefrom a proper and well-considered selection4 ,that it has acted so in the past1 none may doubt2 it is the business of librarians to see that this function is emphasized in the future4 ,the bookseller and the librarian are not rivals1 but co-workers4 ,librarians complain of the point of view of those publishers and dealers who regard every library user as a lost customer4 ,he is rather1 they say1 in many cases a customer won--a non-reader added to the reading class--a possible purchaser of books4 ,but have not librarians shared somewhat this mistaken and intolerant attitude8 ,how often do we urge our readers to become book-owners8 ,how often do we give them information and aid directed toward this end8 ,the success of the ,christmas book exhibitions held in many libraries should be a lesson to us4 ,the lists issued in connection with these almost always include prices1 publishers' names1 and other information intended especially for the would-be purchaser4 ,but why should we limit our efforts to the holiday season8 ,true1 every librarian does occasionally respond to requests for advice in book-selection and book-purchase1 but the library is not yet recognized as the great testing field of the would-be book owner2 the librarian is not yet hailed as the community's expert adviser in the selection and purchase of books1 as well as its book guardian and book distributor4 ,that this may be and should be1 ,i believe4 ,it will be if the librarian wills it4 ,are we straying from our subject8 ,no2 for from our present standpoint a book bought is a book reread4 ,my ideal private library is a room1 be it large or small1 lined with books1 every one of which is the owner's familiar friend1 some almost known by heart1 others re-read many times1 others still waiting to be re-read4 ,but how about the man whose first selection for this intimate personal group would be a complete set of the works of ,george ,ade8 ,well1 if that is his taste1 let his library reflect it4 ,let a man be himself4 ,that there is virtue in merely surrounding oneself with the great masters of literature all unread and unloved1 ,i can not see4 ,better acknowledge your poor taste than be a hypocrite4 ,the librarian can not force the classics down the unwilling throats of those who do not care for them and are perhaps unfitted to appreciate them4 ,there has been entirely too much of this already and it has resulted disastrously4 ,surely1 a sane via media is possible1 and we may agree that a man will never like ,eschylus1 without assuring him that ,eschylus is an out-of-date old fogy1 while on the other hand we may acknowledge the greatness of ,homer and ,milton without trying to force them upon unwilling and incompetent readers4 ,after all it is not so much a question of ,milton versus ,george ,ade1 as it is of sanity and wholesomeness against vulgarity and morbidity4 ,and if ,i were to walk through one city and behold collections of this latter sort predominating and then through another1 where my eyes were gladdened with evidences of good taste1 of love for humor that is wholesome1 sentiment that is sane1 verse that is tuneful and noble1 ,i should at once call on the public librarian and ,i should say to him1 ,thou art the man6 ,the literary taste of your community is a reflection of your own as shown forth in your own institution--its collection of books1 the assistants with which you have surrounded yourself1 your attitude and theirs through you toward literature and toward the public4 ,but1 someone asks1 suppose that ,i am so fortunate and so happy as to sit in the midst of such a group of friendly authors2 how and how often shall ,i re-read8 ,shall ,i traverse the group every year8 ,he who speaks thus is playing a part2 he is not the real thing4 ,does the young lover ask how and how often he shall go to see his sweetheart8 ,try to see whether you can keep him away6 ,the book-lover reopens his favorite volume whenever he feels like it4 ,among the works on his shelves are books for every mood1 every shade of varying temper and humor4 ,he chooses for the moment the friend that best corresponds to it1 or it may be1 the one that may best woo him away from it4 ,it may be that he will select none of them1 but occupy himself with a pile of newcomers1 some of whom may be candidates for admission to the inner group4 ,the whole thing--the composition of his library1 his attitude toward it1 the books that he re-reads oftenest1 the favorite passages that he loves1 that he scans fondly with his eye while yet he can repeat them by heart1 his standards of admission to his inner circle--all is peculiarly and personally his own4 ,there is no other precisely like it1 just as there is no other human being precisely like its owner4 ,there is as much difference between this kind of a library and some that we have seen as there is between a live1 breathing creature with a mind and emotions and aspirations1 and a wax figure in the ,eden ,musee4 ,thus every book lover re-reads his favorites in a way of his own1 just as every individual human being loves or hates or mourns or rejoices in a way of his own4 ,one can no more describe these idiosyncrasies than he can write a history of all the individuals in the world1 but perhaps1 in the manner of the ethnological or zoological classifier1 it may interest us to glance at the types of a few genera or species4 ,and first1 please note that re-reading is the exact repetition of a dual mental experience1 so far at least as one of the minds is concerned4 ,it is a replica of mind-contact1 under conditions obtainable nowhere else in this world and of such nature that some of them seem almost to partake of other-worldliness4 ,my yesterday's interview with ,smith or ,jones1 trivial as it is1 ,i can not repeat4 ,smith can not remember what he said1 and even if he could1 he could not say it to me in the same way and to the same purpose4 ,but my interview with ,plato--with ,shakespeare1 with ,emerson2 my talk with ,julius ,caesar1 with ,goethe1 with ,lincoln6 ,i can duplicate it once1 twice1 a hundred times4 ,my own mind--one party to the contact--may change1 but ,plato's or ,lincoln's is ever the same2 they speak no various language like ,byrant's nature1 but are like that great ,author of ,nature who has taken them to ,himself1 in that in them is no variableness1 neither shadow of turning4 ,to realize that these men may speak to me today1 across the abyss of time1 and that ,i can count on the same message tomorrow1 next year and on my death bed1 in the same authentic words1 producing the same effect1 assures me that somewhere1 somehow1 a miracle has been wrought4 ,i have said that one of the minds that come thus into contact changes not1 while the other1 the reader's1 is alterable4 ,this gives him a sort of standard by which he can measure or at least estimate1 the changes that go on within him1 the temporary ones due to fluctuations in health1 strength or temper1 the progressive ones due to natural growth or to outside influences4 ,in his ,introduction to ,don ,quixote1 ,heine tells us how that book1 the first that he ever read1 was his mental companion through life4 ,in that first perusal knowing not how much irony ,god had interwoven into the world1 he looked upon the luckless knight as a real hero of romance and wept bitterly when his chivalry and generosity met with ingratitude and violence4 ,a little later1 when the satire dawned upon his comprehension1 he could not bear the book4 ,still later he read it with contemptuous laughter at the poor knight4 ,but when in later life1 he lay racked on a bed of pain his attitude of sympathy returned4 ,dulcinea del ,toboso1 he says is still the most beautiful woman in the world2 although ,i lie stretched upon the earth1 helpless and miserable1 ,i will never take back that assertion4 ,i can not do otherwise4 ,on with your lances1 ye ,knights of the ,silver ,moon2 ye disguised barbers6 ,so every reader's viewpoint shifts with the years4 ,our friend who welcomes ,george ,ade to his inner sanctuary may find as the years go on that his reaction to that contact has altered4 ,i should not recommend that the author be then be cast into outer darkness4 ,once a favorite1 always a favorite1 for old sake's sake even if not for present power and influence4 ,our private libraries will hold shelf after shelf of these old-time favorites--milestones on the intellectual track over which we have wearily or joyously traveled4 ,there will always be a warm spot in my heart and a nook on my private shelf for ,oliver ,optic and ,horatio ,alger4 ,though ,i bar them from my library 7,i mean my ,library with a big ,l7 ,i have no right to exclude them from my private collection of favorites1 for once ,i loved them4 ,i scarcely know why or how4 ,if there had been in those far-off days of my boyhood1 children's libraries and children's librarians1 ,i might not have known them2 as it is1 they are incidents in my literary past that can not be blinked1 shameful though they may be4 ,the re-reading of such books as these is interesting because it shows us how far we have traveled since we counted them among our favorites4 ,then there is the book that1 despite its acknowledged excellence1 the reader would not perhaps admit to his inner circle if he read it now for the first time4 ,it holds its place largely on account of the glamour with which his youth invested it4 ,it thrills him now as it thrilled him then1 but he half suspects that the thrill is largely reminiscent4 ,i sometimes fancy that as ,i re-read ,ivanhoe and my heart leaps to my mouth when the knights clash at ,ashby1 the propulsive power of that leap had its origin in the emotions of #ahgj rather than those of #aiad4 ,and when some of ,dickens' pathos--that death-bed of ,paul ,dombey for instance--brings the tears again unbidden to my eyes1 ,i suspect1 though ,i scarcely dare to put my suspicion into words1 that the salt in those tears is of the vintage of #ahge4 ,i am reading ,arnold ,bennett now and loving him very dearly when he is at his best2 but how ,i shall feel about him in #aicj or how ,i might feel if ,i could live until #bjad1 is another question4 ,then there is the book that1 scarce comprehended or appreciated when it was first read1 but loved for some magic of expression or turn of thought1 shows new beauties at each re-reading1 unfolding like an opening rose and bringing to view petals of beauty1 wit1 wisdom and power that were before unsuspected4 ,this is the kind of book that one loves most to re-read1 for the growth that one sees in it is after all in oneself--not in the book4 ,the gems that you did not see when you read it first were there then as they are now4 ,you saw them not then and you see them now1 for your mental sight is stronger--you are more of a man now than you were then4 ,not that all the changes of the years are necessarily for the better4 ,they may be neither for better nor for worse4 ,as the moving train hurries us onward we may enjoy successively the beauties of canyon1 prairie and lake1 admiring each as we come to it without prejudice to what has gone before4 ,in youth we love only bright colors and their contrasts--brilliant sunsets and autumn foliage2 in later life we come to appreciate also the more delicate tints and their gradations--a prospect of swamp-land and distant lake or sea on a gray day2 a smoky town in the fog2 the tender dove colors of early dawns4 ,so in youth we eagerly read of blood and glory and wild adventure2 ,trollope is insufferably dull4 ,jane ,austen is for old maids2 even such a gem as ,cranford we do not rate at its true value4 ,but in after life how their quiet shades and tints come out6 ,there is no glory in them1 no carnage1 no combat2 but there is charm and fascination in the very slowness of their movement1 the shortness of their range1 their lack of intensity1 the absence of the shrill1 high notes and the tremendous bases4 ,then there is the re-reading that accuses the reader of another kind of change--a twist to the right or the left1 a cast in the mental eye1 or perhaps the correction of such a cast4 ,the doctrines in some book seemed strange to you once--almost abhorrent2 you are ready to accept them now4 ,is it because you then saw through a glass darkly and now more clearly8 ,or is your vision darker now than it was8 ,your rereading apprizes you that there has been a change of some sort4 ,perhaps you must await corroborative testimony before you decide what its nature has been4 ,possibly you read today without a blush what your mind of twenty years ago would have been shocked to meet4 ,are you broader-minded or just hardened8 ,these questions are disquieting1 but the disturbance that they cause is wholesome1 and ,i know of no way in which they can be raised in more uncompromising form than by re-reading an old favorite1 by bringing the alterable fabric of your living1 growing and changing mind into contact with the stiff1 unyielding yardstick of an unchangeable mental record--the cast of one phase of a master mind that once was but has passed on4 ,here ,i can not help saying a word of a kind of re-reading that is not the perusal of literature at all with most of us--the re-reading of our own words1 written down in previous years--old letters1 old lectures1 articles--books1 perhaps1 if we chance to be authors4 ,of little value1 perhaps1 to others1 these are of the greatest interest to ourselves because instead of measuring our minds by an outside standard they enable us to set side by side two phases of our own life--the ego of #ahib1 perhaps1 and that of #aiad4 ,how boyish that other ego was2 how it jumped to conclusions2 how ignorant it was and how self-confident6 ,and yet1 how fresh it was2 how quickly responsive to new impressions2 how unspoiled2 how aspiring6 ,if you want to know the changes that have transformed the mind that was into the very different one that now is1 read your own old letters4 ,i have tried to show you that pure literature is an art and like other arts depends primarily upon manner and only secondarily upon matter4 ,that the artist1 who in this case is the author1 uses his power to influence the reader usually through his emotions or feelings and that its effects to a notable extent1 are not marred by repetition4 ,that on this account all good literature may be re-read over and over1 and that the pleasure derived from such re-reading is a sign that a book is peculiarly adapted in some way to the reader4 ,finally1 that one's private library1 especially if its size be limited1 may well consist of personal favorites1 often re-read4 ,when the astronomer ,kepler had reduced to simple laws the complicated motions of the planets he cried out in ecstacy3 ,o ,god6 now think ,i ,thy thoughts after ,thee6 ,thus when a great writer of old time has been vouchsafed a spark of the divine fire we may think his divine thoughts after him by re-reading4 ,and ,shakespeare tells us in that deathless speech of ,portia's1 that since mercy is ,god's attribute we may by exercising it become like ,god4 ,thus1 by the mere act of tuning our brains to think the thoughts that the ,almighty has put into the minds of the good and the great1 may it not be that our own thoughts may at the last come to be shaped in the same mould8 ,old wine1 old friends1 old books1 says the old adage2 and of the three the last are surely the most satisfying4 ,the old wine may turn to vinegar2 old friends may forget or forsake us2 but the old book is ever the same4 ,what would the old man do without it8 ,and to you who are young ,i would say--you may re-read1 you first must read4 ,choose worthy books to love4 ,as for those who know no book long enough either to love or despise it--who skim through good and bad alike and forget page ninety-nine while reading page #ajj1 we may simply say to them1 in the words of the witty ,frenchman1 ,what a sad old age you are preparing for yourself6 ,,history ,,and ,,heredity#h #h ,read before the ,new ,england ,society of ,st4 ,louis4 ,in one of his earlier books1 ,prof4 ,hugo ,munsterberg cites the growing love for tracing pedigrees as evidence of a dangerous ,american tendency toward aristocracy4 ,there are only two little things the matter with this--the fact and the inference from it4 ,in the first place1 we ,americans have always been proud of our ancestry and fond of tracing it2 and in the second place1 this fondness is akin1 not to aristocracy but to democracy4 ,it is not the purpose of this paper to prove this thesis in detail1 so ,i will merely bid you note that aristocratic pedigree-tracers confine themselves to one line1 or to a few lines4 ,burke will tell you that one of the great-great-grandfathers of the present ,lord ,foozlem was the ,first ,baron2 he is silent about his great-grandfather1 the tinker1 and his great-grandfather1 the pettifogging country lawyer4 ,americans are far more apt to push their genealogical investigations in all directions1 because they are prompted by a legitimate curiosity rather than by desire to prove a point1 ,american genealogical research is biological1 while that of ,europe is commercial4 ,an obvious advantage of interest in our ancestors is that it ought to make history a more vital thing to us2 for to them1 history was merely current events in which they took part1 or which1 at least1 they watched4 ,this linking up of our personal ancestral lines with past events is done too seldom4 ,societies like the ,new ,england ,society are doing it1 and it is for this reason that ,i have chosen to bring the subject briefly before you4 ,it has been noted that our historical notions of the ,civil ,war are now1 and are going to be in the future1 more just and less partisan than those of the ,revolution4 ,this is not because we are nearer the ,civil ,war2 for nearness often tends to confuse historical ideas rather than to clear them up4 ,it is because the descendants of those who fought on both sides are here with us1 citizens of our common country1 intermarrying and coming into contact in a thousand ways4 ,we are not likely to ignore the ,southern standpoint regarding the rights of secession and the events of the struggle so long as the sons and daughters of ,confederate soldiers live among us4 ,nor shall we ever forget the ,northern point of view while the descendants of those who fought with ,grant and ,sherman are our friends and neighbors4 ,it is otherwise with the ,revolution4 ,we are the descendants only of those who fought on one side4 ,of the others1 part went back to their homes in ,england1 the rest1 our old neighbors and friends1 we despoiled of their lands and drove across our northern border with execrations1 to make new homes in a new land and view us with a hatred that has not yet passed away4 ,if you doubt it1 discuss the ,american ,revolution for fifteen minutes with one of the ,united ,empire ,loyalists of ,toronto4 ,it will surprise you to know that your patriot ancestors were thieves1 blacklegs and scoundrels4 ,i do not believe that they were2 but possibly they were not the impossible archangels of the school histories4 ,of one thing ,i am sure2 that if the descendants of those who fought against us in '#gf had been left to mingle with our own people1 the historical recollections of the struggle would have been surer and truer on both sides than they are today4 ,here is a case where ancestry has perverted history1 but simply because there has been an unnatural segregation of descendants4 ,let me note another where we have absolutely forgotten our ancestral predilections and have gone over to the other side1 simply because the other side made the records4 ,when we read a ,roman account of encounters between the legions and the northern tribes1 where do we place ourselves in imagination1 as readers8 ,always with the ,roman legions4 ,but our place is not there2 it is with our hardy and brave forefathers1 fighting to defend their country and their firesides against the southern intruders4 ,how many teachers of history try to utilize race-consciousness in their pupils to make them attain a clearer knowledge of what it all meant8 ,should we not be proud that we are of the blood of men who withstood the self-styled rulers of the world and won their freedom and their right to shape their own personal and civic development8 ,i should like to see a book tracing the history and development of an imaginary ,anglo-,saxon ,american line of ancestry1 taking it from the forests of ,northern ,germany across to ,britain1 through the ,norman conquest and down the stream of subsequent ,english history across seas to ,america--through savage wars and ,revolution1 perhaps across the ,alleghenies1 to settle finally in the great ,west4 ,i would try to make the reader realize that here was no fairy tale--no tale of countries and races with which we have naught to do1 but the story of our own fathers1 whose features and whose characteristics1 physical and mental1 have been transmitted by heredity to us1 their sons and daughters of the year #aiac4 ,it is unfortunate perhaps1 for our perceptions of racial continuity1 that we are rovers by disposition4 ,who runs across the sea1 says the ,latin poet1 changes his sky but not his mind4 ,true enough1 but it is difficult for some of us to realize it4 ,it is hard for some of us to realize that our emigrant ancestors were the same men and women when they set foot on these shores as when they left the other side some weeks before4 ,our trans-,atlantic cousins labor under the same difficulties1 for they assure us continually that we are a new country4 ,we have1 they say1 the faults and the advantages of youth4 ,it would be interesting to know at just what point in the passage the education and the habits and the prejudices of the incoming ,englishman dropped off4 ,change of environment works wonders with habits and even with character2 we must of course recognize that2 but it certainly does not make of the mind a tabula rasa1 on which the fresh surroundings may absolutely work their will4 ,i must say that our migrations within the limits of our own continent have not been productive of so much forgetfulness4 ,i have been struck1 for instance1 since ,i came to ,st4 ,louis1 with what ,i may call the source-consciousness of our western population4 ,everyone1 whether he is particularly interested in genealogy or not1 knows that his people came from ,vermont or ,virginia or ,pennsylvania4 ,he may not be able to trace his ancestry1 or even to name his great-grandfather2 but with the source of that ancestry he is always acquainted4 ,i believe this to be the case throughout the ,middle ,west4 ,from this point of view the population is not so well mixed as it is in the ,east4 ,no one in ,massachusetts or ,connecticut can point out to you1 offhand1 the families that came from particular counties in ,england4 ,and yet in ,england1 a migration from one county to another is always recognized and remembered4 ,a cousin of mine1 visiting on an ,english estate1 was casually informed by his host1 ,our family are newcomers in this county4 ,we moved in only about #cjj years ago4 ,from this point of view we are all newcomers in ,america4 ,it is to be hoped that as the years go on1 the elements of our western population will not so thoroughly lose sight of their sources as have the ,easterners4 ,it is not likely that they will1 for those sources are more accessible4 ,we have ,virginia families who still keep up friendly intercourse with the old stock2 ,vermont families who spend each summer on the old homestead2 and so on4 ,the ,new ,englander did not and could not keep up similar relations with ,old ,england4 ,even the ,southerner1 who did it for a time1 had to drop it4 ,our inter-communication with ,europe has grown enormously in volume1 but little of it1 if any1 is due to continuous ancestral interest1 although a revived general interest has sprung up and is to be commended4 ,i fear1 however1 that the greater part of this interest in sources1 where it exists1 is very far from an intelligent connection with the body of historical fact4 ,when a man is proud of the fact that an ancestor took part in the famous ,boston ,tea ,party1 has he taken any pains to ascertain what actually took place on that occasion8 ,if he claims descent from ,pocahontas1 can he tell us just how much of what we currently believe of her is fact and how much is myth8 ,if he knows that his family came from ,cheshire1 ,england1 and was established and well-known there for centuries1 what does he know of the history of ,cheshire and of the connection of his ancestors with it8 ,our interest1 when it exists1 is concentrated too much on trivial happenings4 ,we know and boast that an ancestor came over in the ,mayflower without knowing of the family doings before and after that event4 ,of course1 connection with some one picturesque event serves to stimulate the imagination and focus the interest1 but these events should serve as starting points for investigation rather than resting points where interest begins and ends4 ,historical students are beginning to realize that it is not enough to know about the battle of ,hastings without understanding the causes and forces that led to it and proceeded from it1 and the daily lives and thoughts of those who took part in it1 from captain to spearman4 ,this failure to link up family history with general history is responsible for many sad losses of historical material4 ,many persons do not understand the value of old letters and diaries2 many who do1 keep them closely in the family archives where they are unknown and unappreciated4 ,old letters containing material that bears in any way on the events1 customs or life of the time1 should be turned over to the local historical society4 ,if they contain private matter1 seal up the packet and require that it shall remain sealed for a century1 if you wish2 but do not burn it4 ,the feeling that destroys such documents is simply evidence that we are historically valuing the individual and the family above the community1 just as we still are in so many other fields of thought4 ,i cannot tolerate the idea that we shall ultimately think only in terms of the common good2 the smaller units1 the man1 the family must not lose their influence1 but the connection between them and the general welfare must be better understood and more generally recognized2 and this must be done1 in the first place1 in all that relates to their historical records and to our historical consciousness4 ,ancestral feeling should1 in this way1 always be historical1 not individual4 ,a man is right to be personally proud of his own achievements1 but it is difficult to see how he can properly take the same kind of pride in that of others1 whether related to him by blood or not4 ,but there are other kinds of legitimate pride--family pride1 racial pride1 group pride of all sorts1 where the feeling is not personal4 ,if any member of a family1 a profession or any association1 has so conducted himself that credit is gained for the whole body1 it is proper that this kind of group pride should be felt by each member of the body1 and in the case of a family1 where the bond is one of blood1 the group feeling should be stronger and the group pride1 if it is proper to feel it at all1 may be of peculiar strength1 provided it be carefully distinguished from the pride due to personal achievement4 ,and when the member of the family in whom one takes pride is an ancestor1 this means1 as ,i have said1 that feeling should be historical1 not individual4 ,and anything that tends to lift our interest from the individual to the historical plane--to make us cease from congratulating ourselves personally on some connection with the good and great and substitute a feeling of group pride shared in common by some body to which we all belong1 is acting toward this desirable end4 ,the body may be a family2 it may be the community or the state2 it may be as broad as humanity itself1 for we may all be proud of the world's greatest4 ,or it may be a body like our own1 formed to cherish the memories of forebears in some particular line of endeavor1 in some particular place or at some particular era4 ,our ancestry is part of our history2 so long as our regard for it is properly interwoven with our historical sense1 no one can properly charge us with laying the foundation for aristocracy4 ,we are rather making true democracy possible1 for such is the case only when the elements of a community are closely united by ties of blood1 interest and knowledge--by pride in those who have gone before and by determination that the standard set by these men and women of old shall be worthily upheld4 ,,what ,,the ,,flag ,,stands ,,for#i #i ,an address on ,flag ,day made in ,st4 ,peter's ,church1 ,st4 ,louis4 ,the most important things in the world are ideas4 ,we are so familiar with the things that are the material embodiment of ideas--buildings1 roads1 vehicles and machines--that we are prone to forget that without the ideas that gave them birth all these would be impossible4 ,a house is a mass of wood1 stone and metal1 but all these substances1 collected in a pile1 do not suffice to make a house4 ,a locomotive is made of steel and brass1 but although the ancient ,romans had both the metal and the alloy1 they had no locomotives4 ,the vital thing about the house--the thing that differentiates it from other masses of the same materials--is the idea--the plan--that was in the architect's mind while wood and stone and iron were still in forest1 quarry and mine4 ,the vital thing about the locomotive is the builder's idea or plan1 which he derived1 in turn1 from the inventor4 ,the reason why there were no locomotives in ancient ,rome is that in those days the locomotive had not yet been invented1 and when we say this we refer not to the materials1 which the ,romans had in abundance1 but to the idea or plan of the locomotive4 ,so it is with the whole material world about us4 ,the things that result1 not from man's activities1 but from the operations of nature1 are no exceptions2 for1 if we are ,christians1 we believe that the idea or plan of a man1 or a horse1 or a tree1 was in the mind of the great architect1 the great machinist1 before the world began1 and that this idea is the important thing about each4 ,a man1 a house1 an engine--these are ideas that lead to things that we can feel1 and see and hear4 ,but there are other ideas that have nothing of the kind to correspond to them--,i mean such ideas as charity1 manliness1 religion and patriotism--what sometimes are called abstract qualities4 ,these are real things and their ideas are even more important than the others1 but we cannot see nor feel them4 ,now1 man likes to use his senses1 and it is for this reason that he is fond of using for these abstract ideas1 symbols that he can see and feel4 ,we of ,st4 ,louis should appreciate this to the full just now1 for we have just set before the world the greatest assemblage of symbolic images and acts1 portraying our pride in the past and our hope and confidence for the future1 that any city on this earth ever has been privileged to present or to witness4#aj ,whether we were actors or spectators2 whether we camped with the ,indians1 marched with ,de ,soto or ,la ,salle and felled the forests of early ,st4 ,louis with ,laclede and ,chouteau1 or whether we were part of that great host on the hillside1 we can say no longer that we do not understand the importance of the idea1 or the value and cogency of the visible symbols that fix it in the memory and grip it to the heart4 #aj ,the ,pageant and ,masque of ,st4 ,louis1 #aiae4 ,the ,church of ,christ always has understood and used this property of the visible and tangible symbol to enforce the claims of the abstract idea4 ,we revere the cross1 not because there is anything in its shape or substance to make us venerate it1 but because it is the symbol of the ,christian religion--of all that it has done for the world in the past and all that it may do in the future4 ,that is why we love and honor the flag--not because it is a piece of cloth bearing certain figures and colors1 but because it is to us the symbol of all that our country has meant to our fathers2 all it means to us and all that it may mean to our children1 generation after generation4 ,a nation's flag did not always mean all this to those who gazed upon it4 ,in very old times the flag was for the soldier alone and had no more meaning for the ordinary citizen than a helmet or a spear4 ,when the soldier saw it uplifted in the thick of the battle he rallied to it4 ,then the flag became the personal emblem of a king or a prince1 whether in battle or not2 then it was used to mark what belonged to the government of a country4 ,it is still so used in many parts of ,europe1 where the display of a flag on a building marks it as government property1 as our flag does when it is used on a post office or a custom-house4 ,nowhere but in our own country is the flag used as the general symbol of patriotic feeling and displayed alike by soldier and citizen1 by ,government office and private dwelling4 ,so it comes about that the stars and stripes means to us all that his eagles did to the ,roman soldier2 all that the great ,oriflamme did to the medieval ,frenchman2 all that the ,union ,jack now means to the ,briton or the tri-color to the ,frenchman--and more1 very much more1 beside4 ,what ideas1 then1 does the flag stand for8 ,first1 it stands for union4 ,it was conceived in union1 it was dipped in blood to preserve union1 and for union it still stands4 ,its thirteen stripes remind us of that gallant little strip of united colonies along the ,atlantic shore that threw down the gage of battle to ,britain a century and a half ago4 ,its stars are symbols of the wider union that now is4 ,both may be held to signify the great truth that in singleness of purpose among many there is effective strength that no one by himself can hope to achieve4 ,our union of ,states was formed in fear of foreign aggression2 we have need of it still though our foes be of our own household4 ,if we are ever to govern our cities properly1 hold the balance evenly betwixt capital and labor1 develop our great natural resources without undue generosity on the one hand or parsimony on the other--solve the thousand and one problems that rise to confront us on every hand--we shall never accomplish these things by struggling singly--one man at a time or even one ,state at a time1 but by concerted1 united effort1 the perfect union of which our flag is a symbol1 and which we need to-day even more than we did in #aggf or #ahfa4 ,we stand on the threshold of an effort to alter our city government4 ,whether that effort should or should not succeed1 every citizen must decide for himself1 with the aid of such intelligence and judgment as it has pleased ,god to give him4 ,but if he should decide in its favor1 be certain that his individual vote at the polls will go a very little way toward bringing his desires to pass4 ,we are governed by majorities1 and a majority is a union of many4 ,he who would win must not only vote1 but work4 ,our flag1 with its assemblages of stripes and stars1 is a perpetual reminder that by the union of the many1 and not merely by the rectitude of the individual1 are policies altered and charters changed4 ,again1 our flag stands for love4 ,it is a beautiful flag and it stands for a beautiful land4 ,we all love what is our own1 if we are normal men and women--our families1 our city1 our country4 ,they are all beautiful to us1 and it is right that they should be4 ,i confess that the movement that has for its motto ,see ,america ,first has my hearty sympathy4 ,not that the ,rockies or the ,sierras are necessarily more beautiful than the ,alps or the ,missouri fairer than the ,danube2 we should have no more to do here with comparisons than the man who loves his children4 ,he does not1 before deciding that he will love them1 compare them critically with his neighbors'4 ,if we do not love the ,grand ,canyon and the ,northern ,rockies1 the wild ,sierras and the more peaceful beauties of the ,alleghenies or the ,adirondacks1 simply because leaving these all unseen we prefer the lakes and mountains of foreign lands1 we are like a man who should desert his own children1 whom he had never seen1 to pass his time at a moving-picture show1 because he believed that he saw there faces and forms more fair than those of his own little ones4 ,when we sing in our hymn of ,america ,i love thy rocks and rills ,thy woods and templed hills1 we should be able to do it from the heart4 ,it is indeed fitting that we should love our country1 and thrill when we gaze at the old flag that symbolizes that love4 ,does this mean that when our country makes an error we are to shut our eyes to it8 ,does it require us to call wrong right and black white8 ,there is a sentiment with which you are all familiar1 ,my country1 may she ever be right2 but1 right or wrong1 my country6 ,understood aright1 these are the noblest and truest of words1 but they are commonly misinterpreted1 and they have done much harm4 ,to love and stand by a friend who has done wrong is a fine thing2 but it would be very different to abet him in his wrong-doing and assure him that he had done right4 ,we may dearly love a son or a brother who is the worst of sinners1 without joining him in sin or persuading him that he is righteous4 ,so we may say1 ,our country1 right or wrong without forfeiting the due exercise of our judgment in deciding whether she is right or wrong1 or the privilege of exerting our utmost power to make her do right4 ,if she is fighting for an unrighteous cause1 we should not go over to the enemy1 but we should do our best to make her cease and to make amends for the wrong she has done4 ,another thing for which the flag stands is freedom or liberty4 ,we all are familiar with the word4 ,it means different things to different persons4 ,when hampering conditions press hard upon a man1 all that he thinks of for the moment is to be rid of them4 ,without them he deems that he will be free4 ,the freedom of which our fathers thought1 for which they fought and which they won1 was freedom from government by what had become to them a foreign power4 ,the freedom that the black man longed for in the sixties was freedom from slavery4 ,to-day men and women living in intolerable industrial conditions are panting for freedom--the freedom that seems to them just now more desirable than aught else in the world4 ,all this the flag stands for1 but it stands for much more4 ,under its folds we are entitled to live our own lives in the fullest way compatible with the exercise of the same privilege by others4 ,this includes political freedom1 industrial freedom1 social freedom and all the rest4 ,despite much grumbling and some denials1 ,i believe that it is all summed up under political freedom1 and that we have it all1 though we may not always take advantage of it4 ,the people who groan under an industrial yoke do so because they do not choose to exert the power given them by law1 under the flag1 to throw it off4 ,the boss-ridden city is boss-ridden only because it is satisfied to be so4 ,the generation that is throttled by trusts and monopolies may at any time effect a peaceful revolution4 ,the flag gives us freedom1 but even a man's eternal salvation cannot be forced upon him against his will4 ,another thing for which the flag stands is justice--the square deal1 as it is called by one of our ,presidents4 ,to every man shall come sooner or later1 under its folds1 that which he deserves4 ,this means largely hands off1 and is but one of the aspects of freedom1 or liberty1 since if we do not interfere with a man1 what happens to him is a consequence of what he is and what he does4 ,if we oppress him1 or interfere with him1 he gets less than he merits2 and if1 on the contrary we coddle him and give him privileges1 he may get more than his due4 ,give a man opportunity and a free path and he will achieve what is before him in the measure of his strength4 ,that the ,american ,flag stands for all this1 thousands will testify who have left their native shores to live under its folds and who have contributed here to the world's progress what the restraints and injustice of the old world forbade then to give4 ,this sense of the removal of bonds1 of sudden release and the entry into free space1 is well put by a poet of our own1 ,henry ,van ,dyke1 when he sings1 ,so it's home again1 and home again1 ,america for me6 ,my heart is turning home again1 and there ,i long to be1 ,in the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars1 ,where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars4 ,i know that ,europe's wonderful1 yet something seems to lack3 ,the ,past is too much with her1 and the people looking back1 ,but the glory of the ,present is to make the ,future free-- ,we love our land for what she is and what she is to be4 ,oh1 it's home again1 and home again1 ,america for me6 ,i want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea1 ,to the blessed ,land of ,room ,enough beyond the ocean bars1 ,where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars4 ,finally1 the flag stands for the use of physical force where it becomes necessary4 ,this simple statement of facts will grieve many good people1 but to omit it would be false to the truth and dishonorable to the flag that we honor today4 ,its origin1 as we have seen1 was in its service as a rallying point in battle4 ,we are still battling1 and we still need it4 ,and at times our contests still inevitably take the physical form4 ,one may earnestly pray for peace2 one may even pay his dues to the ,peace ,society and still realize that to preserve peace we may have to use the sword4 ,northward1 across the ,canadian border1 good men#aa are striving even now to keep us in peace and to assure peace to a neighbor severely torn by internal conflict4 ,can any of us doubt that our good friend and fellow-citizen--nay1 can anyone doubt that our neighbors of the ,southern ,continent--are doing their best to save human lives1 to preserve our young men and the young men of ,mexico to build and operate machines1 to raise crops and to rebuild and beautify cities1 instead of sending them to fill soldiers' graves1 as our bravest and best did in the sixties8 ,and yet1 should they succeed1 as ,god grant they may1 who can doubt that what will give strength and effect to their decisions will be the possibility of force1 exerted in a righteous cause1 symbolized by the flag8 ,who can be sorry that back of the flag there are earnest men2 nay1 that there are ships there1 and guns8 ,one need not be a ,jingo2 one can hate war and love peace with all one's heart and yet rejoice that the flag symbolizes authority--the ability to back up a decision without which the mind itself cannot decide in calmness and impartiality4 #aa ,united ,states and ,a-,b-,c ,commissions on the ,state of ,mexico4 ,surely1 to say that the flag stands for the exertion of force1 is only to say that it stands for peace2 for it is by force only1 or by the possibility of it1 that peace is assured and maintained4 ,these are a few of the many things for which our flag of the ,stars and ,stripes stands4 ,we are right to doff our hats when it passes2 we are right to love it and to reverence it1 for in so doing we are reverencing union1 patriotism1 liberty and justice4 ,that it shall never become an empty symbol2 that it shall never wave over a land disunited1 animated by hate1 shackled by indifference and feebleness1 permeated by injustice1 unable to exert that salutary strength which alone can preserve peace without and within--this is for us to see and for our children and grandchildren4 ,we must not only exercise that eternal vigilance of which the fathers spoke1 but we must be eternally ready1 eternally active4 ,the ,star-,spangled ,banner6 ,long may it wave over a land whose sons and daughters are both free and brave--free because they are brave1 and brave because they are free1 and both because they are true children of that eternal father without whom both freedom and bravery are but empty names4 ,,the ,,people',s ,,share ,,in ,,the ,,public ,,library#ab #ab ,read before the ,chicago ,woman's ,club4 ,january #f1 #aiae4 ,the change that has come over the library in the last half century may be described1 briefly but comprehensively1 by saying that it has become predominantly a social institution2 that is1 that its primary concern is now with the service that it may render to society--to the people4 ,books1 of course1 were always intended to be read1 and a library would have no meaning were it never to be used2 yet in the old libraries the collection and preservation of the books was primary and their use secondary1 whereas the modern institution exists primarily for public service1 the collection of the books1 their preservation1 and whatever is done to them being directed to this end4 ,to a social institution--a family1 a school1 a club1 a church or a municipality--the persons constituting it1 maintaining it1 or served by it are all-important4 ,a family without parents and children1 a school without pupils1 a club without members1 a church with no congregation1 a city without citizens--all are unthinkable4 ,we may better realize the change in our conception of the public library by noting that it has taken its place among bodies of this type4 ,a modern library with no readers is unthinkable2 it is no library1 as we now understand the word2 though it be teeming with books1 housed in a palace1 well cataloged and properly manned4 ,it is no longer possible to question this view of the library as a social institution--a means of rendering general service to the widest public4 ,we have to deal not with theories of what the library ought to be1 but1 with facts indicating what it actually is2 and we have only to look about us to realize that the facts give the fullest measure of support to what ,i have just said4 ,the library is a great distributing agency1 the commodities in which it deals being ideas and its customers the citizens at large1 who pay1 through the agency of taxation1 for what they receive4 ,this democratic and civic view of the public library's functions1 however1 does not commend itself to those who are not in sympathy with democratic ideals4 ,in a recent address1 a representative librarian refers to it as the commercial traveler theory of the library4 ,the implication1 of course1 is that it is an ignoble or unworthy theory4 ,i have no objection to accepting the phrase1 for in my mind it has no such connotation4 ,the commercial traveler has done the world service which the library should emulate rather than despise4 ,he is the advance guard of civilization4 ,to speak but of our own country and of its recent years1 he is responsible for much of our improvement in transit facilities and hotel accommodations4 ,personally1 he is becoming more and more acceptable4 ,the best of our educated young men are going into commerce1 and in commerce to-day no one can reach the top of the ladder who has not proved his efficiency on the road4 ,would that we could place men of his type at the head of all our libraries6 ,we need not think1 however1 that there is anything new in the method of distribution by personal travel4 ,homer employed it when he wished his heroic verse to reach the great body of his countrymen4 ,by personal travel he took it to the cross-roads--just as the distributor of food and clothing and labor-saving appliances does to-day2 just as we librarians must do if we are to democratize all literature as ,homer democratized a small part of it4 ,homer1 if you choose to say so1 adopted the commercial-traveler theory of literary distribution2 but ,i prefer to say that the modern public library1 in laying stress on the necessity of distributing its treasures and in adopting the measures that have proved effective in other fields1 is working on the ,homeric method4 ,now1 without the people to whom he distributed his wares1 ,homer would have been dead long ago4 ,he lives because he took his wares to his audience4 ,and without its public1 as we have already said1 the public library1 too1 would soon pass into oblivion4 ,it must look to the public for the breath of life1 for the very blood in its veins1 for its bone and sinew4 ,what1 then1 is the part that the community may play in increasing the efficiency of a public institution like the public library8 ,such an institution is1 first of all1 a medium through which the community does something for itself4 ,the community employs and supports it1 and at the same time is served by it4 ,to use another homely illustration1 which ,i am sure will not please those who object to comparing great things with small1 this type of relationship is precisely what we find in domestic service4 ,a cook or a housemaid has a dual relation to the mistress of the house1 who is at the same time her employer and the person that she directly serves4 ,this sort of relation does not obtain1 for instance1 in the case of a railroad employe1 who is responsible to one set of persons and serves another4 ,the public library is established and maintained by a given community in order that it may perform certain service for that same community directly4 ,it seems to me that this dual relationship ought to make for efficiency4 ,if it does not1 it is because its existence and significance are not always realized4 ,the cook knows that if she does not cook to suit her mistress she will lose her job--the thing works almost automatically4 ,if the railroad employe does not serve the public satisfactorily there is no such immediate reaction1 although ,i do not deny that the public displeasure may ultimately reach the railroad authorities and through them the employe4 ,in most public institutions the reaction is necessarily somewhat indirect4 ,the post office is a public institution1 but public opinion must act on it generally through the channels of ,congressional legislation1 which takes time4 ,owing to this fact1 very few postmen1 for instance1 realize that the persons to whom they deliver letters are also their employers4 ,in all libraries the machinery of reaction is not the same4 ,in ,st4 ,louis1 for instance1 the library receives the proceeds of a tax voted directly by the people2 in ,new ,york ,city it receives an appropriation voted by the ,board of ,apportionment1 whose members are elected by the people4 ,the ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library is therefore one step nearer the control of the people than the ,new ,york ,public ,library4 ,if we could imagine the management of either library to become so objectionable as to make its abolition desirable1 a petition for a special election could remove public support in ,st4 ,louis very soon4 ,in ,new ,york the matter might have to become an issue in a general election1 at which members of a ,board of ,apportionment should be elected under pledge to vote against the library's appropriation4 ,nevertheless1 in both cases there is ultimate popular control4 ,owing to this dual relation1 the public can promote the efficiency of the library in two ways--by controlling it properly and by its attitude toward the service that is rendered4 ,every member of the public1 in fact1 is related to the library somewhat as a railway stockholder1 riding on a train1 is related to the company4 ,he is at once boss and beneficiary4 ,let us see first what the public can do for its library through its relation of control4 ,besides the purse-strings1 which we have seen are sometimes held directly by the public and sometimes by its elected representatives1 we must consider the governing board of the institution--its trustees or directors4 ,these may be elected by the people or appointed by an elected officer1 such as the mayor1 or chosen by an elected body1 such as the city council or the board of education4 ,let us take the purse-strings first4 ,does your public library get enough public money to enable it to do the work that it ought to do8 ,what is the general impression about this in the community8 ,what does the library board think8 ,what does the librarian think8 ,what do the members of his staff say8 ,what has the library's annual report to say about it8 ,it is not at all a difficult matter for the citizen to get information on this subject and to form his own opinion regarding it4 ,yet it is an unusual thing to find a citizen who has either the information or a well-considered opinion4 ,the general impression always seems to be that the library has plenty of money--rather more1 in fact1 than it can legitimately use4 ,it is probably well for the library1 under these circumstances1 that the public control of its purse-strings is indirect4 ,if the citizens of an average ,american city had to go to the polls annually and vote their public library an appropriation1 ,i am sure that most libraries would have to face a very material reduction of their income4 ,the trouble about this impression is that it is gained without knowledge of the facts4 ,if a majority of the citizens1 understanding how much work a modern public library is expected to do and how their own library does it1 should deliberately conclude that its management was extravagant1 and that its expenditure should be cut down1 the minority would have nothing to do1 as good citizens1 but submit4 ,the citizens have nothing to say as directly as this1 but the idea1 so generally held1 that libraries are well off1 does operate in the long run to limit library appropriations and to prevent the library from doing much useful work that it might do and ought to do4 ,it is then1 every citizen's business1 as ,i conceive it1 to inform himself or herself of the work that the public library is doing1 of that which it is leaving undone1 and of the possibilities of increased appropriations4 ,if the result is a realization that the library appropriation is inadequate1 that realization should take the form of a statement that will sooner or later reach the ears1 and tend to stimulate the action1 of those directly responsible4 ,and it should1 above all1 aid in the formation of a sound public opinion4 ,ours is1 we are told1 a government of public opinion4 ,such government will necessarily be good or bad as public opinion is based on matured judgment or only on fleeting impressions4 ,inadequacy of support is responsible for more library delinquency than the average citizen imagines4 ,many a librarian is deservedly condemned for the unsatisfactory condition of his institution when his fault is not1 as his detractors think1 failure to see what should be done1 or lack of ability to do it1 so much as inability to raise funds to do it with4 ,this is doubtless a fault1 and its possessor should suffer1 but how about the equally guilty accessories8 ,how about the city authorities who have failed to vote the library adequate support8 ,how about the board of trustees who have accepted such a situation without protest8 ,and what is more to our purpose here1 how about the citizens who have limited their efforts to pointing out the cracks in the edifice1 with not a bit of constructive work in propping it up and making possible its restoration to strength and soundness8 ,in conversation with a friend1 not long ago1 ,i referred to the financial limitations of our library's work1 and said that we could add to it greatly and render more acceptable service if our income were larger4 ,he expressed great surprise1 and said3 ,why1 ,i thought you had all the money you want2 your income must be all of #ajj1jjj a year4 ,now1 our income actually is about #bej1jjj1 but how could ,i tell him that8 ,i judiciously changed the subject4 ,let us look next1 if you please1 at the library board and examine some of its functions4 ,there appears to be much public misapprehension of the duties of this body1 and such misapprehension assumes various and opposing forms4 ,some appear to think that the librarian is responsible for all that is done in the library and that his board is a perfunctory body4 ,others seem to believe that the board is the direct administrative head of the library1 in all of its working details and that the librarian is its executive in the limited sense of doing only those things that he is told to do4 ,unfortunately there are libraries that are operated in each of these ways1 but neither one relationship nor the other1 nor any modification of either1 is the ideal one between a librarian and his board4 ,the board is supreme1 of course1 but it is a body of non-experts who have employed an expert to bring about certain results4 ,they ought to know what they want1 and what they have a right to expect1 and if their expert does not give them this1 the relation between him and them should terminate2 but if they are men of sense they will not attempt to dictate methods or supervise details4 ,they are the delegated representatives of the great public1 which owns the library and operates it for a definite purpose4 ,it is this function of the board as the representative of the public that should be emphasized here4 ,has the public a definite idea of what it wants from the public library1 and of what is reasonable for it to ask8 ,if so1 is it satisfied that it is represented by a board that is of the same mind8 ,the citizens may be assured that the composition of the library board rests ultimately upon its will4 ,if the board is elective1 this is obvious2 if appointive1 the appointing officer or body would hardly dare to go counter to the expressed desire of the citizens4 ,what has been said above may be put into a very few words4 ,the public library is public property1 owned and controlled by the citizens4 ,every citizen1 therefore1 should be interested in setting standards for it and playing his part toward making it conform to them--in seeing that its governing body represents him in also recognizing those standards and trying to maintain them--in laboring for such a due apportionment of the public funds as shall not make an attempt to live up to such standards a mere farce4 ,so much for the things that the citizen can and should do in his capacity of library boss4 ,his possibilities as a beneficiary are still more interesting and valuable4 ,perhaps you remember the story of the man who attempted to board the warship and1 on being asked his business1 replied1 ,i'm one of the owners4 ,one version of the tale then goes on to relate how the sailor thus addressed picked up a splinter from the deck1 and1 handing it to the visitor1 remarked3 ,well1 ,i guess that's about your share4 ,take it and get out6 ,i have always sympathized with the sailor rather than with his visitor4 ,most of us librarians have had experiences with these bumptious owners of public property4 ,the fact has already been noted that in a case like this the citizen is both an owner and a beneficiary4 ,he has duties and privileges in both capacities1 but he sometimes acts the owner in the wrong place4 ,the man on the warship was doubtless an owner1 but at that particular moment he was only a visitor1 subject to whatever rules might govern visitors2 and he should have acted as such4 ,every citizen is a part owner of the public library2 he should never forget that fact4 ,we have seen how he may effectively assert his ownership and control4 ,but when he enters the library to use it his role is that of beneficiary1 and he should act as such4 ,he may so act and at the same time be of the greatest service to the institution which he1 as a member of the public1 has created and is maintaining4 ,i know of no way in which a man may show his good citizenship or the reverse--may either demonstrate his ability and willingness to live and work in community harness1 or show that he is fit for nothing but individual wild life in the woods--better than in his use of such a public institution as a library4 ,the man who cannot see that what he gets from such an institution must necessarily be obtained at the price of sacrifice--that others in the community are also entitled to their share1 and that sharing always means yielding--that man has not yet learned the first lesson in the elements of civic virtue4 ,and when one sees a thousand citizens1 each of whom would surely raise his voice in protest if the library were to waste public money by buying a thousand copies of the latest novel1 yet find fault with the library because each cannot borrow it before all the others1 one is tempted to wonder whether we really have here a thousand bad citizens or whether their early education in elementary arithmetic has been neglected4 ,before the present era there were regulations in all institutions that seemed to be framed merely to exasperate--to put the public in its place and chasten its spirit4 ,there are now no such rules in good libraries4 ,he who thinks there are may find that there is a difference of opinion between him and those whom he has set in charge of the library regarding what is arbitrary and what is necessary2 but at any rate he will discover that the animating spirit of modern library authority is to give all an equal share in what it has to offer1 and to restrain one man no more than is necessary to insure to his brother the measure of privilege to which all are equally entitled4 ,another way in which the citizen1 in his capacity of the library's beneficiary1 can aid it and improve its service is his treatment of its administrators4 ,librarians are very human3 they react quickly and surely to praise or blame1 deserved or undeserved4 ,blame is what they chiefly get4 ,sometimes they deserve it and sometimes not4 ,but the occasions on which some citizen steps in and says1 ,well done1 good and faithful servant1 are rare indeed4 ,the public servant has to interpret silence as praise2 so sure is he that the least slip will be caught and condemned by a vigilant public4 ,no one can object to discriminating criticism2 it is a potent aid to good administration4 ,mere petulant fault-finding1 however1 especially if based on ignorance or misapprehension1 does positive harm4 ,and a little discriminating praise1 now and then1 is a wonderful stimulant4 ,no service is possible without the men and women who render it2 and the quality of service depends1 more than we often realize1 on the spirit and temper of a staff--something that is powerfully affected1 either for good or for evil1 by public action and public response4 ,years ago1 at a branch library in a distant city1 a reader stood at the counter and complained loudly because the library would not send her a postal reserve notice unless she defrayed the cost1 which was one cent4 ,the assistant to whom she was talking had no option in the matter and was merely enforcing a rule common1 so far as ,i know1 to all ,american public libraries2 but she had to bear the brunt of the reader's displeasure1 which she did meekly1 as it was all in the day's work4 ,the time occupied in this useless business spelled delay to half a dozen other readers1 who were waiting their turn4 ,finally1 one of them1 a quiet little old lady in black1 spoke up as follows3 ,some of us hereabouts think that we owe a great debt of gratitude to this library4 ,its assistants have rendered service to us that we can never repay4 ,i am glad to have an opportunity to do something in return1 and it therefore gives me pleasure to pay the cent about which you are taking up this young lady's time1 and ours4 ,so saying1 she laid the coin on the desk and the line moved on4 ,i have always remembered these two points of view as typical of two kinds of library users4 ,their respective effects on the temper and work of a library staff need1 ,i am sure1 no explanation4 ,in what ,i have said1 which is such a small fraction of what might be said1 that ,i am almost ashamed to offer it to you1 ,i have in truth only been playing the variations on one tune1 which is--,draw closer to the library1 as it is trying to draw closer to you4 ,there is no such thing1 physicists tell us1 as a one-sided force4 ,every force is but one aspect of a stress1 which includes also an equal and opposing force4 ,any two interacting things in this world are either approaching each other or receding from each other4 ,so it should be with library and public4 ,a forward movement on the one hand should necessarily involve one to meet it4 ,the peculiarity of our modern temper is our hunger for facts--our confidence that when the facts are known we shall find a way to deal with them1 and that until the facts are known we shall not be able to act--not even to think4 ,our ancestors thought and acted sometimes on premises that seem to us frightfully flimsy--they tried1 as ,dean ,swift painted them in his immortal satire1 to get sunbeams from cucumbers4 ,there are some sunbeam-chasers among us to-day1 but even they recognize the need of real cucumbers to start with2 the imaginary kind will not do4 ,i recently heard a great teacher of medicine say that the task of the modern physician is merely to ascertain the facts on which the intelligent public is to act4 ,how different that sounds from the dicta of the medicine of a past generation6 ,it is the same everywhere3 we are demanding an accurate survey--an ascertainment of the facts in any field in which action1 based on inference and judgment1 is seen to be necessary4 ,now the library is nothing more nor less than a storehouse of recorded facts4 ,it is becoming so more truly and more fully every day1 thereby adjusting itself to the modern temper of which ,i have already spoken4 ,the library and its users are coming more closely together1 in sympathy1 in aims and in action1 than ever before--partly a result and partly a justification for that ,homeric method of popularizing it which has been characterized and condemned as commercial4 ,the day when the librarian1 or the professor1 or the clergyman could retire into his tower and hold aloof from the vulgar herd is past4 ,the logical result of such an attitude is now being worked out on the continent of ,europe4 ,not civilizations1 as some pessimists are lamenting1 but the forces antagonistic to civilization are there destroying one another1 and there is hope that a purified democracy will arise from the wreckage4 ,may our ,american civilization never have to run the gantlet of such a terrible trial6 ,meanwhile1 there can be no doubt that the hope for the future efficiency of all our public institutions1 including the library1 lies in the success of democracy1 and that depends on the existence and improvement of the conditions in whose absence democracy necessarily fails4 ,foremost among these is the homogeneity of the population4 ,the people among whom democracy succeeds must have similar standards1 ideas1 aims and abilities4 ,democracy may exist in a pack of wolves1 but not in a group that is half wolves and half men4 ,either the wolves will kill the men or the men the wolves4 ,this is an extreme case1 but it is true in general that in a community made up of irreconcilable elements there can be no true democracy4 ,and the same oneness of vision and purpose that conduces to the success of democracy will also bring to perfection such great democratic institutions as the library1 which have already borne such noteworthy fruit among us just because we are homogeneous beyond all other nations on the earth4 ,and here progress is by action and reaction1 as we see it so often in the world4 ,the unity of aims and abilities that makes democracy and democratic institutions possible is itself facilitated and increased by the work of those institutions4 ,the more work the library does1 the more its ramifications multiply1 and the further they extend1 the more those conditions are favored that make the continuance of the library possible4 ,in working for others1 it is working for itself1 and every additional bit of strength and sanity that it takes on does but enable it to work for others the more4 ,and if the democracy whose servant it is will but realize that it has grown up as a part of that ,american system to which we are all committed--to which we owe all that we are and in which we must place all our hopes for the future--then neither democracy nor library will have aught to fear4 ,democracy will have its true and laudable service from the library1 and the library in its turn will have adequate sympathy1 aid and support from the people4 ,it is no accident that ,i make this appeal for sympathy and aid to a club composed of women4 ,the bonds between the modern public library and the modern woman's club have been particularly strong in this country4 ,the two institutions have grown up together1 making their way against suspicion1 contempt and hostility1 aided by the same public demand1 and now1 when both are recognized as elements in the intellectual strength of our nation1 they are rendering mutual service4 ,the club turns to the library daily4 ,hitherto the library has turned to the club only in some emergency--a bill to be passed1 an appropriation to be made1 an administration to be purified4 ,i have tried to show you how1 apart from these great services1 which no one would think of minimizing1 the women of this country1 as citizens1 can uphold the hands of the library daily4 ,ours is a government of public opinion1 and in the formation of that opinion there is no more powerful element than the sentiment of our women1 especially when organized in such bodies as yours4 ,to be aristocratic in taste and democratic in service1 says ,bliss ,perry1 is the privilege and glory of the public library4 ,in appealing thus to both your aristocracy and your democracy1 ,i feel1 then1 that ,i have not gone astray4 ,,some ,,tendencies ,,of ,,american ,,thought#ac #ac ,read before the ,new ,york ,library ,association at ,squirrel ,inn1 ,haines ,falls1 ,september #bh1 #aiae4 ,the modern ,american mind1 like modern ,america1 itself1 is a melting pot4 ,we are taking men and women of all races and fusing them into ,americans4 ,in the same way we are taking points of view1 ideas1 standards and modes of action from whatever source we find them1 combining them and fusing them into what will one day become ,american thoughts and standards4 ,we are thus combining the most varied and opposing things--things that it would seem impossible to put together4 ,take our modern ,american tendency in government1 for instance4 ,could there be two things more radically different than despotism and democracy8--the rule of the one and the rule of the many8 ,and yet ,i believe that we are taking steps toward a very successful combination of the two4 ,such a combination is essentially ancient4 ,no despotism can hold its own without the consent of the governed4 ,that consent may be unwilling and sooner or later it is then withheld1 with the result that a revolution takes place and the despot loses his throne--the oldest form of the recall4 ,every despotism is thus tempered by revolution1 and ,anglo-,saxon communities have been ready to exercise such a privilege on the slightest sign that a despotic tendency was creeping into their government4 ,it is not remarkable1 then1 that our own ,federal government1 which is essentially a copy of the ,british government of its day1 should have incorporated this feature of the recall1 which in ,england had just passed from its revolutionary to its legal stage4 ,it was beginning to be recognized then that a vote of the people's representatives could recall a monarch1 and the ,english monarchy is now essentially elective4 ,but to make assurance doubly sure1 the ,british government1 in its later evolution1 has been practically separated from the monarch's person1 and any government may be simply overthrown or recalled by a vote of lack of confidence in the ,house of ,commons1 followed1 if need be1 by a defeat in a general election4 ,we have not yet adopted this feature4 ,our ,president is still the head of our government1 and he and all other elected ,federal officers serve their terms out1 no matter whether the people have confidence in them or not4 ,but the makers of our ,constitution improved on the ,british government as they found it4 ,they made the term of the executive four years instead of life and systematized the recall by providing for impeachment proceedings--a plan already recognized in ,britain in the case of certain administrative and judicial officers4 ,as it stands at present we have a temporary elective monarch with more power1 even nominally1 than most ,european constitutional monarchs and more actually than many so-called absolute monarchs such as the ,czar or the ,sultan4 ,in case he should abuse the power that we have given him1 he may be removed from office after due trial1 by our elected representatives4 ,in following out these ideas in later years1 we are gradually evolving a form of government that is both more despotic and more democratic4 ,we are combining the legislative and executive power in the hands of a few persons1 hampering them very little in their exercise of it1 and making it possible to recall them by direct vote of the body of citizens that elected them4 ,i think we may describe the tendency of public thought in governmental matters as a tendency toward a despotism under legalized democratic control4 ,it may be claimed1 ,i think1 that the best features of despotism and democracy may thus be utilized1 with a minimum of the evils of each4 ,it was believed by the ancients1 and we frequently see it stated today1 that the ideal government would be government by a perfectly good despot4 ,this takes the citizens into account only as persons who are governed1 and not as persons who govern or help to govern4 ,it is pleasant1 perhaps1 to have plenty of servants to wait upon one1 but surely health1 physical1 mental and moral1 waits on him who does most things for himself4 ,i once heard ,lincoln ,steffens say3 ,what we want is not ',good ,government'2 it is ,self-,government4 ,but is it not possible to get the advantage of government by a few1 with its possibilities of continuous policy and its freedom from crowd-psychology1 with its skillful utilization of expert knowledge1 while admitting the public to full knowledge of what is going on1 and full ultimate control of it8 ,we evidently think so1 and our present tendencies are evidence that we are attempting something of the kind4 ,our belief seems to be that if we elect our despot and are able to recall him we shall have to keep tab on him pretty closely1 and that the knowledge of statecraft that will thus be necessary to us will be no less than if we personally took part in legislation and administration--probably far more than if we simply went through the form of delegating our responsibilities and then took no further thought1 as most of us have been accustomed to do4 ,whether this is the right view or not--whether it is workable--the future will show2 ,i am here discussing tendencies1 not their ultimate outcome4 ,but it would be too much to expect that this or any other eclectic policy should be pleasing to all4 ,the real problem of collectivism1 says ,walter ,lippmann1 is the difficulty of combining popular control with administrative power4444 ,the conflict between democracy and centralized authority 444 is the line upon which the problems of collectivism will be fought out4 ,in selecting elements from both despotism and democracy we are displeasing the adherents of both4 ,there is too much despotism in the plan for one side and too much democracy for the other4 ,we constantly hear the complaint that concentrated responsibility with popular control is too despotic1 and at the same time the criticism that it is too democratic4 ,to put your city in the hands of a small commission1 perhaps of a city manager1 seems to some to be a return to monarchy2 and so perhaps it is4 ,to give ,tom1 ,dick and ,harry the power to unseat these monarchs at will is said to be dangerously socialistic2 and possibly it is4 ,only it is possible that by combining these two poisons--this acid and this alkali--in the same pill1 we are neutralizing their harmful qualities4 ,at any rate this would seem to be the idea on which we are now proceeding4 ,we may now examine the effects of this tendency toward eclecticism in quite a different field--that of morals4 ,among the settlers of our country were both ,puritans and ,cavaliers--representatives in ,england of two moral standards that have contended there for centuries and still exist there side by side4 ,we in ,america are attempting to mix them with some measure of success4 ,this was detected by the ,german lady of whom ,mr4 ,bryce tells in his ,american ,commonwealth1 who said that ,american women were furchtbar frei und furchtbar fromm--frightfully free and frightfully pious6 ,in other words they are trying to mix the ,cavalier and ,puritan standards4 ,of course those who do not understand what is going on think that we are either too free or too pious4 ,we are neither2 we are trying to give and accept freedom in cases where freedom works for moral efficiency and restraint where restraint is indicated4 ,we have not arrived at a final standard4 ,we may not do so4 ,this effort at mixture1 like all our others1 may fail2 but there appears to be no doubt that we are making it4 ,to take an obvious instance1 ,i believe that we are trying1 with some success1 to combine ease of divorce with a greater real regard for the sanctity of marriage4 ,we have found that if marriage is made absolutely indissoluble1 there will be greater excuse for disregarding the marriage vow than if there are legal ways of dissolving it4 ,americans are shocked at ,europeans when they allude in ordinary conversation to infractions of the moral code that they treat as trivial4 ,they on the other hand are shocked when we talk of divorce for what they consider insufficient causes4 ,in the former case we seem to them frightfully pious2 in the latter1 frightfully free4 ,they are right2 we are both2 it is only another instance of our tendency towards eclecticism1 this time in moral standards4 ,in some directions we find that this tendency to eclecticism is working toward a combination not of two opposite things1 but of a hundred different ones4 ,take our art for instance1 especially as manifested in our architecture4 ,a purely native town in ,italy1 ,arabia1 or ,africa1 or ,mexico1 has its own atmosphere2 no one could mistake one for the other any more than he could mistake a beaver dam for an ant hill or a bird's nest for a woodchuck hole4 ,but in an ,american city1 especially where we have enough money to let our architects do their utmost1 we find streets where ,france1 ,england1 ,italy1 ,spain1 ,holland1 ,arabia and ,india all stand elbow to elbow1 and the ,european visitor knows not whether to laugh or to make a hasty visit to his nerve-specialist4 ,it seems all right to us1 and it is all right from the standpoint of a nation that is yet in the throes of eclecticism4 ,and our other art--painting1 sculpture1 music--it is all similarly mixed4 ,good of its kind1 often2 but we have not yet settled down to the kind that we like best--the kind in which we are best fitted to do something that will live through the ages4 ,we used to think for instance that in music the ordinary diatonic major scale1 with its variant minor1 was a fact of nature4 ,we knew vaguely that the ancient ,greeks had other scales1 and we knew also that the ,chinese and the ,arabs had scales so different that their music was generally displeasing to us4 ,but we explained this by saying that our scale was natural and right and that the others were antiquated1 barbaric and wrong4 ,now we are opening our arms to the exotic scales and devising a few of our own4 ,we have the tonal and the semi-tonal scales and we are trying to make use of the ,chinese1 ,arabic and ,hindu modes4 ,we are producing results that sound very odd to ears that are attuned to the old-fashioned music1 but our eclecticism here as elsewhere is cracking the shell of prejudice and will doubtless lead to some good end1 though perhaps we can not see it yet4 ,how about education8 ,in the first place there are1 as ,i read the history of education1 two main methods of training youth--the individual method and the class method4 ,no two boys or girls are alike2 no two have like reactions to the same stimulus4 ,each ought to have a separate teacher1 for the methods to be employed must be adapted especially to the material on which we have to work4 ,this means a separate tutor for every child4 ,on the other hand1 the training that we give must be social--must prepare for life with and among one's fellow beings1 otherwise it is worthless4 ,this means training in class1 with and among other students1 where each mind responds not to the teacher's alone but to those of its fellow pupils4 ,here are two irreconcilable requirements4 ,in our modern systems of education we are trying to respond to them as best we may1 teaching in class and at the same time giving each pupil as much personal attention as we can4 ,the tutorial system1 now employed in ,princeton ,university1 is an interesting example of our efforts as applied to the higher education4 ,at the same time1 eclecticism in our choice of subjects is very manifest1 and at times our success here seems as doubtful as our mixture of architectural styles4 ,in the old college days1 not so very long ago1 ,latin1 ,greek1 and mathematics made up the curriculum4 ,now our boys choose from a thousand subjects grouped in a hundred courses4 ,in our common schools we have introduced so many new subjects as to crowd the curriculum4 ,signs of a reaction are evident4 ,i am alluding to the matter here only as another example of our modern passion for wide selection and for the combination of things that apparently defy amalgamation4 ,what of religion8 ,prof4 ,george ,e4 ,woodberry1 in his interesting book on ,north ,africa1 says in substance that there are only two kinds of religion1 the simple and the complex4 ,mohammedanism he considers a simple religion1 like ,new ,england ,puritanism1 with which he thinks it has points in common4 ,both are very different from ,buddhism1 for instance4 ,accepting for the moment his classification ,i believe that the facts show an effort to combine the two types in the ,united ,states4 ,many of the ,christian denominations that ,woodberry would class as simple--those that began with a total absence of ritual1 are becoming ritualized4 ,creeds once simple are becoming complicated with interpretation and comment4 ,on the other hand we may see in the ,roman ,catholic ,church and among the so-called ,high ,church ,episcopalians a disposition to adopt some of the methods that have hitherto distinguished other religious bodies4 ,consider1 for example1 some of the religious meetings held by the ,paulist ,fathers in ,new ,york1 characterized by popular addresses and the singing of simple hymns4 ,as another example of the eclectic spirit of churches in ,america we may point to the various efforts at combination or unity1 with such results as the ,federation of the ,churches of ,christ in ,america--an ambitious name1 not yet justified by the facts--the proposed amalgamation of several of the most powerful ,protestant bodies in ,canada1 and the accomplished fact of the ,university of ,toronto--an institution whose constituent colleges are controlled by different religious denominations1 including the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,i may also mention the present organization of the ,new ,york ,public ,library1 many of whose branch libraries were contributions from religious denominations1 including the ,jews1 the ,catholics and the ,episcopalians4 ,all these now work together harmoniously4 ,i know of nothing of this kind on any other continent1 and ,i think we shall be justified in crediting it to the present ,american tendency to eclecticism4 ,turn for a moment to philosophy4 ,what is the philosophical system most widely known at present as ,american8 ,doubtless the pragmatism of ,william ,james4 ,no one ever agreed with anyone else in a statement regarding philosophy1 and ,i do not expect you to agree with me in this2 but pragmatism seems to me essentially an eclectic system4 ,it is based on the character of results4 ,is something true or false8 ,i will tell you when ,i find out whether it works practically or not4 ,is something right or wrong8 ,i rely on the same test4 ,now it seems to me that this is the scheme of the peasant in later ,rome1 who was perfectly willing to appeal to ,roman ,juno or ,egyptian ,isis or ,phoenician ,moloch1 so long as he got what he wanted4 ,if a little bit of ,schopenhauer works1 and some of ,fichte2 a piece of ,christianity and a part of ,vedantism1 it is all grist to the mill of pragmatism4 ,any of it that works must of necessity be right and true4 ,i am not criticizing this1 or trying to controvert it2 ,i am merely asserting that it leads to eclecticism2 and this1 ,i believe1 explains its vogue in the ,united ,states4 ,it would be impossible to give1 in the compass of a brief address1 a list of all the domains in which this eclecticism--this tendency to select1 combine and blend--has cropped out among us ,americans of today4 ,i have reserved for the last that in which we are particularly interested--the ,public ,library1 in which we may see it exemplified in an eminent degree4 ,the public library in ,america has blossomed out into a different thing1 a wider thing1 a combination of more different kinds of things1 than in any other part of the world4 ,foreign librarians and foreign library users look at us askance4 ,they wonder at the things we are trying to combine under the activities of one public institution2 they shudder at our extravagance4 ,they wonder that our tax-payers do not rebel when they are compelled to foot the bills for what we do4 ,but the taxpayers do not seem to mind4 ,they frequently complain1 but not about what we are doing4 ,what bothers them is that we do not try to do more4 ,when we began timidly to add branch libraries to our system they asked us why we did not build and equip them faster2 when we placed a few books on open shelves they demanded that we treat our whole stock in the same way2 when we set aside a corner for the children they forced us to fit up a whole room and to place such a room in every building1 large or small4 ,we have responded to every such demand4 ,each response has cost money and the public has paid the bill4 ,apparently librarians and public are equally satisfied4 ,we should not be astonished1 for this merely shows that the library is subject to the same laws and tendencies as all other things ,american4 ,hence it comes about that whereas in a large library a century ago there were simply stored books with no appliances to do anything but keep them safe1 we now find in library buildings all sorts of devices to facilitate the quick and efficient use of the books both in the building and in the readers' homes1 together with other devices to stimulate a desire to use books among those who have not yet felt it2 to train children to use and love books2 to interest the public in things that will lead to the use of books4 ,this means that many of the things in a modern library seem to an old-fashioned librarian and an old-fashioned reader like unwarranted extensions or even usurpations4 ,in our own ,central building you will find collections of postal cards and specimens of textile fabrics1 an index to current lectures1 exhibitions and concerts1 a public writing-room1 with free note-paper and envelopes1 a class of young women studying to be librarians1 meeting places for all sorts of clubs and groups1 civic1 educational1 social1 political and religious2 a bindery in full operation1 a photographic copying-machine2 lunch-rooms and rest-rooms for the staff2 a garage1 with an automobile in it1 a telephone switchboard1 a paintshop1 a carpenter-shop1 and a power-plant of considerable capacity4 ,not one of these things ,i believe1 would you have found in a large library fifty years ago4 ,and yet the citizens of ,st4 ,louis seem to be cheerful and are not worrying over the future4 ,we are eclectic1 but we are choosing the elements of our blend with some discretion and we have been able1 so far1 to relate them all to books1 to the mental activities that are stimulated by books and that produce more books1 to the training that instils into the rising generation a love for books4 ,the book is still at the foundation of the library1 even if its walls have received some architectural embellishment of a different type4 ,when anyone objects to the introduction into the library of what the colleges call extra-curriculum activities1 ,i prefer to explain and justify it in this larger way1 rather than to take up each activity by itself and discuss its reasonableness--though this also may be undertaken with the hope of success4 ,in developing as it has done1 the ,library in the ,united ,states of ,america has not been simply obeying some law of its own being2 it has been following the whole stream of ,american development4 ,you can call it a drift if you like2 but the ,library has not been simply drifting4 ,the swimmer in a rapid stream may give up all effort and submit to be borne along by the current1 or he may try to get somewhere4 ,in so doing1 he may battle with the current and achieve nothing but fatigue1 or he may use the force of the stream1 as far as he may1 to reach his own goal4 ,i like to think that this is what many ,american institutions are doing1 our libraries among them4 ,they are using the present tendency to eclecticism in an effort toward wider public service4 ,when1 in a community1 there seems to be a need for doing some particular thing1 the library1 if it has the equipment and the means1 is doing that thing without inquiring too closely whether there is logical justification for linking it with the library's activities rather than with some others4 ,note1 now1 how this desirable result is aided by our prevailing ,american tendency toward eclecticism4 ,suppose precisely the same conditions to obtain in ,england1 or ,france1 or ,italy1 the admitted need for some activity1 the ability of the library and the inability of any other institution1 to undertake it4 ,i submit that the library would be extremely unlikely to move in the matter1 simply from the lack of the tendency that we are discussing4 ,that tendency gives a flexibility1 almost a fluidity1 which under a pressure of this kind1 yields and ensures an outlet for desirable energy along a line of least resistance4 ,the ,englishman and the ,american1 when they are arguing a case of this kind1 assume each the condition of affairs that obtains in his own land--the rigidity on the one hand1 the fluidity on the other4 ,they assume it without stating it or even thoroughly understanding it1 and the result is that neither can understand the conclusions of the other4 ,the fact is that they are both right4 ,i seriously question whether it would be right or proper for a library in a ,british community to do many of the things that libraries are doing in ,american communities4 ,i may go further and say that the rigidity of ,british social life would make it impossible for the library to achieve these things4 ,but it is also true that the fluidity of ,american social life makes it equally impossible for the library to withstand the pressure that is brought to bear on it here4 ,to yield is in its case right and proper and a failure of response would be wrong and improper4 ,it is usually assumed by the ,british critic of ,american libraries that their peculiarities are due to the temperament of the ,american librarian4 ,we make a similar assumption when we discuss ,british libraries4 ,i do not deny that the librarians on both sides have had something to do with it1 but the determining factor has been the social and temperamental differences between the two peoples4 ,americans are fluid1 experimental1 eclectic1 and this finds expression in the character of their institutions and in the way these are administered and used4 ,take if you please the reaction of the library on the two sides of the water to the inevitable result of opening it to home-circulation--the necessity of knowing whether a given book is or is not on the shelves4 ,the ,american response was to open the shelves1 the ,british1 to create an additional piece of machinery--the indicator4 ,these two results might have been predicted in advance by one familiar with the temper of the two peoples4 ,it has shown itself in scores of instances1 in the front yards of residences1 for instance--walled off in ,england and open to the street in the ,united ,states4 ,i shall be reminded1 ,i suppose1 that there are plenty of open shelves in ,english libraries and that the open shelf is gaining in favor4 ,true2 ,england is becoming ,americanized in more respects than this one4 ,but ,i am speaking of the immediate reaction to the stimulus of popular demand1 and this was as ,i have stated it4 ,in each case the reaction1 temporarily at least1 satisfied the demand2 showing that the difference was not of administrative habit alone1 but of community feeling4 ,this rapid review of modern ,american tendencies1 however confusing the impression that it may give1 will at any rate convince us1 ,i think1 of one thing--the absurdity of objecting to anything whatever on the ground that it is un-,american4 ,we are the most receptive people in the world4 ,we take our good things where we find them1 and what we take becomes ,american as soon as it gets into our hands4 ,and yet1 if anything new does not happen to suit any of us1 the favorite method of attack is to denounce it as un-,american4 ,pretty nearly every element of our present social fabric has been thus denounced1 at one time or another1 and as it goes on changing1 every change is similarly attacked4 ,the makers of our ,constitution were good conservative ,americans--much too conservative1 some of our modern radicals say--yet they provided for altering that ,constitution1 and set absolutely no limits on the alterations that might be made1 provided that they were made in the manner specified in the instrument4 ,we can make over our government into a monarchy tomorrow1 if we want1 or decree that no one in ,chicago shall wear a silk hat on ,new ,year's ,day4 ,it was recently the fashion to complain that the amendment of the ,constitution has become so difficult as to be now practically a dead letter4 ,and yet we have done so radical a thing as to change absolutely the method of electing senators of the ,united ,states2 and we did it as easily and quietly as buying a hat--vastly more easily than changing a cook4 ,the only obstacle to changing our ,constitution1 no matter how radically and fundamentally1 is the opposition of the people themselves4 ,as soon as they want the change1 it comes quickly and simply4 ,changes like these are not un-,american if the ,american people like them well enough to make them4 ,they1 and they alone1 are the judges of what peculiarities they shall adopt as their own customs and characteristics4 ,so that when we hear that this or that is un-,american1 we may agree only in so far as it is not yet an ,american characteristic4 ,that we do not care for it today is no sign that we may not take up with it tomorrow1 and it is no legitimate argument against our doing so1 if we think proper4 ,and now what does this all mean8 ,the pessimist will tell us1 doubtless1 that it is a sign of decadence4 ,it does remind us a little of the later days of the ,roman empire when the peoples of the remotest parts of the known world1 with their arts1 customs and manners1 were all to be found in the imperial city--when the gods of ,greece1 ,syria and ,egypt were worshipped side by side with those of old ,rome1 where all sorts of exotic art1 philosophy1 literature and politics took root and flourished4 ,that is usually regarded as a period of decadence1 and it was certainly a precursor of the empire's fall4 ,when we consider that it was contemporaneous with great material prosperity and with the spread of luxury and a certain loosening of the moral fiber1 such as we are experiencing in ,america today1 we can not help feeling a little perturbed4 ,yet there is another way of looking at it4 ,a period of this sort is often only a period of readjustment4 ,the ,roman empire as a political entity went out of existence long ago1 but ,rome's influence on our art1 law1 literature and government is still powerful4 ,her so-called fall was really not a fall but a changing into something else4 ,in fact1 if we take ,bergson's view-point--which it seems to me is undoubtedly the true one1 the thing we call ,rome was never anything else but a process of change4 ,at the time of which we speak the visible part of the change was accelerated--that is all4 ,in like manner each one of you as an individual is not a fixed entity4 ,you are changing every instant and the reality about you is the change1 not what you see with the eye or photograph with the camera--that is merely a stage through which you pass and in which you do not stay--not for the thousand millionth part of the smallest recognizable instant4 ,so our current ,american life and thought is not something that stands still long enough for us to describe it4 ,even as we write the description it has changed to another phase4 ,and the phenomena of transition just now are particularly noticeable--that is all4 ,we may call them decadent or we may look upon them as the beginnings of a new and more glorious national life4 ,the size and intricacy which we have to deal with1 says ,walter ,lippmann1 have done more than anything else1 ,i imagine1 to wreck the simple generalizations of our ancestors4 ,this is quite true1 and so1 in place of simplicity we are introducing complexity1 very largely by selection and combination of simple elements evolved in former times to fit earlier conditions4 ,whether organic relations can be established among these elements1 so that there shall one day issue from the welter something well-rounded1 something ,american1 fitting ,american conditions and leading ,american aspirations forward and upward1 is yet on the knees of the gods4 ,we1 the men and women of ,america1 and may ,i not say1 we1 the ,librarians of ,america1 can do much to direct the issue4 ,,drugs ,,and ,,the ,,man#ad #ad ,a ,commencement address to the graduating class of the ,school of ,pharmacy1 ,st4 ,louis1 ,may #ai1 #aiae4 ,the graduation of a class of technically trained persons is an event of special moment4 ,when we send forth graduates from our schools and colleges devoted to general education1 while the thought of failure may be disquieting or embarrassing1 we know that no special danger can result1 except to the man who has failed4 ,the college graduate who has neglected his opportunities has thrown away a chance1 but he is no menace to his fellows4 ,affairs take on a different complexion in the technical or professional school4 ,the poorly trained engineer1 physician or lawyer1 is an injury to the community4 ,failure to train an engineer may involve the future failure of a structure1 with the loss of many lives4 ,failure to train a doctor means that we turn loose on the public one who will kill oftener than he will cure4 ,failure to train a lawyer means wills that can be broken1 contracts that will not hold1 needless litigation4 ,congressman ,kent1 of ,california1 has coined a satisfactory word for this sort of thing--he calls it mal-employment4 ,unemployment is a bad thing4 ,we have seen plenty of it here during the past winter4 ,but ,kent says1 and he is right1 that malemployment is a worse thing4 ,all these poor engineers and doctors and lawyers are busily engaged1 and every thing on the surface seems to be going on well4 ,but as a matter of fact1 the world would be better off if each one of them should stop working and never do another stroke4 ,it would pay the community to support them in idleness4 ,i have always considered pharmacy to be one of the occupations in which malemployment is particularly objectionable4 ,if you read ,homer badly it affects no one but yourself4 ,if you think ,vera ,cruz is in ,italy and that the ,amazon ,river runs into the ,arctic ,ocean1 your neighbor is as well off as before2 but if you are under the impression that strychnine is aspirin1 you have failed in a way that is more than personal4 ,i am dwelling on these unpleasant possibilities partly for the reason that the ,egyptians displayed a skeleton at their banquets--because warnings are a tonic to the soul--but also because1 if we are to credit much that we see in general literature1 including especially the daily paper and the popular magazine1 all druggists are malemployed4 ,and if it would really be better for the community that you should not enter upon the profession for which you have been trained1 now1 of course1 is the time for you to know it4 ,there seems to be a widespread impression--an assumption--that the day of the drug is over--that the therapeutics of the future are to be concerned along with hygiene and sanitation1 with physical exercise1 diet1 and mechanical operations4 ,the very word drug has come to have an objectionable connection that did not belong to it fifty years ago4 ,even some of the druggists themselves1 it seems to me1 are a little ashamed of the drug part of their occupation4 ,their places of business appear to be news-agencies1 refreshment parlors1 stationery stores--the drugs are on the side1 or rather in the rear4 ,sometimes1 ,i am told1 the proprietors of these places know nothing at all about pharmacy1 but employ a prescription clerk who is a capable pharmacist4 ,here the druggist has stepped down from his former position as the manager of a business and has become a servant4 ,all of which looks to me as if the pharmacist himself might be beginning to accept the valuation that some people are putting upon his services to the community4 ,now these things affect me1 not as a physician nor as a pharmacist1 for ,i am neither1 but they do touch me as a student of physics and chemistry and as one whose business and pleasure it has been for many years to watch the development of these and other sciences4 ,the fact that ,i am addressing you this evening may be taken1 ,i suppose1 as evidence that you may be interested in this point of view4 ,the action of most substances on the human organism is a function of their chemical constitution4 ,has that chemical constitution changed8 ,it is one of the most astonishing discoveries of our age that many1 perhaps all1 substances undergo spontaneous disintegration1 giving rise to the phenomena now well known as radio-activity4 ,no substances ordinarily known and used in pharmacy1 however1 possess this quality in measurable degree1 and we have no reason to suppose that the alkaloids1 for instance1 or the salts of potash or iron1 differ today in any respect from those of a century ago4 ,how about the other factor in the reaction--the human organism and its properties8 ,that our bodily properties have changed in the past admits of no doubt4 ,we have developed up to the point where we are at present4 ,here1 however1 evolution seems to have left us1 and it is now devoting its attention exclusively to our mental and moral progress4 ,judging from what is now going on upon the continent of ,europe1 much remains to be accomplished4 ,but there is no reason to believe that if ,caesar or ,hannibal had taken a dose of opium1 or ipecac1 or aspirin1 the effect would have been different from that experienced today by one of you4 ,this is what a physicist or a chemist would expect4 ,if the action of a drug on the organism is chemical1 and if neither the drug nor the organism has changed1 the action must be the same4 ,if we still desire to bring about the action and if there is no better way to do it1 we must use the drug1 and there is still need for the druggist4 ,as a matter of fact1 the number of drugs at your disposal today is vastly greater than ever before1 largely owing to the labor1 and the ingenuity1 of the analytical chemist4 ,and there are still great classes of compounds of whose existence the chemist is assured1 but which he has not even had time to form1 much less to investigate4 ,among these may lurk remedies more valuable than any at our disposal today4 ,it does not look1 at any rate1 as if the druggist were going to be driven out of business from lack of stock1 whether we regard quantity or variety4 ,to what1 then1 must we attribute the growth of the feeling that the treatment of disease by the administration of drugs is on the decline8 ,from the standpoint of a layman it seems to be due to two facts1 or at least to have been strongly affected by them3 7#a7 ,the discovery and rapid development of other therapeutic measures1 such as those dependent on surgical methods1 or on the use of immunizing serums1 or on manipulations such as massage1 or on diet1 or even on mental suggestion2 and 7#b7 the very increase in the number and variety of available drugs alluded to above1 which has introduced to the public many new and only partially tried substances1 the results of whose use has often been unexpectedly injurious1 including a considerable number of new habit-forming drugs whose ravages are becoming known to the public4 ,the development of therapeutic measures that are independent of drugs has been coincident with popular emancipation from the mere superstition of drug-administration4 ,the older lists of approved remedies were loaded with items that had no curative properties at all1 except by suggestion4 ,they were purely magical--the thumb-nails of executed criminals1 the hair of black cats1 the ashes of burned toads and so on4 ,even at this moment your pharmacopoeia contains scores of remedies that are without effect or that do not produce the effects credited to them4 ,i am relying on high therapeutical authority for this statement4 ,now when the sick man is told by his own physician to discard angleworm poultices1 and herbs plucked in the dark of the moon1 on which he had formerly relied1 it is any wonder that he has ended by being suspicious also of calomel and ipecac1 with which they were formerly classed8 ,and when the man who believed that he received benefit from some of these magical remedies is told that the result was due to auto-suggestion1 is it remarkable that he should fall an easy prey next day to the ,christian ,scientist who tells him that the effects of calomel and ipecac are due to nothing else than this same suggestion8 ,the increased use and undoubted value of special diets1 serums1 aseptic surgery1 baths1 massage1 electrical treatment1 radio-therapeutics1 and so on1 makes it easy for him to discard drugs altogether1 and further1 it creates1 even among those who continue to use drugs1 an atmosphere favorable to the belief that they are back numbers1 on the road to disuse4 ,just here comes in the second factor to persuade the layman1 from what has come under his own observation1 that drugs are injurious1 dangerous1 even fatal4 ,newly discovered chemical compounds with valuable properties1 have been adopted and used in medicine before the necessary time had elapsed to disclose the fact that they possessed also other properties1 more elusive than the first1 but as potent for harm as these were for good4 ,many were narcotics or valuable anesthetics1 local or otherwise1 which have proved to be the creators of habits more terrible than the age-long enemies of mankind1 alcohol and opium4 ,when the man whose wife takes a coal-tar derivative for headache finds that it stills her heart forever1 the incident affects his whole opinion of drugs4 ,when the patient for whom one of the new drugs has been prescribed by a practitioner without knowledge of his idiosyncrasies reacts to it fatally1 it is slight consolation to his survivors that his case is described in print under the heading1 ,a ,curious ,case of ,umptiol ,poisoning4 ,when a mother sees her son go to the bad by taking cocaine1 or heroin1 or some other drug of whose existence she was ignorant a dozen years ago1 she may be pardoned for believing that all drugs1 or at least all newly discovered drugs1 are tools of the devil4 ,and this feeling is intensified by one of our national faults--the tendency to jump at conclusions1 to overdo things1 to run from one evil to its opposite1 without stopping at the harmless mean4 ,we think we are brighter and quicker than the ,englishman or the ,german4 ,they think we are more superficial4 ,whatever name you give the quality it causes us to catch on sooner1 to work a good thing to death more thoroughly and to drop it more quickly for something else1 than any other known people1 ancient or modern4 ,somebody devises a new form of skate roller that makes roller-skating a good sport4 ,we find it out before anyone else and in a few months the land is plastered from ,maine to ,california with huge skating halls or sheds4 ,everybody is skating at once and the roar of the rollers resounds across the oceans4 ,we skate ourselves out in a year or two1 and then the roar ceases1 the sheds decay and roller-skating is once more a normal amusement4 ,then someone invents the safety bicycle1 and in a trice all ,america1 man1 woman and child1 is awheel4 ,and we run this good horse to death1 and throw his body aside in our haste to discover something new4 ,shortly afterward someone invents a new dance1 or imports it from ,spanish ,america1 and there is hardly time to snap one's finger before we are all dancing1 grandparents and children1 the cook in the kitchen and the street-cleaner on the boulevard4 ,we display as little moderation in our therapeutics4 ,we can not get over the idea that a remedy of proved value in a particular case may be good for all others4 ,our proprietary medicines will cure everything from tuberculosis to cancer4 ,if massage has relieved rheumatism1 why should it not be good also for typhoid8 ,the ,tumtum ,springs did my uncle's gout so much good2 why doesn't your cousin try them for her headaches8 ,and even so1 drugs must be all good or bad4 ,many of us remember the old household remedies1 tonics or laxatives or what not1 with which the children were all dosed at intervals1 whether they were ill or not4 ,that was in the days when all drugs were good3 when one took something internally for everything that happened to him4 ,now the pendulum has swung to the other side--that is all4 ,if we can ever settle down to the rational way of regarding these things1 we shall discover1 what sensible medical men have always known1 and what druggists as well as mere laymen can not afford to neglect1 that there is no such thing as a panacea1 and that all rational therapeutics is based on common sense study of the disease--finding out what is the cause and endeavoring to abate that cause4 ,the cause may be such that surgery is indicated1 or serum1 or regulation of diet1 or change of scene4 ,it may obviously indicate the administration of a drug4 ,i once heard a clever lawyer in a poisoning case1 in an endeavor to discredit a physician1 whom we shall call ,dr4 ,jones1 tell the following anecdote3 7,dr4 ,jones1 who had been called in when the victim was about to expire1 had recommended the application of ice74 ,said the lawyer3 ,a workman was tamping a charge of blasting-powder with a crowbar1 when the charge went off prematurely and the bar was driven through the unfortunate man's body1 so that part of it protruded on either side3 ,a local physician was summoned1 and after some study he pronounced as follows3 ',now1 if ,i let that bar stay there1 you'll die4 ,if ,i pull it out1 you'll die4 ,but ,i'll give you a pill that may melt it where it is6' ,in this emergency1 the lawyer went on to say1 ,dr4 ,jones doubtless would have prescribed ice4 ,now the pill to melt the crowbar may stand for our former excessive and absurd regard for drugs4 ,the application of ice in the same emergency may likewise represent a universal resort to hydrotherapy4 ,neither of them is logical4 ,there is place for each1 but there are emergencies that can not be met with either4 ,still1 to abandon one method of treatment simply because additional methods have proved to be valuable1 would be as absurd as to give up talking upon the invention of writing or to prohibit the raising of corn on land that will produce wheat4 ,no3 we shall doubtless continue to use drugs and we shall continue to need the druggist4 ,what can he do to make his business more valued and respected1 more useful to the public and more profitable to himself8 ,for there can be no doubt that he will finally succeed in attaining all these desirable results together1 or fail in all4 ,here and there we may find a man who is making a fortune out of public credulity and ignorance1 or1 on the other hand1 one who is giving the public more service than it pays for and ruining himself in the process2 but in general and on the average personal and public interest run pretty well hand in hand4 ,henry ,ford makes his millions because he is producing something that the people want4 ,st4 ,jacob's ,oil1 once the most widely advertised nostrum on the continent1 cost its promoters a fortune because there was nothing in it that one might not find in some other oil or grease4 ,what then1 ,i repeat1 must the pharmacist do to succeed1 personally and professionally8 ,i welcome this opportunity to tell you what ,i think4 ,my advice comes from the outside--often the most valuable source4 ,i have so little to do with pharmacy1 either as a profession or as a business that ,i stand far enough away to get a bird's-eye view4 ,and if you think that any advice1 based on this view1 is worthless1 it will be a consolation to all of us to realize that no force on earth can compel you to take it4 ,it is doubtless too late to lament or try to resist the course of business that has gone far to turn the pharmacy into a department store4 ,but let me urge you not to let this tendency run wild4 ,there are side-lines that belong properly to pharmacy1 such as all those pertaining to hygiene or sanitation2 to the toilet1 to bodily refreshment4 ,i do not see why one should not expect to find at his pharmacist's1 soap1 or tooth-brushes1 or sponges4 ,i do not see why the thirsty man should not go there for mineral water as well as the dyspeptic for pills4 ,but ,i fail to see the connection between pharmacy and magazines1 or stationery or candy4 ,by selling these the druggist puts himself at once into competition with the department stores4 ,there can be no doubt about who will win out in any such competition as that4 ,but ,i believe there is still a place in the community for any special line of business if its proprietor sticks to his specialty and makes himself a recognized expert in it4 ,the department store spreads itself too thin--there is no room for intensive development at any point of its vast expanse4 ,its general success is due to this very fact4 ,i am not now speaking of the rural community where there is room only for one general store selling everything that the community needs4 ,but my statement holds good for the city and the large town4 ,let me illustrate by an instance in which we librarians are professionally interested--the book store4 ,once every town had its book-store4 ,now they are rare4 ,we have few such stores even in a city of the size of ,st4 ,louis4 ,every department store has its book-section4 ,they are rarely satisfactory4 ,everybody is lamenting the disappearance of the old book-store1 with its old scholarly proprietor who knew books and the book-market2 who loved books and the book-business4 ,quarts of ink have been wasted in trying to account for his disappearance4 ,the ,public ,library1 for one thing1 has been blamed for it4 ,i have no time now to disprove this1 though it is very clear to me that libraries help the book trade instead of hindering it4 ,i shall simply give you my version of the trouble4 ,the book-dealer disappeared1 as soon as he entered into competition with the department store4 ,he put in side lines of toys1 and art supplies1 and cameras and candy4 ,he began to spread himself thin and had no time for expert concentration on his one specialty4 ,thus he lost his one advantage over the department store--his strength in the region where it was weak2 and of course he succumbed4 ,if you will think for a moment of the special businesses that have survived the competition of the department store1 you will see that they are precisely the ones that have resisted this temptation to spread themselves and have been content to remain experts4 ,look at the men's furnishing stores4 ,would they have survived if they had begun to sell cigars and lawn-mowers8 ,look at the retail shoe stores1 the opticians1 the cigar stores1 the bakers1 the meat markets1 the confectioners1 the restaurants of all grades6 ,they have all to compete with the department stores1 but their customers realize that they have something to offer that can be offered by no department store--expert service in one line1 due to some one's life-long training1 experience and devotion to the public4 ,i do not want the pharmacist to go the way of the book dealers4 ,already some of the department stores include drug departments4 ,i do not see how these can be as good as independent pharmacies4 ,but ,i do not see the essential difference between a drug department in a store that sells also cigars and stationery and confectionery1 and a so-called independent pharmacy that also distributes these very things4 ,i am assuming that the druggist is an expert4 ,that is the object of our colleges of pharmacy1 as ,i understand the matter4 ,as a librarian ,i want to deal with a book man who knows more of the book business than ,i do4 ,i want to ask his advice and be able to rely on it4 ,when ,i have printing to be done1 ,i like to give it to a man who knows more about the printed page than ,i do4 ,when ,i buy bread1 or shoes1 or a house1 or a farm ,i like to deal with recognized experts in these articles4 ,how much more when ,i am purchasing substances where expert knowledge will turn the balance between life and death4 ,i have gossiped with pharmacists enough to know that all physicians do not avoid incompatibles in their prescriptions1 and that occasionally a combination falls into the prescription clerk's hands1 which1 if made up as he reads it would produce a poisonous compound1 or perhaps even an explosive mixture4 ,two heads are better than one1 and if my physician ever makes a mistake of this kind ,i look to my pharmacist to see that it shall not reach the practical stage4 ,i recognize the great value and service of the department store1 but ,i do not go there for my law or medicine2 neither do ,i care to resort thither for my pharmacy4 ,i want our separate drug stores to persist1 and ,i want them to remain in charge of experts4 ,and when the store deals in other things than purely therapeutic preparations--which ,i have already said ,i think probably unavoidable1--,i want it to present the aspect of a pharmacy that deals also in toilet preparations and mineral water1 not of an establishment for dispensing soda-water and soap1 where one may have a prescription filled on the side1 in an emergency4 ,and when the emergency does arise1 ,i should have the pharmacy respond to it4 ,it is the place where we naturally look in an emergency--the spot to which the victim of an accident is carried directly--the one where the lady bends her steps when she feels that she is going to faint4 ,in hundreds of cases the drug store is our only standby1 and it should be the druggist's business to see that it never fails us4 ,there are pharmacies where a telephone message brings an unfailing response2 there are others to which one would as soon think of sending an inquiry regarding a ,biblical quotation4 ,to which type1 do you think1 will the public prefer to resort8 ,then there are those little courtesies that no retail business is obliged to offer1 but that the public has been accustomed to expect from the druggist--the cashing of checks1 the changing of bills1 the furnishing of postage stamps1 the consultation of the city directory4 ,there can be no reason for resorting to a drug store for all these favors except that the pharmacist has an enviable reputation as the man who is most likely to grant them4 ,and yet ,i begin to hear druggists complaining of the results of this reputation1 of which they ought to be proud2 ,i see them pointing out that there is no profit on postage stamps and no commission for changing a bill4 ,they intimate1 further1 that although it may be proper for them to put themselves out for regular customers1 it is absurd for strangers to ask for these courtesies4 ,i marvel when ,i hear these sentiments4 ,if this popular impression regarding the courtesy of the druggist did not exist1 it would be worth the expenditure of vast sums and the labor of a lifetime to create it4 ,to deliberately undo it would be as foolish as to lock the door in the face of customers4 ,i do not believe that in ,st4 ,louis the pharmaceutical profession is generally averse to a reputation for generous public service1 and ,i base my belief on some degree of personal knowledge4 ,the ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library operates about sixty delivery stations in various parts of the city4 ,these stations are all in drug stores4 ,the work connected with them1 though light1 is by no means inconsiderable1 and yet not one of the druggists who undertake it charges the library a cent for his space or his services4 ,doubtless they expect a return from the increased attractiveness of their places to the public4 ,i hope that they get it and ,i believe that they do4 ,at any rate we have evidence here of the pharmacist's belief that the bread of public service1 cast upon the waters1 will sooner or later return4 ,you will notice that ,i am saying nothing about advertising4 ,one would think from the pharmaceutical papers1 with which ,i am not unfamiliar1 that the druggist's chief end was to have a sensational show window of some kind4 ,these things are not unimportant1 but ,i do not dwell on them because ,i believe that if a druggist realizes the importance of his profession2 if he makes himself a recognized expert in it2 if he sticks to it and magnifies it2 if he makes his place indispensable to the community around him1 the first point to which the citizens resort for help in an emergency1 an unfailing center of courtesy and favor--he may fill his window with toilet soap1 or monkeys1 or with nothing at all--there will still be a trodden path up to his door4 ,gentlemen1 you have chosen as your life work a profession that ,i believe to be indispensable to human welfare--one of enviable tradition and honor and with standing and reputation in the community that set it apart1 in some degree from all others4 ,and while ,i would not have you neglect the material success that it may bring you1 ,i would urge you to expect this as a result rather than strive for it as an immediate end4 ,i would have you labor to maintain and develop the special knowledge that you have gained in this institution1 to hold up the standard of courtesy and helpfulness under which you can best do public service1 confident that if you do these things1 business standing and financial success will also be added unto you4 ,,how ,,the ,,community ,,educates ,,itself#ae #ae ,read before the ,american ,library ,association1 ,asbury ,park1 ,n4,j41 ,june #bg1 #aiaf4 ,in endeavoring to distinguish between self-education and education by others1 one meets with considerable difficulty4 ,if a boy reads ,mill's ,political ,economy' he is surely educating himself2 but if after reading each chapter he visits a class and answers certain questions propounded for the purpose of ascertaining whether he has read it at all1 or has read it understandingly1 then we are accustomed to transfer the credit for the educative process to the questioner1 and say that the boy has been educated at school or college4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i think most of us are self-educated4 ,not only is most of what an adult knows and can do1 acquired outside of school1 but in most of what he learned even there he was self-taught4 ,his so-called teachers assigned tasks to him and saw that he performed them4 ,if he did not1 they subjected him to discipline4 ,once or twice in a lifetime most of us have run up against a real teacher--a man or a woman that really played a major part in shaping our minds as they now are--our stock of knowledge1 our ways of thought1 our methods of doing things4 ,these men have stood and are still standing 7though they may have joined the great majority long ago7 athwart the stream of sensation as it passes through us1 and are determining what part shall be stored up1 and where2 what kind of action shall ultimately result from it4 ,the influence of a good teacher spreads farther and lasts longer than that of any other man4 ,if his words have been recorded in books it may reach across the seas and down the ages4 ,there is another reason why the distinction between school education and self-education breaks down4 ,if the boy with whom we began had any teacher at all it was ,john ,stuart ,mill1 and this man was his teacher whether or not his reading of the book was prescribed and tested in a class-room4 ,i would not have you think that ,i would abolish schools and colleges4 ,i wish we had more of the right kind1 but the chief factor in educative acquirement will still be the pupil4 ,so when the community educates itself1 as it doubtless does and as it must do1 it simply continues a process with which it has always been familiar1 but without control1 or under its own control4 ,of all the things that we learn1 control is the most vital4 ,what we are is the sum of those things that we do not repress4 ,we begin without self-repression and have to be controlled by others4 ,when we learn to exercise control ourselves1 it is right that even our education should revert wholly to what it has long been in greater part--a voluntary process4 ,this does not mean that at this time the pupil abandons guidance4 ,it means that he is free to choose his own guides and the place and method of using them4 ,some rely wholly on experience2 others are wise enough to see that life is too short and too narrow to acquire all that we need1 and they set about to make use also of that acquired by others4 ,some of these wiser ones use only their companions and acquaintances2 others read books4 ,the wisest are opportunists2 they make use of all these methods as they have occasion4 ,their reading does not make them avoid the exchange of ideas by conversation1 nor does the acquirement of ideas in either way preclude learning daily by experience1 or make reflection useless or unnecessary4 ,he who lives a full life acquires ideas as he may1 causes them to combine1 change and generate in his own mind1 and then translates them into action of some kind4 ,he who omits any of these things cannot be said to have really lived4 ,he cannot1 it is true1 fail to acquire ideas unless he is an idiot2 but he may fail to acquire them broadly1 and may even make the mistake of thinking that he can create them in his own mind4 ,he may1 however1 acquire fully and then merely store without change or combination2 that is1 he may turn his brain into a warehouse instead of using it as a factory4 ,and the man who has acquired broadly and worked over his raw material into a product of his own1 may still stop there and never do anything4 ,our whole organism is subsidiary to action and he who stops short of it has surely failed to live4 ,our educative processes1 so far1 have dwelt heavily on acquirement1 somewhat lightly on mental assimilation and digestion1 and have left action almost untouched4 ,in these two latter respects1 especially1 is the community self-educated4 ,the fact that ,i am saying this here1 and to you1 is a sufficient guaranty that ,i am to lay some emphasis on the part played by books in these self-educative processes4 ,a book is at once a carrier and a tool2 it transports the idea and plants it4 ,it is a carrier both in time and in space--the idea that it implants may be a foreign idea1 or an ancient idea1 or both4 ,either of its functions may for the moment be paramount2 a book may bring to you ideas whose implantation your brain resists1 or it may be used to implant ideas that are already present1 as when an instructor uses his own text book4 ,neither of these two cases represents education in the fullest sense4 ,you will notice that ,i have not yet defined education4 ,i do not intend to try1 for my time is limited4 ,but in the course of my own educative processes1 which ,i trust are still proceeding1 the tendency grows stronger and stronger to insist on an intimate connection with reality in all education--to making it a realization that we are to do something and a yearning to be able to do it4 ,the man who has never run up against things as they are1 who has lived in a world of moonshine1 who sees crooked and attempts what is impossible and what is useless--is he educated8 ,i used to wonder what a realist was4 ,now that ,i am becoming one myself ,i begin dimly to understand4 ,he certainly is not a man devoid of ideals1 but they are real ideals1 if you will pardon the bull4 ,i believe that ,i am in goodly company4 ,the library as ,i see it has also set its face toward the real4 ,what else is meant by our business branches1 our technology rooms1 our legislative and municipal reference departments8 ,they mean that slow as we may be to respond to community thought and to do our part in carrying on community education1 we are vastly more sensitive than the school1 which still turns up its nose at efforts like the ,gary system2 than the stage1 which still teaches its actors to be stagy instead of natural2 even than the producers of the very literature that we help to circulate1 who rarely know how even to represent the conversation of two human beings as it really is4 ,and when a great new vehicle of popular artistic expression arises1 like the moving picture1 those who purvey it spend their millions to build mock cities instead of to reproduce the reality that it is their special privilege to be able to show4 ,and they hire stage actors to show off their staginess on the screen--staginess that is a thousand times more stagy because its background is of waving foliage and glimmering water1 instead of the painted canvas in front of which it belongs4 ,the heart of the community is right4 ,its heroine is ,mary ,pickford4 ,it rises to realism as one man4 ,the little dog who cannot pose1 and who pants and wags his tail on the screen as he would anywhere else1 elicits thunderous applause4 ,the baby who puckers up its face and cries1 oblivious of its environment1 is always a favorite4 ,but the trend of all this1 these institutions cannot see4 ,we librarians are seeing it a little more clearly4 ,we may see it--we shall see it1 more clearly still4 ,the self-education of a community often depends very closely on bonds of connection already established between the minds of that community's individual members4 ,sometimes it depends on a sudden connection made through the agency of a single event of overwhelming importance and interest4 ,let me illustrate what ,i mean by connection of this kind4 ,for many years it was my duty to cross the ,hudson river twice daily on a crowded ferry-boat1 and it used to interest me to watch the behavior of the crowds under the influence of simple impulses affecting them all alike4 ,i am happy to say that ,i never had an opportunity of observing the effect of complex impulses such as those of panic terror4 ,i used particularly to watch1 from the vantage point of a stairway whence ,i could look over their heads1 the behavior of the crowd standing in the cabin just before the boat made its landing4 ,each person in the crowd stood still quietly1 and the tendency was toward a loose formation to ensure comfort and some freedom of movement4 ,at the same time each was ready and anxious to move forward as soon as the landing should be made4 ,only those in front could see the bow of the ferryboat2 the others could see nothing but the persons directly in front of them4 ,when those in the front rank saw that the landing was very near they began to move forward2 those just behind followed suit and so on to the rear4 ,the result was that ,i saw a wave of compression1 of the same sort as a sound-wave in air1 move through the throng4 ,the individual motions were forward but the wave moved backward4 ,no better example of a wave of this kind could be devised4 ,now the actions and reactions between the air-particles in a sound wave are purely mechanical4 ,not so here4 ,there was neither pushing nor pulling of the ordinary kind4 ,each person moved forward because his mind was fixed on moving forward at the earliest opportunity1 and because the forward movement of those just in front showed him that now was the time and the opportunity4 ,the physical link1 if there was one1 properly speaking1 between one movement and another was something like this3 ,a wave of light1 reflected from the body of the man in front1 entered the eye of the man just behind1 where it was transformed into a nerve impulse that readied the brain through the optic nerve4 ,here it underwent complicated transformations and reactions whose nature we can but surmise1 until it left the brain as a motor impulse and caused the leg muscles to contract1 moving their owner forward4 ,all this may or may not have taken place within the sphere of consciousness2 in the most cases it had happened so often that it had been relegated to that of unconscious cerebration4 ,i have entered into so much detail because ,i want to make it clear that a connection may be established between members of a group1 even so casual a group as that of persons who happen to cross on the same ferry boat1 that is so real and compelling1 that its results simulate those of physical forces4 ,in thin case the results were dependent on the existence in the crowd of one common bond of interest4 ,they all wanted to leave the ferry boat as soon as possible1 and by its bow4 ,if some of them had wanted to stay on the boat and go back with it1 or if it had been a river steamboat where landings were made from several gangways in different parts of the boat the simple wave of compression that ,i saw would not have been set up4 ,in like manner the ordinary influences that act on men's minds tend in all sorts of directions and their results are not easily traced4 ,occasionally1 however1 there occurs some event so great that it turns us all in the same direction and establishes a common network of psychical connections4 ,such an event fosters community education4 ,we have lately witnessed such a phenomenon in the sudden outbreak of the great ,european ,war4 ,probably no person in the community as we librarians know it remained unaffected by this event4 ,in most it aroused some kind of a desire to know what was going on4 ,it was necessary that most of us should know a little more than we did of the differences in racial temperament and aim among the inhabitants of the warring nations1 of such movements as ,pan-,slavism and ,pan-,germanism1 of the recent political history of ,europe1 of modern military tactics and strategy1 of international law1 of geography1 of the pronunciation of foreign placenames1 of the chemistry of explosives--of a thousand things regarding which we had hitherto lacked the impulse to inform ourselves4 ,this sort of thing is going on in a community every day1 but here was a catastrophe setting in motion a mighty brain-wave that had twisted us all in one direction4 ,notice now what a conspicuous role our public libraries play in phenomena of this kind4 ,in the first place1 the newspaper and periodical press reflects at once the interest that has been aroused4 ,where man's unaided curiosity would suggest one question it adds a hundred others4 ,problems that would otherwise seem simple enough now appear complex--the whole mental interest is intensified4 ,at the same time there is an attempt to satisfy the questions thus raised4 ,the man who did not know about the ,belgian treaty1 or the possible use of submarines as commerce-destroyers1 has all the issues put before him with at least an attempt to settle them4 ,this service of the press to community education would be attempted1 but it would not be successfully rendered1 without the aid of the public library1 for it has come to pass that the library is now almost the only non-partisan institution that we possess2 and community education1 to be effective1 must be non-partisan4 ,the press is almost necessarily biassed4 ,the man who is prejudiced prefers the paper or the magazine that will cater to his prejudices1 inflame them1 cause him to think that they are reasoned results instead of prejudices4 ,if he keeps away from the public library he may succeed in blinding himself2 if he uses it he can hardly do so4 ,he will find there not only his own side but all the others2 if he has the ordinary curiosity that is our mortal heritage he cannot help glancing at the opinions of others occasionally4 ,no man is really educated who does not at least know that another side exists to the question on which he has already made up his mind--or had it made up for him4 ,further1 no one is content to stop with the ordinary periodical literature4 ,the flood of books inspired by this war is one of the most astonishing things about it4 ,most libraries are struggling to keep up with it in some degree4 ,very few of these books would be within the reach of most of us were it not for the library4 ,i beg you to notice the difference in the reaction of the library to this war and that of the public school as indicative of the difference between formal educative processes1 as we carry them on1 and the self-education of the community4 ,i have emphasized the freedom of the library from bias4 ,the school is necessarily biassed--perhaps properly so4 ,you remember the story of the candidate for a district school who1 when asked by an examining committee-man whether the earth was round or flat1 replied1 ,well1 some says one and some t'other4 ,i teach either round or flat1 as the parents wish4 ,now1 there are books that maintain the flatness of the earth1 and they properly find a place on the shelves of large public libraries4 ,those who wish to compare the arguments pro and con are at liberty to do so4 ,even in such a res adjudicata as this the library takes no sides4 ,but in spite of the obliging school candidate1 the school cannot proceed in this way4 ,the teaching of the child must be definite4 ,and there are other subjects1 historical ones for instance1 in which the school's attitude may be determined by its location1 its environment1 its management4 ,when it is a public school and its controlling authority is really trying to give impartial instruction there are some subjects that must simply be skipped1 leaving them to be covered by post-scholastic community education4 ,this is the school's limitation4 ,only the policy of caution is very apt to be carried too far4 ,thus we find that in the school the immense educational drive of the ,european ,war has not been utilized as it has in the community at large4 ,in some places the school authorities have erected a barrier against it4 ,so far as they are concerned the war has been non-existent4 ,this difference between the library and the school appears in such reports as the following from a branch librarian3 ,throughout the autumn and most of the winter we found it absolutely impossible to supply the demand for books about the war4 ,everything we had on the subject or akin to it--books1 magazines1 pamphlets--were in constant use4 ,books of travel and history about the warring countries became popular--things that for years had been used but rarely became suddenly vitally interesting4 ,i have been greatly interested by the fact that the high school boys and girls never ask for anything about the war4 ,not once during the winter have ,i seen in one of them a spark of interest in the subject4 ,it seems so strange that it should be necessary to keep them officially ignorant of this great war because the grandfather of one spoke ,french and of another ,german4 ,another librarian says3 ,the war again has naturally stimulated an interest in maps4 ,with every turn in military affairs1 new ones are issued and added to our collection4 ,these maps1 as received1 have been exhibited for short periods upon screens and they have never lacked an appreciative line of spectators1 representing all nationalities4 ,one noticeable effect of the war in libraries has been to stimulate the marking of books1 periodicals and newspapers by readers1 especially in periodical rooms4 ,readers with strong feelings cannot resist annotating articles or chapters that express opinions in which they cannot concur4 ,pictures of generals or royalties are especially liable to defacement with opprobrious epithets4 ,this feeling extends even to bulletins4 ,libraries receive strenuous protests against the display of portraits and other material relating to one of the contesting parties without similar material on the other side to offset it4 ,efforts to be strictly neutral have not always met with success1 some readers apparently regarding neutrality as synonymous with suppression of everything favorable to the opposite side4 ,one library reports that the display of an ,english military portrait called forth an energetic protest because it was not balanced by a ,german one4 ,such manifestations as these are merely symptoms4 ,the impulse of the war toward community education is a tremendous one and it is not strange that it should find an outlet in all sorts of odd ways4 ,the ,german sympathizer who would not ordinarily think of objecting to the display of an ,english portrait1 and in fact would probably not think of examining it closely enough to know whether it was ,english or ,austrian1 has now become alert4 ,his alertness makes him open to educative influences1 but it may also show itself in such ways as that just noted4 ,keeping the war out of the schools is of course a purely local phenomenon1 to be deprecated where it occurs4 ,the library can do its part here also4 ,g4 ,stanley ,hall believes that the problem of teaching the war is how to utilize in the very best way the wonderful opportunity to open1 see and feel the innumerable and vital lessons involved4 ,commenting on this a children's librarian says3 ,the unparalleled opportunity offered to our country1 and the new complex problems presented by these new conditions should make the children's librarian pause and take heed4 ,can we do our part toward using the boy's loyalty to his gang or his nine1 his love of his country1 his respect for our flag1 his devotion to our heroes1 in developing a sense of human brotherhood which alone can prevent or delay in the next generation another such catastrophe as the one we face to-day8 ,exclusion of the war from the schools is partly the outcome of the general attitude of most of our schoolmen1 who object to the teaching of a subject as an incidental4 ,arithmetic must be studied for itself alone4 ,to absorb it as a by-product of shop-work1 as is done in ,gary1 is inadmissible4 ,but it is also a result of the fear that teaching the war at all would necessarily mean a partisan teaching of it--a conclusion which perhaps we cannot condemn when we remember the partisan instruction in various other subjects for which our schools are responsible4 ,again1 this exclusion is doubtless aided by the efforts of some pacifists1 who believe that1 ostrich-like1 we should hide our heads in the sand1 to avoid acknowledging the existence of something we do not like4 ,why war8 asks a recent pamphlet4 ,why1 indeed8 ,but we may ask in turn ,why fire8 ,why flood8 ,i cannot answer these questions1 but it would be foolish to act as if the scourges did not exist4 ,nay1 ,i hasten to insure myself against them1 though the possibility that they will injure me is remote4 ,this ultra-pacifist attitude has gone further than school education and is trying to put the lid on community education also4 ,objection1 for instance1 has been made to an exhibit of books1 prints and posters about the war1 which was displayed in the ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library for nearly two months4 ,we intended to let it stand for about a week1 but the public would not allow this4 ,the community insists on self-education even against the will of its natural allies4 ,the contention that we are cultivating the innate blood-thirstiness of our public1 ,i regard as absurd4 ,what can we do toward generating or taking advantage of other great driving impulses toward community education8 ,must we wait for the horrors of a great war to teach us geography1 industrial chemistry and international law8 ,is it necessary to burn down a house every time we want to roast a pig8 ,certainly not4 ,but just as one would not think of bringing on any kind of a catastrophe in order to utilize its shock for educational purposes1 so also ,i doubt very much whether we need concern ourselves about the initiation of any impulse toward popular education4 ,these impulses exist everywhere in great number and variety and we need only to select the right one and reinforce it4 ,attempts to generate others are rarely effective4 ,when we hear the rich mellow tone of a great organ pipe1 it is difficult to realize that all the pipe does is to reinforce a selected tone among thousands of indistinguishable noises made by the air rushing through a slit and striking against an edge4 ,yet this is the fact4 ,these incipient impulses permeate the community all about us2 all we have to do is to select one1 feed it and give it play and we shall have an educational movement4 ,this fact is strongly impressed upon anyone working with clubs4 ,if it is desired to foster some movement by means of an organization1 it is rarely necessary to form one for the purpose4 ,every community teems with clubs1 associations and circles4 ,all that is needed is to capture the right one and back it up4 ,politicians well understand this art of capture and use it often for evil purposes4 ,in the librarian's hands it becomes an instrument for good4 ,better than to offer a course of twenty lectures under the auspices of the library is it to capture a club1 give it house-room1 and help it with its program4 ,i am proud of the fact that in fifteen public rooms in our library1 about four thousand meetings are held in the course of the year2 but ,i am inclined to be still prouder of the fact that not one of these is held formally under the auspices of the library or is visibly patronized by it4 ,to go back to our thesis1 all education is self-education2 we can only select1 guide and strengthen1 but when we have done these things adequately1 we have done a very great work indeed4 ,what is true of assemblies and clubs is also true of the selection and use of books4 ,a book purchased in response to a demand is worth a dozen bought because the librarian thinks the library ought to have them4 ,the possibilities of free suggestion by the community are1 it seems to me1 far from realized1 yet even as it is1 ,i believe that librarians have an unexampled opportunity of feeling out promising tendencies in this great flutter of educational impulses all about us1 and so of selecting the right ones and helping them on4 ,almost while ,i have been writing this ,i have been visited by a delegate from the foundrymen's club--an organization that wants more books on foundry practice and wants them placed together in a convenient spot4 ,such a visit is of course a heaven-sent opportunity and ,i suppose ,i betrayed something of my pleasure in my manner4 ,my visitor said1 ,i am so glad you feel this way about it2 we have been meaning for some time to call on you1 but we were in doubt about how we should be received4 ,such moments are humiliating to the librarian4 ,great heavens6 ,have we advertised1 discussed1 talked and plastered our towns with publicity1 only to learn at last that the spokesman of a body of respectable men1 asking legitimate service1 rather expects to be kicked downstairs than otherwise when he approaches us8 ,is our publicity failing in quantity or in quality8 ,whatever may be the matter1 it is in response to demands like this that the library must play its part in community education4 ,here as elsewhere it is the foundrymen who are the important factors--their attitude1 their desires1 their capabilities4 ,our function is that of the organ pipe--to pick out the impulse1 respond to it and give it volume and carrying power4 ,the community will educate itself whether we help or not4 ,it is permeated by lines of intelligence as the magnetic field is by lines of force4 ,thrust in a bit of soft iron and the force-lines will change their direction in order to pass through the iron4 ,thrust a book into the community field1 and its lines of intelligence will change direction in order to take in the contents of the book4 ,if we could map out the field we should see great masses of lines sweeping through our public libraries4 ,all about us we see men who tell us that they despair of democracy2 that at any rate1 whatever its advantages1 democracy can never be efficient4 ,efficient for what8 ,efficiency is a relative quality1 not absolute4 ,a big ,german howitzer would be about as inefficient a tool as could be imagined1 for serving an apple-pie4 ,beside1 democracy is a goal2 we have not reached it yet2 we shall never reach it if we decide that it is undesirable4 ,the path toward it is the path of ,nature1 which leads through conflicts1 survivals1 and modifications4 ,part of it is the path of community education1 which ,i believe to be efficient in that it is leading on toward a definite goal4 ,part of ,nature is man1 with his desires1 hopes and abilities4 ,some men1 and many women1 are librarians1 in whom these desires and hopes have definite aims and in whom the corresponding abilities are more or less developed4 ,we are all thus cogs in ,nature's great scheme for community education2 let us be intelligent cogs1 and help the movement on instead of hindering it4 ,,clubwomen',s ,,reading ,i--,the ,malady ,a well-dressed woman entered the ,art ,department of a large public library4 ,have you any material on the ,medici8 she asked the custodian4 ,yes2 just what kind of material do you want8 ,stop a minute1 cried the woman1 extending a detaining hand2 before you get me anything1 just tell me what they are6 ,librarians are trained not to laugh4 ,no one could have detected the ghost of a smile on this one's face as she lifted the ,m volume of a cyclopedia from a shelf and placed it on the table before the seeker after knowledge4 ,there2 that will tell you1 she said1 and returned to her work4 ,not long afterward she was summoned by a beckoning finger4 ,i can't tell from this book1 said the perplexed student1 whether the ,medici were a family or a race of people4 ,the ,art ,librarian tried to untie this knot1 but it was not long before another presented itself4 ,this book doesn't explain1 said the troubled investigator1 whether the ,medici were ,florentines or ,italians4 ,still without a quiver1 the art assistant emitted the required drop of information4 ,shan't ,i get you something more now8 she asked4 ,oh1 no2 this will be quite sufficient1 and taking out pencil and paper the inquirer began to write rapidly with the cyclopedia propped before her4 ,presently1 when the ,art ,librarian looked up1 her guest had disappeared4 ,but she was on hand the next morning4 ,may ,i see that book again8 she asked sweetly4 ,there are some words here in my copy that ,i can't quite make out4 ,on another occasion a reader1 of the same sex1 wandered into the reading-room and began to gaze about her with that peculiar sort of perplexed aimlessness that librarians have come to recognise instinctively as an index to the wearer's state of mind4 ,have you anything on ,american travels8 she asked4 ,do you mean travels in ,america1 or travels by ,americans in foreign countries8 ,well2 ,i don't know--exactly4 ,do you want books like ,dickens's ,american ,notes1 that give a foreigner's impression of this country8 ,ye-es--possibly4 ,or books like ,hawthorne's ,note ,book1 telling how a foreign country appears to an ,american8 ,we-ell2 perhaps4 ,are you following a programme of reading8 ,yes4 ,may ,i see it8 ,that may give me a clue4 ,i haven't a copy here4 ,can you give me the name of the person or committee who made it8 ,oh1 ,i made it myself4 ,this was a facer2 the librarian seemed to have brought up against a stone wall1 but she waited1 knowing that a situation1 unlike a knot1 will sometimes untie itself4 ,the seeker after knowledge also waited for a time4 ,then she broke out animatedly3 ,why1 ,i just wanted ,american travels1 don't you know8 ,funny little stories and things about the sort of ,americans that go abroad with a bird-cage6 ,just what books were given to her ,i do not know2 but in due time her interesting paper before the ,olla ,podrida ,club was properly noticed in the local papers4 ,in another case a perplexed club-woman came to a library for aid in making a programme of reading4 ,have you some ideas about the subject you want to take up8 asked the reference assistant4 ,well1 we had thought of ,england1 or perhaps ,scotland2 and some of us would like the ,elizabethan ,period4 ,the assistant1 after some faithful work1 produced a list of books and articles on each of these somewhat comprehensive subjects and sent them to the reader for selection4 ,which did you finally take8 she asked when the inquirer next visited the library4 ,oh1 they were so good1 we decided to use all of them this year6 ,the writer is no pessimist4 ,these stories which are as true1 word for word1 as any tales not taken down by a stenographer 7and far more so than some that are7 seemed to throw the persons who told them into a sort of dumb despair1 but ,i hastened to reassure them4 ,i pointed out that the inquirers after knowledge had1 beyond all doubt1 obtained some modicum of what they wanted4 ,if the lady in the first tale1 for instance1 had mistakenly supposed that the ,medici were a new kind of dance or something to eat1 she surely has been disabused4 ,and her cyclopedia article was probably as well written as most of its kind1 so that a literal transcript of it could have done no harm either to the copyist or to her clubmates4 ,and the paper on ,american ,travels1 and the combined lists on ,england1 ,scotland and the ,elizabethan ,period2 did not those who laboured on them1 or with them1 acquire information in the process8 ,most assuredly6 ,still1 ,i must confess that1 in advancing these arguments1 ,i feel somewhat like an advocatus diaboli4 ,it is all very well to treat the puzzled clubwoman as a joke4 ,when a man slips on a banana-peel and goes down1 we may laugh at his plight2 but suppose the whole crowd of passers-by began to pitch and slide and tumble6 ,should we not think that some horrible epidemic had laid its hand on us8 ,the ladies with their ,medici and their ,travels are not isolated instances4 ,ask the librarians2 they know1 but in countless instances they do not tell1 for fear of casting ridicule upon the hundreds of intelligent clubwomen whom they are proud to help4 ,in many libraries there is a standing rule against repeating or discussing the errors and slips of the public1 especially to the ever hungry reporter4 ,i break this rule here with equanimity1 and even with a certain degree of hope1 for my object is to awaken my readers to the knowledge that part of the reading public is suffering from a malady of some kind4 ,later ,i may try my hand at diagnosis and even at therapeutics4 ,and ,i am taking as an illustration chiefly the reading done by women's clubs1 not because men do not do reading of the same kind1 or because it is not done by individuals as well as by groups2 but because1 just at the present time1 women in general1 and clubwomen in particular1 seem especially likely to be attacked by the disease4 ,it must be remembered also that ,i am writing from the standpoint of the public library1 and ,i here make humble acknowledgement of the fact that many things in the educational field1 both good and bad1 go on quite outside of that institution and beyond its ken4 ,the intellectual bonds between the library and the woman's club have always been close4 ,many libraries are the children of such clubs2 many clubs have been formed in and by libraries4 ,if any mistakes are being made in the general policies and programmes of club reading1 the librarian would naturally be the first to know it1 and he ought to speak out4 ,he does know it1 and his knowledge should become public property at once4 ,but1 ,i repeat1 although the trouble is conspicuous in connection with the reading of women's clubs1 it is far more general and deeply rooted than this4 ,the malady's chief symptom1 which is well known to all librarians1 is a lack of correspondence between certain readers and the books that they choose4 ,reading1 like conversation1 is the meeting of two minds4 ,if there is no contact1 the process fails4 ,if the cogs on the gearwheels do not interact1 the machine can not work4 ,if the reader of a book on algebra does not understand arithmetic2 if he tackles a philosophical essay on the representative function without knowing what the phrase means2 if he tries to read a ,french book without knowing the language1 his mind is not fitted for contact with that of the writer1 and the mental machinery will not move4 ,in the early days of the ,open ,shelf1 before librarians had realised the necessity of copious assignments to floor duty1 and before there were children's librarians1 ,i saw in a branch library a small child staggering under the weight of a volume of ,schaff's ,history of the ,christian ,church1 which he had taken from the shelves and was presenting at the desk to be charged4 ,you are not going to read that1 are you8 said the desk assistant4 ,it isn't for me2 it's for me big brudder4 ,what did your big brother ask you to get8 ,oh1 a ,physiology6 ,nowadays1 our well-organised children's rooms make such an occurrence doubtful with the little ones1 but apparently there is much of it with adults4 ,too much of our reading--,i should rather say our attempts at reading--is of this character4 ,such attempts are the result of a tendency to regard the printed page as a fetich--to think that if one knows his alphabet and can call the printed words one after another as his eye runs along the line1 some unexplained good will result1 or at least that he has performed a praiseworthy act1 has accumulated merit somehow or somewhere1 like a ,thibetan with his prayer-wheel4 ,it is probably a fact that if a man should meet you in the street and say1 ,in beatific repentance lies jejune responsibility1 you would stare at him and pass him by1 or perhaps flee from him as from a lunatic2 whereas if you saw these words printed in a book you might gravely study them to ascertain their meaning1 or still worse1 might succeed in reading your own meaning into them4 ,the words ,i have strung together happen to have no meaning1 but the result would be the same if they meant something that was hidden from the reader by his inability to understand them1 no matter what the cause of that inability might be4 ,this malady is doubtless spontaneous in some degree1 and dependent on failings of the human mind that we need not discuss here1 but there are signs that it is being fostered1 spread1 and made more acute by special influences4 ,probably our educational methods are not altogether blameless4 ,the boy who trustfully approached a ,reference ,librarian and said1 ,i have to write a composition on what ,i saw between home and school2 have you got a book about that8 had doubtless been taught that he must look in a book for everything4 ,the conscientious teacher who was now trying to separate him from his notion may have been the very one who1 perhaps unconsciously1 had instilled it2 if so1 her fault had thus returned to plague her4 ,the boy or girl who comes to attach a sacredness or a wizardry to the book in itself will naturally believe1 after a little1 that whether he understands what is in it matters little--and this is the malady of which we have been complaining4 ,a college teacher of the differential calculus1 in a time now happily long past1 when a pupil timidly inquired the reason for this or that1 was wont to fix the interrogator with his eye and say1 ,sir2 it is so because the book says so6 ,even in more recent days a well-known university teacher1 accustomed to use his own text-book1 used to say when a student had ventured to vary its classic phraseology1 ,it can not be expressed better than in the words of the book68 ,these instances1 of course1 are taken from the dark ages of education1 but even to-day ,i believe that a false idea of the value of a printed page merely as print--not as the record of a mind1 ready to make contact with the mind of a reader--has impressed itself too deeply on the brains of many children at an age when such impressions are apt to be durable4 ,not that the schools are especially at fault2 we have all played our part in this unfortunate business4 ,it might all fade1 at length2 we all know that many good teachings of our childhood do vanish2 why should not the bad ones occasionally follow suit8 ,but now come in all the well-meaning instructors of the adult--the ,chautauquans1 the educational extensionists1 the lecturers1 the correspondence schools1 the advisers of reading1 the makers of booklists1 the devisers of courses4 ,they deepen the fleeting impression and increase its capacity for harm1 while varying slightly the mechanism that produced it4 ,as the child grows into a man1 his childish idea that a book will produce a certain effect independently of what it contains is apt to yield a little to reason4 ,the new influences1 some of which ,i have named above1 do not attempt directly to combat this dawning intelligence2 they utilise it to complete the mental discomfiture of their victims4 ,they admit the necessity of comprehending the contents of the book1 but they persuade the reader that such comprehension is easier than it really is4 ,and they often administer specially concocted tabloids that convince one that he knows more than he really does4 ,thus the unsuspecting adult goes on reading what he does not understand1 not now thinking that it does not matter1 but falsely persuaded that he has become competent to understand4 ,every one of the agencies that ,i have named aims to do good educational work2 every one is competent to do such work2 nearly every one does much of it4 ,i am finding fault with them only so far as they succeed in persuading readers that they are better educated than they really are4 ,in this respect such agencies are precisely on a par with the proprietary medicine that is an excellent laxative or sudorific1 but is offered also as a cure for tuberculosis or cancer4 ,i once heard the honoured head of a famous body that does an enormous amount of work of this sort deliver an apologia1 deserving of all attention1 in which he complained that his institution had been falsely accused of superficiality4 ,it was1 he said1 perfectly honest in what it taught4 ,if its pupils thought that the elementary knowledge they were gaining was comprehensive and thorough1 that was their fault--not his4 ,and vet1 at that moment1 the institution was posing before its pupils as a university and using the forms and nomenclature of such a body to strengthen the idea in their minds4 ,we cannot acquit it1 or any of the agencies like it1 of complicity in the causation of the malady whose symptoms we are discussing4 ,it is not the fault of the women's clubs that they have fallen into line in such an imposing procession as this4 ,their formation and work constitute one of the most interesting and important manifestations of the present feminist movement4 ,their rle in it is partly social1 partly educational2 and as they consist of adults1 elementary education is of course excluded from their programme4 ,we therefore find them committed1 perhaps unconsciously1 to the plan of required or recommended reading1 in a form that has long been the bane of our educational systems both in school and out4 ,one of the corner-stones of this system is the idea that the acquisition of information is valuable in itself1 no matter what may be the relationship between it and the acquiring mind1 or what use of it may be made in the future4 ,according to this idea1 if a woman can once get into her head that the ,medici were a family and not a race of people1 it matters little that she is unfitted to comprehend why they are worth reading about at all1 or that the fact has nothing to do with what she has ever done or is likely to be called upon to do in the future4 ,that the members of these clubs are willing to pursue knowledge under these hampering conditions is of course a point in their favour1 so far as it goes4 ,a desire for knowledge is never to be despised1 even when it is not entertained for its own sake4 ,and a secondary desire may often be changed into a primary one1 if the task is approached in the right way4 ,the possibility of such a transformation is a hopeful feature of the present situation4 ,the reading that is done by women in connection with club work is of several different types4 ,in the simplest organisations1 which are reading clubs pure and simple1 a group of books1 roughly equal in number to the membership1 is taken and passed around until each person has read them all4 ,there is no connection between them1 and each volume is selected simply on some one's statement that it is a good book4 ,a step higher is the club where the books are on one general subject1 selected by some one who has been asked to prescribe a course of reading4 ,by easy gradations we arrive at the final stage1 where the reading is of the nature of investigation and its outcome is an essay4 ,a subject is decided on at the beginning of the season4 ,the programme committee selects several phases of it and assigns each to a member1 who prepares her essay and reads it to the club at one of the stated meetings4 ,in this case the reading to be done in preparation for writing the essay may or may not be guided by the committee4 ,in many cases1 where the local public library cooperates actively with the clubs1 a list may be made out by the librarian and perhaps printed1 with due acknowledgment1 in the club's year book4 ,no one can doubt1 in looking over typical programmes and lists among the thousands that represent the annual reading of the women's clubs throughout the ,united ,states1 that a serious and sustained effort is being made to introduce the intellect1 as an active factor1 into the lives of thousands of women--lives where hitherto it has played little part1 whether they are millionaires or near paupers1 workers or idlers4 ,with this aim there must be frill measure of sympathy1 but ,i fear we can commend it only in the back-handed fashion in which a great authority on sociology recently commended the ,socialists4 ,if sympathy with what they are trying to do1 as opposed to the way in which they are trying to do it1 makes one a ,socialist1 said the ,professor1 then ,i am a ,socialist4 ,here also we may sympathise with the aim1 but the results are largely dependent on the method2 and that method is the offspring of ignorance and inefficiency4 ,the results may be summed up in one word--superficiality4 ,i have elsewhere warned readers not to think that this word means simply a slight knowledge of a subject4 ,a slight knowledge is all that most of us possess1 or need to possess1 about most subjects4 ,i know a little about ,montenegro for instance--something of its origin and relationships1 its topography1 the names and characteristics of a city or two1 the racial and other peculiarities of its inhabitants4 ,yet ,i should cut a poor figure indeed in an examination on ,montenegrin history1 geography or government4 ,is my knowledge superficial8 ,it could not properly be so stigmatised unless ,i should pose as an authority on ,montenegro1 or unless my opportunities to know about the country had been so great that failure to take advantage of them should argue mental incapacity4 ,the trouble with the reading-lists and programmes of our women's clubs1 inherited in some degree from our general educational methods1 is that they emphasise their own content and ignore what they do not contain1 to such an extent that those who use them remain largely in ignorance of the fact that the former bears a very small proportion indeed to the latter4 ,it was once my duty to act as private tutor in algebra and geometry to a young man preparing for college4 ,he was bright and industrious1 but ,i found that he was under the impression that when he had gone to the end of his text-books in those two subjects he would have mastered1 not only all the algebra and geometry1 but all the mathematics1 that the world held in store4 ,and when this story has been told in despair to some very intelligent persons they have commented3 ,well1 there isn't much more1 is there8 ,the effort of the text-book writer1 as well as that of the maker of programmes1 lists1 and courses1 appears to have been to produce what he calls a well-rounded effect2 in other words1 to make the student think that the whole subject--in condensed form perhaps1 but still the whole--lies within what he has turned out4 ,did you ever see a chemistry that gave1 or tried to give1 an idea of the world of chemical knowledge that environs its board cover8 ,one has to become a ,newton before he feels1 with that sage1 like a child1 playing on the sands1 with the great1 unexplored ocean of knowledge stretching out before him4 ,most students are rather like ducks in a barn-yard puddle1 quite sure that they are familiar with the whole world and serene in that knowledge4 ,most writers of text-books would indignantly deny that this criticism implies a fault4 ,it is none of their business1 they would say1 to call attention to what is beyond their scope4 ,so be it4 ,unfortunately1 every one feels in the same way and so the horizon of our women's clubs is that of the puddle instead of the ocean4 ,it is a most interesting fact in this connection that there exist certain organisations which make a business of furnishing clubwomen with information for their papers4 ,i have heard this service described as a godsend1 to clubs in small places where there are no libraries1 or where the libraries are poorly equipped with books and personnel4 ,but1 if ,i am correctly informed1 the service does not stop with the supply of raw material2 it goes on to the finished product1 and the perplexed lady who is required to read a paper on ,melchisedek or on ,popular ,errors ,regarding the ,theory of ,groups1 may for an adequate fee1 or possibly even for an inadequate one1 obtain a neatly typewritten manuscript on the subject1 ready to read4 ,this sort of thing is not at all to be wondered at4 ,it has gone on since the dawn of time with college theses1 clergymen's sermons1 the orations and official papers of statesmen4 ,whenever a man is confronted with an intellectual task that he dare not shirk1 and yet has not the intellect or the interest to perform1 the first thing he thinks of is to hire some one to do it for him1 and this demand has always been great enough and widespread enough to make it profitable for some one to organise the supply on a commercial basis4 ,what interests us in the present case is the fact that its existence in the woman's club affords an instant clue to the state of mind of many of its members4 ,they have this in common with the plagiarising pupil1 clergyman1 or statesman--they are called upon to do something in which they have only a secondary interest4 ,the minister who reads a sermon on the text ,thou ,shalt ,not ,steal1 and considers that the fact that he has paid five dollars for it will absolve him from the charge of inconsistency1 does not--cannot--feel any desire to impress his congregation with a desire for right living--he wants only to hold his job4 ,the university student who1 after ascertaining that there is no copyable literature in the ,library on ,why ,i ,came to ,college1 pays a classmate a dollar to give this information to the ,faculty1 cares nothing about the question2 but he does care to avoid discipline4 ,so the clubwoman who reads a purchased essay on ,ireland in the ,fourteenth ,century1 has not the slightest interest in the subject2 but she does want to remain a member of her club1 in good and regular standing4 ,it is the same substitution of adventitious for natural motives and stimuli that works intellectual havoc from the mother's knee up to the ,halls of ,congress4 ,when ,i assert boldly that at the present time the majority of vague and illogical readers are women1 and that women's clubs are responsible for much of that kind of reading1 ,i shall doubtless incur the displeasure of the school of feminists who seem bent on minimising the differences between the two sexes4 ,obvious physical differences they have not been able to explain away1 and to deny that corresponding mental differences exist is to shut one's eyes to all the teachings of modern physiology4 ,the mental life is a function1 not of the brain alone1 but of the whole nervous system of which the brain is but the principal ganglion4 ,cut off a man's legs1 and you have removed something from his mental1 as well as from his physical equipment4 ,that men and women should have minds of the same type is a physiological impossibility4 ,a familiar way of stating the difference is to say that in the man's mind reason predominates1 in the woman's1 intuition4 ,there is doubtless something to be said for this statement of the distinction1 but it is objectionable because it is generally interpreted to mean--quite unnecessarily--that a woman's mind is inferior to a man's--a distinction about as foolish as it would be to say the negative electricity is inferior to positive1 or cold to heat4 ,the types are in most ways supplementary1 and a combination of the two has always been a potent intellectual force--one of the strongest arguments for marriage as an institution4 ,when we try to do the work of the world with either type alone we have generally made a mess of it4 ,and the outcome seems to make it probable that the female type is especially prone to become the prey of fallacies like that which has brought about the present flood of useless1 or worse than useless1 reading4 ,i shall doubtless be asked whether ,i assert that one type of mind belongs always to the man and one to the woman4 ,by no means4 ,i do not even lay emphasis on the necessity of naming the two types male and female4 ,all ,i say is that the types exist--with those intermediate cases that always bother the classifier--and that the great majority of men possess one type and the great majority of women the other4 ,it is possible that differences of training may have originated or at least emphasised the types2 it is possible that future training may obliterate the lines that separate them1 but ,i do not believe it4 ,i am even afraid of trying the experiment1 for there is reason to believe that its success in the mental field might react unfavourably on those physical differences on which the future of the race depends4 ,we may have gone too far in this direction already2 else why the feverish anxiety of the girls' colleges to prove that their graduates are marrying and bearing children8 ,the fact is that the problem of the education of the sexes is not yet solved4 ,educating one sex alone didn't work2 neither1 ,i believe1 does the present plan of educating both alike1 whether in the same institution1 or separately4 ,,ii--,a ,diagnosis ,reading1 like conversation1 is1 or ought to be1 a contact between two minds4 ,the difference is that while one may talk only with his contemporaries and neighbours one may read the words of a writer far distant both in time and space4 ,it is no wonder1 perhaps1 that the printed word has become a fetish1 but fetishes of any kind are not in accordance with the spirit of the age1 and their veneration should be discouraged4 ,reading in which the contact of minds is of secondary importance1 or even cuts no figure at all1 is meaningless and valueless4 ,in a previous paper1 reasons have been given for believing that reading of this kind is peculiarly prevalent among the members of women's clubs4 ,the value of these organisations is so great1 and the services that they have rendered to women1 and through them to the general cause of social betterment1 are so evident1 that it seems well worth while to examine the matter a little more closely1 and to complete a diagnosis based on the study of the symptoms that have already presented themselves4 ,as most of the reading done in connection with clubs is in preparation for the writing and reading of papers1 we may profitably1 perhaps1 direct our attention to this phase of the subject4 ,most persons will agree1 probably1 that the average club paper is not notably worth while4 ,it is written by a person not primarily and vitally interested in the subject1 and it is read to an assemblage most of whom are similarly devoid of interest--the whole proceeding being more or less perfunctory4 ,could it be expected that reading done in connection with such a performance should be valuable8 ,this is worth pondering1 because it is a fact that almost all the vital informative literature that is produced at first hand sees the light in connection with clubs and associations--bodies that publish journals1 transactions or proceedings for the especial purpose of printing the productions of their members4 ,this literature1 for the most part1 does not come to the notice of the general reader4 ,the ordinary books on the technical subjects of which it treats are not raw material1 but a manufactured product--compilations from the original sources4 ,and the pity of it is that very many of them1 often the best of them from a purely literary point of view1 are so unsatisfactory1 viewed from the point of view of accomplishment4 ,they do not do what they set out to do2 they are full of misunderstandings1 misinterpretations1 interpolations and omissions4 ,it is the old story2 those who know won't tell and the task is assumed by those who are eminently able to tell1 but don't know4 ,the scientific expert despises the public1 which is forced to get its information through glib but ignorant expounders4 ,this is a digression1 but it may serve to illuminate the situation1 which is that the authoritative literature of special subjects sees the light almost wholly in the form of papers1 read before clubs and associations4 ,evidently there is nothing in the mere fact that a paper is to be read before a club1 to make it trivial or valueless4 ,yet how much that is of value to the world first saw the light in a paper read before a woman's club8 ,how much original thought1 how much discovery1 how much invention1 how much inspiration1 is put into their writing and emanates from their reading8 ,there must be a fundamental difference of some kind between the constitution and the methods of these two kinds of clubs4 ,a study of this difference will throw light on the kind of reading that must be done in connection with each and may explain1 in great part1 why the reading done for women's club-papers is what it is4 ,a scientific or technical society exists largely for the purpose of informing its members of the original work that is being done by each of them4 ,when anyone has accomplished such work or has made such progress that he thinks an account of what he has done would be interesting1 he sends a description of it to the proper committee1 which decides whether it shall be read and discussed at a meeting1 or published in the ,proceedings1 or both1 or neither4 ,the result depends on the size of the membership1 on its activity1 and on the value of its work4 ,it may be that the programme committee has an embarrassment of riches from which to select1 or that there is poverty instead4 ,but in no case does it arrange a programme4 ,the ,physical ,society1 if that is its name and subject1 does not decide that it will devote the meetings of the current season to a consideration of ,radio-activity and assign to specified members the reading of papers on ,radio-active springs1 the character of ,radium ,emanation1 and so on4 ,if it did1 it would doubtless get precisely the same results that we are complaining of in the case of the ,woman's ,club4 ,a man whose specialty is thermodynamics might be told off to prepare a paper on ,radio-active ,elements in ,rocks--a subject in which he is not interested4 ,he could have nothing new nor original to say on the subject and his paper would be a mere compilation4 ,it would not even be a good compilation1 for his interest and his skill would lie wholly in another direction4 ,the good results that the society does get are wholly dependent on the fact that each writer is full of new information that he desires1 above all things1 to communicate to his fellow-members4 ,in the preparation of such a paper1 one needs1 of course1 to read1 and often to read widely4 ,much of the reading will be done in connection with the work described1 or even before it is begun4 ,no one wishes to undertake an investigation that has already been made by someone else1 and so the first thing that a competent investigator does is to survey his field and ascertain what others have accomplished in it4 ,this task is by no means easy1 for such information is often hidden in journals and transactions that are difficult to reach1 and the published indexes of such material1 though wonderfully advanced on the road toward perfection in the past twenty years1 have yet far to travel before they reach it4 ,not only the writer's description of what he has done or ascertained1 but the character of the work itself2 the direction it takes--the inferences that he draws from it1 will be controlled and coloured by what he reads of others' work4 ,and even if he finds it easy to ascertain what has been done and to get at the published accounts and discussions of it1 the mass may be so great that he has laid out for him a course of reading that may last many months4 ,but mark the spirit with which he attacks it6 ,he is at work on something that seems to him supremely worth while4 ,he is labouring to find out truth1 to dissipate error1 to help his fellow-men to know something or to do something4 ,the impulse to read1 and to read much and thoroughly1 is so powerful that it may even need judicious repression4 ,the difference between this kind of reading and that done in the preparation of a paper to fill a place in a set programme hardly needs emphasis4 ,the preparation of papers for professional and technical societies has been dwelt upon at such length1 because ,i see no reason why the impulse to reading that it furnishes cannot also be placed at the disposal of the woman's club2 and ,i shall have some suggestions toward this end in a future article4 ,meanwhile1 ,i shall doubtless be told that it is unfair to compare the woman's club1 with its didactic aim1 and the scientific association of trained and interested investigators4 ,it is true that we have plenty of clubs--some of men alone1 some of both sexes--whose object is to listen to interesting and instructive papers on a set subject1 often forming part of a pre-arranged programme4 ,these1 however1 need our attention here only so far as the papers are prepared by members of the club1 and in this case they are in precisely the same class as the woman's club4 ,in many cases1 however1 the paper is merely the excuse for a social gathering1 perhaps at a dinner or a luncheon4 ,of course if the paper or lecture is by an expert invited to give it1 the case falls altogether outside of the region that we are exploring4 ,i am condemning here all clubs1 formed for an avowed educational or cultural purpose1 that adopt set programmes and assign the subjects to their own members4 ,i am deploring the kind of reading to which this leads1 the kind of papers that are prepared in this way1 and the kind of thought and action that are the inevitable outcome4 ,it would seem that the women's clubs now form an immense majority of all organisations of this kind and that there are reasons for warning women that they are specially prone to this kind of mistake4 ,the diversity of interests of the average man1 the wideness of his contacts--the whole tradition of his sex--tends to minimise the injury that may be done to him1 intellectually and spiritually1 by anything of this kind4 ,the very fact that he is the woman's inferior spiritually1 and in many cases1 in intellect1 also--although probably not at the maximum--relieves him1 in great part1 of the odium attaching to the error that has been described4 ,women are becoming keenly alive to the deficiencies of their sex-tradition2 they are trying to broaden their intellectual contacts--that is the great modern feminist movement4 ,some of those who are active in it are making two mistakes--they are ignoring the differences between the sexes and they are trying to substitute revolution for evolution4 ,in this latter error they are in very good company--hardly one of the great and the good has not made it1 at some time and in some way4 ,revolution is always the outcome of a mistake4 ,the mistake may be antecedent and irrevocable1 and the revolution therefore necessary1 but this is rarely the case4 ,the revolutionist runs a risk common to all who are in a hurry--he may break the object of his attention instead of moving it4 ,when he wants to hand you a dish he hits it with a ball-bat4 ,taking a reasonable amount of time is better in the long run4 ,that there is no royal road to knowledge has long been recognised4 ,the trouble with most of us is that we have interpreted this to mean that the acquisition of knowledge must always be a distasteful process4 ,on the contrary1 the vivid interest that is the surest guide to knowledge is also the surest smoother of the path4 ,given the interest that lures the student on1 and he will spend years in surmounting rocks and breaking through thorny jungles1 realising their difficulties perhaps1 but rejoicing the more when those difficulties prove no obstacles4 ,the fact that the first step toward accomplishment is to create an interest has long been recognised1 but attempts have been made too often to do it by devious ways1 unrelated to the matter in hand4 ,students have been made to study history or algebra by offering prizes to the diligent and by threatening the slothful with punishment4 ,more indirect rewards and punishments abound in all our incitements to effort and need not be mentioned here4 ,they may often be effective1 but the further removed they are from direct personal interest in the subject1 the weaker and the less permanent is the result4 ,you may offer a boy a dollar to learn certain facts in ,english history1 but those facts will not be fixed so well or so lastingly in his mind as those connected with his last year's trip to ,california1 which he remembers easily without offer of reward or threat of punishment4 ,the interest in the facts gathered by reading in connection with the average club paper is merely the result of a desire to remain in good standing by fulfilling the duties of membership2 and these duties may be fulfilled with slight effort and no direct interest1 as we have already seen4 ,if interest were present even at the inception of the programme1 something would be gained2 but in too many cases it is not4 ,the programme committee must make some kind of a programme1 but what it is to be they know little and care less4 ,two women recently entered a branch library and asked the librarian1 who was busy charging books at the desk1 what two ,american dramatists she considered foremost4 ,this was followed by the request1 ,please tell me the two best plays of each of them4 ,a few minutes later the querists returned and asked the same question about ,english dramatists1 and still later about ,german1 ,russian1 ,italian and ,spanish writers of the drama4 ,each time they eagerly wrote down the information and then retired to the reading-room for a few minutes' consultation4 ,finally they propounded a question that was beyond the librarian's knowledge1 and then she asked why they wanted to know4 ,we are making out the programme for our next year's study course in the ,blank ,club1 was the answer4 ,but you mustn't take my opinion as final1 protested the scandalised librarian4 ,you ought to read up everything you can find about dramatists4 ,i may have left out the most important ones4 ,this will do nicely1 said the club-woman1 as she folded her sheets of paper4 ,and it did--whether nicely or not deponent saith not8 but it certainly constituted the club programme4 ,on another occasion a clubwoman entered the library and said with an air of importance1 ,i want your material on ,susanna ,h4 ,brown4 ,the librarian had never heard of ,susanna1 but experience had taught her modesty and also a certain degree of guile1 so she merely said1 ,what do you want to know about her1 particularly8 ,our club wishes to discuss her contributions to ,american literature4 ,now the ,brown family has been active in letters1 from ,charles ,brockden down to ,alice1 but no one seems to know of ,susanna ,h4 ,the librarian contrived to put off the matter until she could make some investigations of her own1 but1 all the resources of the central reference room proving unequal to the task1 she timidly asked the clubwoman1 at her next visit1 to solve the problem4 ,oh1 we don't know who ,susanna ,h4 ,brown was2 that is why we came to you for information6 ,but where did you find the name8 ,well1 ,i don't know exactly2 but one of our members1 in a conversation with some one who knows a lot about literature--,i forget just who it was--was told that ,susanna ,h4 ,brown had rendered noteworthy services to ,american literature4 ,we've got to find out1 for her name is already printed on the programme6 ,i don't know what was said of ,miss1 or ,mrs4 ,brown at the meeting2 but my opinion is that this particular item on the programme had to be omitted4 ,another lady entered a library abruptly and said ,i want your books on ,china4 ,do you mean the country of that name8 or are you looking up porcelain8 ,first perplexity and then dismay spread over the lady's face4 ,why1 ,i don't know1 she faltered4 ,the program just said ,china6 ,a university professor was once asked by one of these program committees for a list of references on ,german folklore--a subject to which it had decided that its club should devote the current season4 ,the list1 as furnished1 proved rather stiff1 and the astonished professor received forthwith the following epistle 7quoted from memory73 ,,dear ,,professor-- ,thank you so much for the folk-lore2 but we have changed our minds and have decided to study the ,chicago ,drainage ,canal instead4 ,this hap-hazard method of programme-making is not confined to club papers1 as the following anecdote will show3 ,an officer of a woman's club entered a library and said that she thought it would be nice to vary the usual literary programme by the introduction of story-telling1 and she asked for aid from the library staff4 ,it was a busy season and as the librarian hesitated the clubwoman added hastily that the whole programme need not occupy more than half an hour4 ,we want the very simplest things1 told in a few words1 so that it will really be no trouble at all4 ,pressed to be more specific1 she went on3 ,well--no story must take more than three minutes1 and we want ,little ,nell1 ,louis ,,ix1 ,moses in the ,bulrushes1 the ,princes in the ,tower1 ,cinderella1 ,jack and the ,bean ,stalk1 the ,holy ,night and ,louis ,,xi4 ,you see that allowing three minutes apiece would bring them all within twenty-four minutes--less than half an hour1 just as ,i said4 ,and--oh1 yes6 we want the storyteller to sit on a platform1 and just in front of her we will pose a group of little girls1 all in white frocks4 ,won't that be nice8 ,the making of programmes has in many cases been influenced by the fact that some subjects are considered more high-toned than others4 ,the drama is at present a particularly high-toned subject4 ,the fine arts are always placed in the first class4 ,apparently anything closely related to the personal lives1 habits and interests of those concerned is under a ban4 ,the fine arts1 for instance1 are not recognised as including the patterns of wall-paper or curtains1 or the decoration of plates or cups4 ,copying from one programme to another is a common expedient4 ,the making of these programmes betrays1 all through its processes and their inevitable result1 lack of originality1 blind adherence to models1 unquestioning imitation of something that has gone before4 ,i do not believe these to be sex-characteristics1 and there are signs that the sex is growing out of them4 ,if they are not sex characteristics they must be the results of education1 for ordinary heredity would quickly equalise the sexes in this respect4 ,i have already stated my belief that the physical differences between the sexes are necessarily accompanied by mental differences1 and ,i think it probable that the characteristics noted above1 although not proper to sex1 spring from the fact that we are expecting like results from the same educational treatment of unlike minds4 ,when we have learned how to vary our treatment of these minds so as to produce like results--in those cases where we want the results to be alike1 as in the present instance--we shall have solved the problem of education1 so far as it affects sex-differences4 ,it has long been recognised that whenever woman does show a deviation from standards she is apt to deviate far and erratically4 ,so far1 however1 she has shown no marked tendency so to deviate in the arts and a very slight one in the sciences4 ,there have been lately some marked instances of her upward deviation in the field of science4 ,in literature1 no age has been wanting in great woman writers1 though there have been few of them4 ,i look eventually to see woman physicists as eminent as ,helmholtz and ,kelvin1 woman painters as great as ,raphael and ,velasquez1 woman musicians as able as ,bach and ,beethoven4 ,that we have had none yet ,i believe to be solely the fault of inadequate education4 ,of this inadequacy our imitative1 arbitrary and uninspiring club programmes are a part--the very fact that our clubwomen pin their faith to programmes of any kind is a consequence of it4 ,the substitution of something else for these programmes1 with the accompanying change in the interests and reading of clubwomen1 will be one step toward the rationalisation of education--for all processes of this kind are essentially educative4 ,we need not despair of finding ultimately the exact differences in method which1 applied in the education of the sexes1 will minimise such of the present mental differences as we desire to obliterate4 ,problems of this sort are solved usually by the discovery of some automatic process4 ,in this case the key to such a process is the fact that the mental differences between the sexes manifest themselves in differences of interest4 ,every parent of boys and girls knows that these differences begin early to show themselves4 ,we have been too prone to disregard them and to substitute a set of imagined differences that do not really exist4 ,we go about the moral training of the boy and the girl in precisely the same way1 although their moral points of view and susceptibilities differ in degree and kind2 and then we marvel that we do not get precisely similar moral products4 ,but we assume that there is some natural objection to the climbing of trees by girls1 while it is all right for boys--an imaginary distinction that has caused tears and heart-burnings4 ,we are outgrowing this particular imaginary distinction1 and some others like it4 ,possibly we may also outgrow our systems of co-education1 so far as this means the subjection of the male and the female mind to exactly the same processes of training4 ,the training of the sexes in the same institution1 with its consequent mental contact between them1 has nothing to do with this1 necessarily1 and has advantages that cannot be overlooked4 ,whatever we do in school1 our subsequent education1 which goes on at least as long as we inhabit this world1 must be in and through social contact1 men and women together4 ,but if each sex is not true to itself and does not live its own life1 the results cannot be satisfactory4 ,reactions that are sought in an effort made by women to conform their instincts1 aspirations and mental processes to those of men will be feeble or perverted1 just as they would be if men should seek a similar distortion4 ,the remedy is to let the woman's mind swing into the channel of least resistance1 just as the man's always has done4 ,then the clubs1 and the clubwomen1 their exercises1 their papers and their preparatory reading will all be released from the constraint that is now pinching them and pinning them down and will bud and blossom and grow up to normal and valuable fruition4 ,we have started with the fact that the reading done by the members of women's clubs1 especially in connection with club papers1 is often trivial1 superficial1 devoid of intelligence and lacking in judgment4 ,treating this as a symptom2 we have1 ,i think1 traced the cause to a total lack of interest due to arbitrary1 perfunctory and unintelligent programme-making4 ,the disease may be diagnosed1 ,i think1 as acute programitis and the physician is in a position to consider what therapeutic measures may be indicated4 ,we shall endeavor to prescribe some simple remedies4 ,,iii--,the ,remedy ,when we have once discovered the cause of a malady1 we may proceed in two ways to combat it2 either we may destroy the cause or we may render the possible victims immune4 ,to put it a little differently1 we may eliminate either of the two elements whose conjunction causes the disease4 ,to grow weeds1 there must co-exist their seeds and a favourable soil4 ,they may be exterminated either by killing the seeds or sterilising the soil4 ,either of these methods may be used in dealing with the disease that prevails among readers1 or1 if you prefer the other metaphor1 with the rank vegetation that has choked the fertile soil of their minds1 making any legitimate mental crop impossible4 ,we have seen that the conditions favorable to the disease are a lack of interest and a fallacious idea that there is something inherent in the printed page per se that makes its perusal valuable whether the reader is interested or not--somewhat as a charm is supposed to work even when it is in a language that the user does not understand4 ,we are considering only the form of the disease that affects clubwomen1 and this we have diagnosed as programitis--the imposition of a set programme of work--which1 as an exciting cause1 operates on the mental soil prepared by indifference and fetichism to produce the malady from which so many are now suffering4 ,i think physicians will generally agree that where the exciting cause can be totally removed that method of dealing with the disease is far more effective than any attempt to secure immunity4 ,i believe that in most cases it is so in the present instance4 ,in other words1 my prescription is the abandonment1 in nine cases out of ten1 of the set programme1 and the substitution of something that is interesting primarily to each individual concerned4 ,this is no new doctrine4 ,listen to ,william ,james3 ,any object not interesting in itself may become interesting through becoming associated with an object in which an interest already exists4 ,the two associated objects grow1 as it were1 together3 the interesting portion sheds its quality over the whole2 and thus things not interesting in their own right borrow an interest which becomes as real and as strong as that of any natively interesting thing4444 ,if we could recall for a moment our whole individual history1 we should see that our professional ideals and the zeal they inspire are due to nothing but the slow accretion of one mental object to another1 traceable backward from point to point till we reach the moment when1 in the nursery or in the schoolroom1 some little story told1 some little object shown1 some little operation witnessed1 brought the first new object and new interest within our ken by associating it with some one of those primitively there4 ,the interest now suffusing the whole system took its rise in that little event1 so insignificant to us now as to be entirely forgotten4 ,as the bees in swarming cling to one another in layers till the few are reached whose feet grapple the bough from which the swarm depends2 so with the objects of our thinking--they hang to each other by associated links1 but the original source of interest in all of them is the native interest which the earliest one once possessed4 ,if we are to exorcise this spirit of indifference that has settled down like a miasma upon clubdom we must find ,james's original germ of interest--the twig upon which our cluster of bees is ultimately to hang4 ,here we may introduce two axioms3 ,everyone is deeply interested in something2 few are supremely interested in the same thing4 ,i shall not attempt to prove these1 and what ,i shall have to say will be addressed only to those who can accept them without proof4 ,but ,i am convinced that illustrations will occur at once to everyone4 ,who has not seen the man or woman1 the boy or girl who1 apparently stupid1 indifferent and able to talk only in monosyllables1 is suddenly shocked into interest and volubility by the mere chance mention of some subject of conversation--birds1 or religion1 or ,egyptian antiquities1 or dolls1 or skating1 or ,henry the ,eighth8 ,there are millions of these electric buttons for galvanising dumb clay into mental and spiritual life1 and no one of them is likely to act upon more than a very few in a given company--the theory of chances is against it4 ,that is why no possible programme could be made that would fit more than a very small portion of a given club4 ,we have seen that many club-programmes are made with an irreducible minimum of intelligence2 but even a programme committee with superhuman intellect and angelic goodwill could never compass the solution of such a problem as this4 ,nor will it suffice to abandon the general programme and endeavour to select for each speaker the subject that he would like best to study and expound4 ,no one knows what these subjects are but the owners of the hearts that love them4 ,we have seen how the scientific and technical societies manage the matter and how well they succeed4 ,they appoint a committee whose duty it is to receive contributions and to select the worthiest among those presented4 ,the matter then takes care of itself4 ,these people are all interested in something4 ,they are finding out things by experimentation or thought2 by induction or deduction4 ,it is the duty and the high pleasure of each to tell his fellows of his discoveries4 ,it is in this way that the individual gives of his best to the race--the triumph of the social instinct over selfishness4 ,as this sort of intellectual profit-sharing becomes more and more common1 the reign of the social instinct will extend and strengthen4 ,to do one's part toward such an end ought to be a pleasure1 and this is one reason why this course is commended here to the women's clubs4 ,everyone1 ,i repeat1 is deeply interested in something4 ,i am not talking of idiots2 there are no such in women's clubs4 ,i have been telling some odd stories of clubwomen1 in which they are represented as doing and saying idiotic things4 ,these stories are all true1 and if one should take the time to collect and print others1 ,i do not suppose1 as the sacred writer says1 that all the world could contain the books that should be written4 ,things quite as idiotic as these that ,i have reported are said and done in every city and every hamlet of these ,united ,states every day in the year and every hour in the day--except possibly between three and five ,a4,m41 and sometimes even then4 ,yet those who say and do these things are not idiots4 ,when your friend ,brown is telling you his pet anecdote for the thirty-fifth time1 or when ,smith insists that you listen to a recital of the uninteresting accomplishments of his newly-arrived infant1 you may allow your thoughts to wander and make some inane remark1 yet you are not an idiot4 ,you are simply not interested4 ,you are using most of your mind in another direction and it is only with what is left of it that you hear ,brown or ,smith and talk to him4 ,brown or ,smith is not dealing with your personality as a whole1 but with a residuum4 ,and this is what is the matter with the clubwomen who read foolishly and ask foolish questions in libraries4 ,they are residual personalities4 ,not being at all interested in the matter in hand1 they are devoting to it only a minimum part of their brains2 and what they do and say is comparable with the act of the perambulating professor1 who1 absorbed in mathematical calculation1 lifted his hat to the cow4 ,the professor was perhaps pardonable1 for his mind was not wandering--it was suffering1 on the contrary1 from excessive concentration--but it was not concentrated on the cow4 ,in the case of the clubwomen1 the role of the cow is played by the papers that they are preparing1 while1 in lieu of the mathematical problems1 we have a variety of really absorbing subjects1 more or less important1 over which their minds are wandering4 ,what we must do is to capture these wandering minds1 and this we can accomplish only by enlisting their own knowledge of what interests them4 ,if you would realise the difference between the mental processes of a mere residue and those of the whole personality when its vigour is concentrated on one subject1 listen first to one of those perfunctory essays1 culled from a collection of cyclopdias1 and then hear a whole woman throw her whole self into something4 ,hear her candid opinion of some person or thing that has fallen below her standard6 ,hear her able analysis of the case at law between her family and the neighbours6 ,hear her make a speech on woman suffrage--,i mean when it is really to her the cause of causes2 there are those who take it up for other reasons1 as the club-women do their papers1 with not dissimilar results4 ,in all these cases clearness of presentation1 weight of invective1 keenness of analysis spring from interest4 ,none of these women1 if she has a feminine mind1 treats these things as a man would4 ,we men are very apt to complain of the woman's mental processes1 for the same reason that narrow patriots always suspect and deride the methods of a foreigner1 simply because they are strange and we do not understand them4 ,but what we are compelled to think of the results is shown by the fact that when we are truly wise we are apt to seek the advice and counsel of the other sex and to act upon it1 even when we cannot fathom the processes by which it was reached4 ,all the more reason this why the woman should be left to herself and not forced to model her club paper on the mental processes of a man1 used with many necessary elisions and sometimes with very bad workmanship1 in the construction of the cyclopdia article never intended to be employed for any such purpose4 ,perhaps we can never make the ordinary clubwoman talk like ,susan ,b4 ,anthony1 or ,anna ,shaw1 or ,beatrice ,hale1 or ,fola ,la ,follette2 any more than we can put into the mouth of the ordinary business man the words of ,lincoln1 or ,john ,b4 ,gough1 or ,phillips ,brooks1 or ,raymond ,robins--but get somehow into the weakest of either sex the impulses1 the interests1 the energies that once stood or now stand behind the utterances of any one of these great ,americans1 and see if the result is not something worth while6 ,an appreciative critic of the first paper in this series1 writing in ,the ,yale ,alumni ,weekly1 gives it as his opinion that these readers are in the first stage of their education--that of initial intellectual interest4 ,he says3 ,curiosity1 then suspicion1 come later to grow into individual intellectual judgment4 ,i wish ,i could agree that what we have diagnosed as a malady is only an early stage of something that is ultimately to develop into matured judgment4 ,but the facts seem clearly to show that1 far from possessing initial intellectual interest1 these readers are practically devoid of any kind of interest whatever1 properly speaking4 ,such as they have is not proper to the subject1 but simply due to the fact that they desire to retain their club membership1 to fulfil their club duties1 and to act in general as other women do in other clubs4 ,to go back to our recent simile1 it is precisely the same interest that keeps you listening1 or pretending to listen1 to a bore1 while you are really thinking of something else4 ,if you were free to follow your impulses1 you would insult the bore1 or throw him downstairs1 or retreat precipitately4 ,you are inhibited by your sense of propriety and your recognition of what is due to a fellow-man1 no matter how boresome he may be4 ,the clubwoman doubtless has a strong impulse to throw the encyclopdia out of the window1 or to insult the librarian 7occasionally she does7 or even to resign from the club4 ,she is prevented1 in like manner1 by her sense of propriety1 and often1 too1 we must admit1 by a real1 though rudimentary1 desire for knowledge4 ,but such inhibitions cannot develop into judgment4 ,they are merely negative1 while the interest that has a valuable outcome is positive4 ,another thing that we shall do well to remember is that no condition or relation one of whose elements or factors is the human mind can ever be properly considered apart from that mind4 ,shakespeare's plays would seem to be fairly unalterable4 ,shakespeare is dead and cannot change them1 and they have been written down in black and white this many a year4 ,but the real play1 so far as it makes any difference to us to-day1 is not in the books2 or1 at least1 the book is but one of its elements4 ,it is the effect produced upon the auditor1 and of this a very important element is the auditor's mental and spiritual state4 ,considered from this standpoint1 ,shakespeare's plays have been changing ever since they were written4 ,environment1 physical and mental1 has altered2 the language has developed2 the plain1 ordinary talk of ,shakespeare's time now seems to us quaint and odd2 every-day allusions have become cryptic4 ,it all ain't up to date1 to quote the ,cockney's complaint about it4 ,probably no one to-day can under any circumstances get the same reaction to a play of ,shakespeare as that of his original audience1 and probably no one ever will4 ,anecdotes possess a sort of centripetal force2 tales illustrative of the matter at hand have been flying to me from all parts of the country4 ,from the ,pacific ,northwest comes this1 which seems pertinent just here4 ,a good clubwoman1 who had been slaving all day over a paper on ,chaucer1 finally at its close threw down her pen and exclaimed1 ,oh1 dear6 ,i wish ,chaucer were dead6 ,she had her wish in more senses than the obvious one4 ,not only has ,chaucer's physical body long ago given up its substance to earth and air1 but his works have to be translated for most readers of the present day2 his language is fast becoming as dead as ,latin or ,greek4 ,but1 worse still1 his very spirit was dead1 so far as its reaction on her was concerned4 ,poetry1 to you and me1 is what we make of it2 and what do you suppose our friend from ,oregon was making of ,chaucer8 ,our indifference1 our failure to react1 is thus more far-reaching than its influence on ourselves--it is1 in some sense1 a sin against the immortal souls of those who have bequeathed their spiritual selves to the world in books4 ,and this sin the clubs are1 in more cases than ,i care to think1 forcing deliberately upon their members4 ,a well-known cartoonist toiled long in early life at some uncongenial task for a pittance4 ,meanwhile he drew pictures for fun1 and one day a journalist1 seeing one of his sketches1 offered him fifty dollars for it--the salary of many days4 ,and when1 said the cartoonist1 ,i found ,i could get more money by playing than by working1 ,i swore ,i would never work again--and ,i haven't4 ,when we can all play--do exactly what we like--and keep ourselves and the world running by it1 then the ,earthly ,paradise will be achieved4 ,but1 meanwhile1 cannot we realize that these clubwomen will accomplish more if we can direct and control their voluntary activity1 backed by their whole mental energy1 than when they devote some small part of their minds to an uncongenial task1 dictated by a programme committee8 ,i shall doubtless be reminded that the larger clubs are now generally divided into sections1 and that membership in these sections is supposed to be dictated by interest4 ,this is a step in the right direction1 but it is an excessively short one4 ,the programme1 with all its vicious accompaniments and lamentable results1 persists4 ,what ,i have said and shall say applies as well to an art or a domestic science section as to a club in toto4 ,to bring down the treatment to a definite prescription1 let us suppose that the committee in charge of a club's activities1 instead of marking out a definite programme for the season1 should simply announce that communications on subjects of personal interest to the members1 embodying some new and original thought1 method1 idea1 device1 or mode of treatment1 would be received1 and that the best of these would be read and discussed before the club1 after which some would appear in print4 ,no conditions would be stated1 but it would be understood that such features as length and style1 as well as subject matter1 would be considered in selecting the papers to be read4 ,above all1 it would be insisted that no paper should be considered that was merely copied from anything1 either in substance or idea4 ,it is1 of course1 possible to constitute a paper almost entirely of quotations and yet so to group and discuss these that the paper becomes an original contribution to thought2 but mere parrot-like repetition of ascertained facts1 or of other people's thoughts1 should not be tolerated4 ,right here the first obstacle would be encountered4 ,club members1 accustomed to be assigned for study subjects like ,the ,metope of the ,parthenon or ,the ,true ,significance of ,hyperspace1 will not easily comprehend that they are really desired to put briefly on paper original ideas about something that they know at first hand4 ,mrs4 ,jones makes better sponge cake than any one in town2 the fact is known to all her friends4 ,if sponge cake is a desirable product1 why should not the woman who has discovered the little knack that turns failure into success1 and who is proud of her ability and special knowledge1 tell her club of it1 instead of laboriously copying from a book--or1 let us say1 from two or three books--some one else's compilation of the facts ascertained at second or third hand by various other writers on ,the ,character of the ,cid8 ,why should not ,mrs4 ,smith1 who was out over night in the blizzard of #ahhh1 recount her experiences1 mental as well as physical8 ,why should not ,miss ,robinson1 who collects coins and differs from the accepted authorities regarding the authenticity of certain of her specimens1 tell why and how and all about it8 ,why should not the member who is crazy about begonias and the one who thinks she saw ,uncle ,hiram's ghost1 and she who has read and re-read ,george ,meredith1 seeing beauties in him that no one else ever detected--why should not one and all give their fellows the benefit of the really valuable special knowledge that they have acquired through years of interested thinking and talking and doing8 ,but there will be trouble1 as ,i have said4 ,the thing1 simple as it is1 would be too unaccustomed to comprehend4 ,and then a real article in a real cyclopdia by a real writer is ,information with a big ,i4 ,my little knowledge about making quince jelly1 or darning stockings1 or driving an auto1 or my thoughts about the intellectual differences between ,dickens and ,thackeray1 or my personal theories of conduct1 or my reasons for preferring hot-water heat to steam--these are all too trivial to mention2 is it possible that you want me to write them down on paper8 ,it may thus happen that when the committee opens its mail it may find--nothing4 ,what1 then8 ,logically1 ,i should be forced to say3 ,well1 if none of your members is interested enough in anything to have some original information to tell about it1 disband your club4 ,what is the use of it8 ,even three newsboys1 when they meet on the street corner1 begin at once to interchange ideas4 ,where are yours8 ,possibly this would be too drastic4 ,it might be better to hold a meeting1 state the failure1 and adjourn for another trial4 ,it might be well to repeat this several times1 in the hope that the fact that absence of original ideas means no proceedings might soak in and germinate4 ,if this does not work1 it might be possible to fight the devil with fire1 by going back to the programme method so far as to assign definitely to members subjects in which they are known to be deeply interested4 ,this1 in fact1 is the second method of treatment mentioned at the outset1 namely1 the endeavour to secure immunity where the germ cannot be exterminated4 ,we shall probably never be able to rid the world of the bacillus tuberculosis2 the best we can do is to keep as clear of it as we can and to strengthen our powers of resistance to it4 ,so1 if we cannot kill the programme all at once1 let us strive to make it innocuous and to minimise its evil effects on its victims4 ,let us suppose1 now1 that in one way or another1 it is brought about that every club member who reads a paper is reporting the result of some personal experience in which her interest is vivid--some discovery1 acquisition1 method1 idea1 criticism or appreciation that is the product of her own life and of the particular1 personal way in which she has lived it4 ,what a result this will have on that woman's reading--on what she does before she writes her paper and on what she goes through after it6 ,if her interest is as vivid as we assume it to be1 she will not be content to recount her own experiences without comparing them with those of others4 ,and after her paper has been read and the comment and criticism of other interested members have been brought out--of some1 perhaps1 whose interest she had never before suspected1 then she will feel a fresh impulse to search for new accounts and to devour them4 ,there is no longer anything perfunctory about the matter4 ,she can no longer even trust the labour of looking up her references to others4 ,she becomes an investigator2 she feels something of the joy of those who add to the sum of human knowledge4 ,and lo6 the problem of clubwomen's reading is solved6 ,the wandering mind is captured2 the inane residuum is abolished by union with the rest to form a normal1 intelligent whole4 ,no more idiotic questions1 no more cyclopdia-copying1 no more wool-gathering programmes4 ,is it too much to expect8 ,alas1 we are but mortal6 ,i trust it has been made sufficiently clear that ,i think meanly neither of the intellectual ability of women nor of the services of women's clubs4 ,the object of these papers is to give the former an opportunity to assert itself1 and the latter a chance to profit by the assertion4 ,the woman's club of the future should be a place where original ideas1 fed and directed by interested reading1 are exchanged and discussed4 ,were ,i writing of men's clubs1 ,i should point out to them the same goal4 ,and then1 perhaps1 we may look forward to a time when a selected group of men and women may come together and talk of things in which they both1 as men and women1 are interested4 ,when this happens1 ,i trust that in the discussion we shall not heed the advice of some modern feminists and forget that we are as ,god made us4 ,why should each man talk to a woman as if she were another man8 ,i never heard it advised that each woman should talk to each man as if he were another woman2 but ,i should resent it if ,i did4 ,why shut our eyes to the truth8 ,i trust that ,i have not been talking to the club-women as if they were men2 ,i am sure ,i have not meant to do so4 ,they are not men2 they have their own ways1 and those ways should be developed and encouraged4 ,we have had the psychology of race1 of the crowd and of the criminal2 where is the investigator who has studied the ,psychology of ,woman8 ,when she 7note the pronoun7 has arrived1 let us make her president of a woman's club4 ,it is with diffidence that ,i have outlined any definite procedure1 because1 after all1 the precise manner in which the treatment should be applied will depend1 of course1 on the club concerned4 ,to prescribe for you most effectively1 your physician should be an intimate friend4 ,he should have known you from birth--better still1 he should have cared for your father and your grandfather before you4 ,otherwise1 he prescribes for an average man2 and you may be very far from the average4 ,the drug that he administers to quiet your nerves may act on your heart and give you the smothers--it might conceivably quiet you permanently4 ,then the doctor would send to his medical journal a note on ,a ,curious ,case of ,umptiol ,poisoning1 but you would still be dead1 even if all his readers should agree with him4 ,i have no desire to bring about casualties of this kind4 ,let those who know and love each particular club devote themselves to the task of applying my treatment to it in a way that will involve a minimum shock to its nerves and a minimum amount of interference with its metabolic processes4 ,it will take time4 ,rome was not built in a day1 and a revolution in clubdom is not going to be accomplished over night4 ,i have prescribed simple remedies--too simple1 ,i am convinced1 to be readily adopted4 ,what could be simpler than to advise the extermination of all germ diseases by killing off the germs8 ,any physician will tell you that this method is the very acme of efficiency2 yet1 the germs are still with us1 and bid fair to spread suffering and death over our planet for many a long year to come4 ,so ,i am not sanguine that we shall be able all at once to kill off the programmes4 ,all that may be expected is that at some distant day the simplicity and effectiveness of some plan of the sort will begin to commend itself to clubwomen4 ,if1 then1 some lover of the older literature will point out the fact that1 back in #aiae1 the gloomy era when fighting hordes were spreading blood and carnage over the fair face of ,europe1 an obscure and humble librarian1 in the pages of ,,the ,,bookman1 pointed out the way to sanity1 ,i shall be well content4 ,,books ,,for ,,tired ,,eyes ,the most distinctive thing about a book is the possibility that someone may read it4 ,is this a truism8 ,evidently not2 for the publishers1 who print books1 and the libraries1 which store and distribute them1 have never thought it worth their while to collect and record information bearing on this possibility4 ,in the publisher's or the bookseller's advertising announcements1 as well as on the catalogue cards stored in the library's trays1 the reader may ascertain when and where the book was published1 the number of pages1 and whether it contains plates or maps2 but not a word of the size or style of type in which it is printed4 ,yet on this depends the ability of the reader to use the book for the purpose for which it was intended4 ,the old-fashioned reader was a mild-mannered gentleman4 ,if he could not read his book because it was printed in outrageously small type1 he laid it aside with a sigh1 or used a magnifying lens1 or persisted in his attempts with the naked eye until eyestrain1 with its attendant maladies1 was the result4 ,lately however1 the libraries have been waking up1 and their readers with them4 ,the utilitarian side of the work is pushed to the front2 and the reader is by no means disposed to accept what may be offered him1 either in the content of the book or its physical make-up4 ,the modern library must adapt itself to its users1 and among other improvements must come an attempt to go as far as possible in making books physiologically readable4 ,unfortunately the library cannot control the output of books1 and must limit itself to selection4 ,an experiment in such selection is now in progress in the ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library4 ,the visitor to that library will find in its ,open ,shelf ,room a section of shelving marked with the words ,books in large type4 ,to this section are directed all readers who have found it difficult or painful to read the ordinary printed page but who do not desire to wear magnifying lenses4 ,it has not been easy to fill these shelves1 for books in large type are few1 and hard to secure1 despite the fact that artists1 printers1 and oculists have for years been discussing the proper size1 form1 and grouping of printed letters from their various standpoints4 ,perhaps it is time to urge a new view--that of the public librarian1 anxious to please his clients and to present literature to them in that physical form which is most easily assimilable and least harmful4 ,tired eyes belong1 for the most part1 to those who have worked them hardest2 that is1 to readers who have entered upon middle age or have already passed through it4 ,at this age we become conscious that the eye is a delicate instrument--a fact which1 however familiar to us in theory1 has previously been regarded with aloofness4 ,now it comes home to us4 ,the length of a sitting1 the quality1 quantity1 and incidence of the light1 and above all1 the arrangement of the printed page1 become matters of vital importance to us4 ,a book with small print1 or letters illegibly grouped1 or of unrecognizable shapes1 becomes as impossible to us as if it were printed in the ,chinese character4 ,it is an unfortunate law of nature that injurious acts appear to us in their true light only after the harm is done4 ,the burnt child dreads the fire after he has been burned--not before4 ,so the fact that the middle-aged man cannot read small1 or crooked1 or badly grouped type means simply that the harmfulness of these things1 which always existed for him1 has cumulated throughout a long tale of years until it has obtruded itself upon him in the form of an inhibition4 ,the books that are imperative for the tired eyes of middle age1 are equally necessary for those of youth--did youth but know it4 ,curiously enough1 we are accustomed to begin1 in teaching the young to read1 with very legible type4 ,when the eyes grow stronger1 we begin to maltreat them4 ,so it is1 also1 with the digestive organs1 which we first coddle with pap1 then treat awhile with pork and cocktails1 and then1 perforce1 entertain with pap of the second and final period4 ,what correspond1 in the field of vision1 to pork and cocktails1 are the vicious specimens of typography offered on all sides to readers--in books1 pamphlets1 magazines1 and newspapers--typography that is slowly but surely ruining the eyesight of those that need it most4 ,hitherto1 the public librarian has been more concerned with the minds and the morals of his clientele than with that physical organism without which neither mind nor morals would be of much use4 ,it would be easy to pick out on the shelves of almost any public library books that are a physiological scandal1 printed in type that it is an outrage to place before any self-respecting reader4 ,i have seen copies of ,tom ,jones that ,i should be willing to burn1 as did a puritanical ,british library-board of newspaper notoriety4 ,my reasons1 however1 would be typographic1 not moral1 and ,i might want to add a few copies of ,the ,pilgrim's ,progress and ,the ,saint's ,everlasting ,rest1 without prejudice to the authors' share in those works1 which ,i admire and respect4 ,perhaps it is too much to ask for complete typographical expurgation of our libraries4 ,but1 at least1 readers with tired eyes who do not yet wear1 or care to wear1 corrective lenses1 should be able to find1 somewhere on the shelves1 a collection of works in relatively harmless print--large and black1 clear in outline1 simple and distinctive in form1 properly grouped and spaced4 ,the various attempts to standardize type-sizes and to adopt a suitable notation for them have been limited hitherto to the sizes of the type-body and bear only indirectly on the size of the actual letter4 ,more or less arbitrary names--such as minion1 bourgeois1 brevier1 and nonpareil1--were formerly used2 but what is called the point-system is now practically universal1 although its unit1 the point1 is not everywhere the same4 ,roughly speaking1 a point is one-seventy-second of an inch1 so that in three-point type1 for example1 the thickness of the type-body1 from the top to the bottom of the letter on its face1 is one-twenty-fourth of an inch4 ,but on this type-body the face may be large or small--although of course1 it cannot be larger than the body1--and the size of the letters called by precisely the same name in the point notation may vary within pretty wide limits4 ,there is no accepted notation for the size of the letters themselves1 and this fact tells1 more eloquently than words1 that the present sizes of type are standardized and defined for compositors only1 not for readers1 and still less for scientific students of the effect upon the readers' eyes of different arrangements of the printed page4 ,what seems to have been the first attempt to define sizes of type suitable for school grades was made fifteen years ago by ,mr ,edward ,r4 ,shaw in his ,school ,hygiene2 he advocates sizes from eighteen-point in the first year to twelve-point for the fourth4 ,principals1 teachers1 and school superintendents1 he says1 should possess a millimetre measure and a magnifying glass1 and should subject every book presented for their examination to a test to determine whether the size of the letters and the width of the leading are of such dimensions as will not prove injurious to the eyes of children4 ,to this list1 librarians might be well added--not to speak of authors1 editors1 and publishers4 ,in a subsequent part of his chapter on ,eyesight and ,hearing1 from which the above sentence is quoted1 appears a test of illumination suggested by ,the ,medical ,record of ,strasburg1 which may serve as a horrid example in some such way as did the drunken brother who accompanied the temperance lecturer4 ,according to this authority1 if a pupil is unable to read diamond type--four-and-one-half-point--at twelve-inch distance and without strain1 the illumination is dangerously low4 ,the adult who tries the experiment will be inclined to conclude that whatever the illumination1 the proper place for the man who uses diamond type for any purpose is the penitentiary4 ,the literature upon this general subject1 such as it is1 is concerned largely with its relations with school hygiene4 ,we are bound to give our children a fair start in life1 in conditions of vision as well as in other respects1 even if we are careless about ourselves4 ,the topic of ,conservation of ,vision1 in which1 however1 type-size played but a small part1 was given special attention at the ,fourth ,international ,congress of ,school ,hygiene1 held in ,buffalo in #aiac4 ,investigations on the subject1 so far as they affect the child in school1 are well summed up in the last chapter of ,huey's ,psychology and ,pedagogy of ,reading4 ,in general1 the consensus of opinion of investigators seems to be that the most legible type is that between eleven-point and fourteen-point4 ,opinion regarding space between lines1 due to leading1 is not quite so harmonious4 ,some authorities think that it is better to increase the size of the letters2 and ,huey asserts that an attempt to improve unduly small type by making wide spaces between lines is a mistake4 ,as to the relative legibility of different type-faces1 one of the most exhaustive investigations was that made at ,clark ,university by ,miss ,barbara ,e4 ,roethlin1 whose results were published in #aiab4 ,this study considers questions of form1 style1 and grouping1 independently of mere size2 and the conclusion is that legibility is a product of six factors1 of which size is one1 the others being form1 heaviness of face1 width of the margin around the letter1 position in the letter-group1 and shape and size of adjoining letters4 ,for tired eyes the size factor would appear of overwhelming importance except where the other elements make the page fantastically illegible4 ,in ,miss ,roethlin's tables1 based upon a combination of the factors mentioned above1 the maximum of legibility almost always coincides with that of size4 ,these experiments seem to have influenced printers1 whose organization in ,boston has appointed a committee to urge upon the ,carnegie ,institution the establishment of a department of research to make scientific tests of printing-types in regard to the comparative legibility and the possibility of improving some of their forms4 ,their effort1 so far1 has met with no success2 but the funds at the disposal of this body could surely be put to no better use4 ,with regard to the improvement of legibility by alteration of form1 it has been recognized by experiments from the outset that the letters of our alphabet1 especially the small1 or lower-case letters1 are not equally legible4 ,many proposals for modifying or changing them have been made1 some of them odd or repugnant4 ,it has been suggested1 for instance1 that the ,greek lambda be substituted for our l1 which in its present form is easily confused with the dotted i4 ,other pairs of letters 7u and n1 o and e1 for example7 are differentiated with difficulty4 ,the privilege of modifying alphabetic form is one that has been frequently exercised4 ,the origin of the ,german alphabet and our own1 for instance1 is the same1 and no lower-case letters in any form date further back than the ,middle ,ages4 ,there could be no well-founded objection to any change1 in the interests of legibility1 that is not so far-reaching as to make the whole alphabet look foreign and unfamiliar4 ,it may be queried1 however1 whether the lower-case alphabet had not better be reformed by abolishing it altogether4 ,there would appear to be no good reason for using two alphabets1 now one and now the other1 according to arbitrary rules1 difficult to learn and hard to remember4 ,that the general legibility of books would benefit by doing away with this mediaeval excrescence appears to admit of no doubt1 although the proposal may seem somewhat startling to the general reader4 ,in #aiaa1 a committee was appointed by the ,british ,association for the ,advancement of ,science to inquire into the influence of school-books upon eyesight4 ,this committee's report dwells on the fact that the child's eye is still in process of development and needs larger type than the fully developed eye of the adult4 ,in making its recommendation for the standardization of school-book type1 which it considers the solution of the difficulty1 the committee emphasizes the fact that forms and sizes most legible for isolated letters are not necessarily so for the groups that need to be quickly recognized by the trained reader4 ,it dwells upon the importance of unglazed paper1 flexible sewing1 clear1 bold illustrations1 black ink1 and true alignment4 ,condensed or compressed letters are condemned1 as are long serifs and hair strokes4 ,on the other hand1 very heavy-faced type is almost as objectionable as that with the fine lines1 the ideal being a proper balancing of whites and blacks in each letter and group4 ,the size of the type face1 as we might expect1 is pronounced by the committee the most important factor in the influence of books upon vision2 it describes its recommended sizes in millimetres--a refinement which1 for the purposes of this article1 need not be insisted upon4 ,briefly1 the sizes run from thirty-point1 for seven-year-old children1 to ten-point or eleven-point1 for persons more than twelve years old4 ,except as an inference from this last recommendation1 the committee1 of course1 does not exceed its province by treating of type-sizes for adults2 yet it would seem that it considers ten-point as the smallest size fit for anyone1 however good his sight4 ,this would bar much of our existing reading matter4 ,a writer whose efforts in behalf of sane typography have had practical results is ,professor ,koopman1 librarian of ,brown ,university1 whose plea has been addressed chiefly to printers4 ,professor ,koopman dwells particularly on the influence of short lines on legibility4 ,the eye must jump from the end of each line back to the beginning of the next1 and this jump is shorter and less fatiguing with the shorter line1 though it must be oftener performed4 ,owing largely to his demonstration1 ,the ,printing ,art1 a trade magazine published in ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 has changed its make-up from a one-column to a two-column page4 ,it should be noted1 however1 that a uniform1 standard length of line is even more to be desired than a short one4 ,when the eye has become accustomed to one length for its linear leaps1 these leaps can be performed with relative ease and can be taken care of subconsciously4 ,when the lengths vary capriciously from one book1 or magazine1 to another1 or even from one page to another1 as they so often do1 the effort to get accustomed to the new length is more tiring than we realize4 ,probably this factor1 next to the size of type1 is most effective in tiring the middle-aged eye1 and in keeping it tired4 ,the opinion may be ventured that the reason for our continued toleration of the small type used in the daily newspapers is that their columns are narrow1 and still more1 that these are everywhere of practically uniform width4 ,the indifference of publishers to the important feature of the physical make-up of books appears from the fact that in not a single case is it included among the descriptive items in their catalogue entries4 ,libraries are in precisely the same class of offenders4 ,a reader or a possible purchaser of books is supposed to be interested in the fact that a book is published in ,boston1 has four hundred and thirty-two pages1 and is illustrated1 but not at all in its legibility4 ,neither publishers nor libraries have any way of getting information on the subject1 except by going to the books themselves4 ,occasionally a remainder-catalogue1 containing bargains whose charms it is desired to set forth with unusual detail1 states that a certain book is in large type1 or even in fine1 large type1 but these words are nowhere defined1 and the purchaser cannot depend on their accuracy4 ,an edition of ,scott1 recently advertised extensively as in large1 clear type1 proved on examination to be printed in ten-point4 ,in gathering the large-type collection for the ,st4 ,louis ,library fourteen-point was decided upon as the standard1 which means1 of course1 types with a face somewhere between the smallest size that is usually found on a fourteen-point body1 even if actually on a smaller body1 and the largest that this can carry1 even if on a larger body4 ,the latter is unusually large1 but it would not do to place the standard below fourteen-point1 because that would lower the minimum1 which is none too large as it is4 ,the first effort was to collect such large-type books1 already in the library1 as would be likely to interest the general reader4 ,in the collection of nearly #djj1jjj volumes1 it was found by diligent search that only #aej would answer this description4 ,most octavo volumes of travel are in large type1 but only a selected number of these was placed in the collection to avoid overloading it with this particular class4 ,this statement applies also to some other classes1 and to certain types of books1 such as some government reports and some scientific monographs1 which have no representatives in the group4 ,the next step was to supplement the collection by purchase4 ,all available publishers' catalogues were examined1 but after a period of twelve months it was found possible to spend only #fe4jj in the purchase of #abj additional books4 ,a circular letter was then sent to ninety-two publishers1 explaining the purpose of the collection and asking for information regarding books in fourteen-point type1 or larger1 issued by them4 ,to these there were received sixty-three answers4 ,in twenty-nine instances1 no books in type of this size were issued by the recipients of the circulars4 ,in six cases1 the answer included brief lists of from two to twelve titles of large-type books2 and in several other cases1 the publishers stated that the labor of ascertaining which of their publications are in large type would be prohibitive1 as it would involve actual inspection of each and every volume on their lists4 ,in two instances1 however1 after a second letter1 explaining further the aims of the collection1 publishers promised to undertake the work4 ,the final result has been that the ,library now has over four hundred volumes in the collection4 ,this is surely not an imposing number1 but it appears to represent the available resources of a country in which #a1jjj publishers are annually issuing #aa1jjj volumes--to say nothing of the ,british and ,continental output4 ,in the list of the collection and in the entries1 the size of the type1 the leading1 and the size of the book itself are to be distinctly stated4 ,the last-mentioned item is necessary because the use of large type sometimes involves a heavy volume1 awkward to hold in the hand4 ,the collection for adults in the ,st4 ,louis ,library1 as it now exists1 may be divided into the following classes1 according to the reasons that seem to have prompted the use of large type3 #a4 ,large books printed on a somewhat generous scale and intended to sell at a high price1 the size of the type being merely incidental to this plan4 ,these include books of travel1 history1 or biography in several volumes1 somewhat high-priced sets of standard authors1 and books intended for gifts4 #b4 ,books containing so little material that large type1 thick paper1 and wide margins were necessary to make a volume easy to handle and use4 ,these include many short stories of magazine length1 which for some inscrutable reason are now often issued in separate form4 #c4 ,books printed in large type for aesthetic reasons4 ,these are few1 beauty and artistic form being apparently linked in some way with illegibility by many printers1 no matter what the size of the type-face4 ,the large-type collection is used1 not only by elderly persons1 but also in greater number by young persons whose oculists forbid them to read fine print1 or who do not desire to wear glasses4 ,the absence of a wide range in the collection drives others away to books that are1 doubtless1 in many cases bad for their eyes4 ,some books that have not been popular in the general collection have done well here1 while old favorites have not been taken out4 ,such facts as these mean little with so limited a collection4 ,until readers awake to the dangers of small print and the comfort of large type there will not be sufficient pressure on our publishers to induce them to put forth more books suitable for tired eyes4 ,it is probably too much to expect that the trade itself will try to push literature whose printed form obeys the rules of ocular hygiene4 ,all that we can reasonably ask is that type-size shall be reported on in catalogues1 so that those who want books in large type may know what is obtainable and where to go for it4 ,it has often been noted that physicians are the only class of professional men whose activities1 if properly carried on1 tend directly to make the profession unnecessary4 ,medicine tends more and more to be preventive rather than curative4 ,we must therefore look to the oculists to take the first steps towards lessening the number of their prospective patients by inculcating rational notions about the effects of the printed page on the eye4 ,teachers1 librarians1 parents1 the press--all can do their part4 ,and when a demand for larger print has thus been created the trade will respond4 ,meanwhile1 libraries should be unremitting in their efforts to ascertain what material in large type already exists1 to collect it1 and to call attention to it in every legitimate way4 ,,the ,,magic ,,casement#af #af ,read before the ,town and ,gown ,club1 ,st4 ,louis4 ,anyone who talks or writes about the movies is likely to be misunderstood4 ,there is little to be said now about the moving picture as a moving picture1 unless one wants to discuss its optics or mechanics4 ,the time is past when anyone went to see a moving picture as a curiosity4 ,it was once the eighth wonder of the world2 it long ago abdicated that position to join its dispossessed brothers the telephone1 the ,x-ray1 the wireless telegraph and the phonograph4 ,what we now go to see is not the moving picture1 but what the moving picture shows us2 it is no more than a window through which we gaze--the poet's magic casement opening 7sometimes7 on the foam of perilous seas4 ,we may no more praise or condemn the moving picture for what it shows us than we may praise or condemn a proscenium arch or the glass in a show window4 ,the critic who thinks that the movies are lowering our tastes1 or doing anything else objectionable1 as well as he who thinks they are educating the masses1 is not of the opinion that the moving pictures are doing these things because they show moving objects on a screen1 but because of the character of what is photographed for such exhibition4 ,thoughts on the movies1 therefore1 must be rather thoughts on things that are currently shown us by means of the movies2 thoughts also on some of the things that we might see and do not4 ,i have compared the screen above to a proscenium arch and a show window1 but both of these are selective3 the screen is as broad as the world4 ,it is especially adapted to show realities2 through it one may see the coast of ,dalmatia as viewed from a steamer1 the habits of animals in the ,african jungle1 or the play of emotion on the faces of an audience at a ball game in ,philadelphia4 ,i am pleased to see that more and more of these interesting realities are shown daily in the movie theatres4 ,there has been a determined effort to make them unpopular by calling them educational1 but they seem likely to outlive it4 ,one is educated1 of course1 by everything that he sees or does1 but why rub it in8 ,the boy who thoroughly likes to go sailing will get more out of it than he who goes because he thinks it will be an educational experience4 ,as one who goes to the movies ,i confess that ,i enjoy its realities4 ,probably they educate me1 and ,i take that with due meekness4 ,some of these realities ,i enjoy because they are unfamiliar1 like the boiling of the lava lake in the ,hawaiian craters and the changing crowds in the streets of ,manila2 some because they are familiar1 like a college foot-ball game or the movement of vessels in the ,north ,river at ,new ,york4 ,i like the realities1 too1 in the dramatic performances that still occupy and probably will continue to occupy1 most of the time at a movie theatre4 ,here ,i come into conflict with the producer4 ,like every other adapter he can not cut loose from the old when he essays the new4 ,we no longer wear swords1 but we still carry the buttons for the sword belt1 and it is only recently that semi-tropic ,americans gave up the dress of north-temperate ,europe4 ,so the movie producer can not forget the theatre4 ,now the theatre has some advantages that the movie can never attain--notably the use of speech4 ,the movie1 on the other hand1 has unlimited freedom of scene and the use of real backgrounds4 ,we do not object to a certain amount of what we call staginess on the stage--it is a part of its art2 as the pigment is part of that of the painter4 ,we are surrounded by symbols2 we are not surprised that costume1 gesture and voice are also symbolic instead of purely natural4 ,but in the moving picture play it is1 or should be1 different4 ,the costume and make-up1 the posture and gesture1 that seem appropriate in front of a painted house or tree on a back-drop1 become so out-of-place as to be repulsive when one sees them in front of a real house and real trees1 branches moving in the wind1 running water--all the familiar accompaniments of nature4 ,the movie producers1 being unable to get away from their stage experience1 are failing to grasp their opportunity4 ,instead of creating a drama of reality to correspond with the real environment that only the movie can offer1 they are abandoning the unique advantages of that environment1 to a large degree4 ,they build fake cities1 they set all their interiors in fake studio rooms1 where everything is imitation2 even when they let us see a bit of outdoors1 it is not what it pretends to be4 ,we have all seen1 on the screen1 bluffs #bjj feet high on the coast of ,virginia and palm trees growing in the borough of the ,bronx4 ,and they hire stage actors to interpret the stagiest of stage plots in as stagy a way as they know how4 ,i am taking the movie seriously because ,i like it and because ,i see that ,i share that liking with a vast throng of persons with whom it is probably the only thing ,i have in common--persons separated from me by differences of training and education that would seem to make a common ground of any kind well-nigh impossible4 ,with some persons the fact that the movie is democratic puts it outside the pale at once4 ,nothing1 in their estimation1 is worth discussing unless appreciation of it is limited to the few4 ,their attitude is that of the mother who said to the nurse3 ,go and see what baby is doing1 and tell him he musn't4 ,let us1 they say1 find out what people like1 and then try to make them like something else4 ,to such ,i have nothing to say4 ,we ought rather1 ,i believe1 to find out the kind of thing that people like and then do our best to see that they get it in the best quality--that it is used in every way possible to pull them out of the mud1 instead of rubbing their noses further in4 ,on the other hand1 some capable critics1 like ,mr4 ,walter ,pritchard ,eaton1 decry the movies because they are undemocratic--because they are offering a form of entertainment appealing only to the uneducated and thus segregating them from the educated1 who presumably all attend the regular theatre1 sitting in the parquet at two dollars per4 ,one wonders whether ,mr4 ,eaton has attended a moving-picture theatre since #aijc4 ,i believe the movie to be by all odds the most democratic form of intellectual 7by which ,i mean non-physical7 entertainment ever offered2 and ,i base my belief on wide observation of audiences in theatres of many different grades4 ,now this democracy shows itself not only in the composition of audiences but in their manifestations of approval4 ,i do not mean that everyone in an audience always likes the same thing4 ,some outrageous slap-stick comedy rejoices one and offends another4 ,a particularly foolish plot may satisfy in one place while it bores in another4 ,but everywhere ,i find one thing that appeals to everybody--realism4 ,just as soon as there appears on the screen something that does not know how to pose and is forced by nature to be natural--an animal or a young child1 for instance--there are immediate manifestations of interest and delight4 ,the least stagy actors are almost always favorites4 ,mary ,pickford stands at the head4 ,there is not an ounce of staginess in her make-up4 ,she was never particularly successful on the stage4 ,some of her work seems to me ideal acting for the screen--simple1 appealing1 absolutely true4 ,of course she is not always at her best4 ,to the stage illusions that depend on costume and make-up1 the screen is particularly unfriendly4 ,especially in the close-ups the effect is similar to that which one would have if he were standing close to the actor looking directly into his face4 ,it is useless to depend on ordinary make-up under these circumstances4 ,either it should be of the description used by ,sherlock ,holmes and other celebrated detectives 7we rely on hearsay7 which deceives the very elect at close quarters1 or else the producer must choose for his characters those that naturally look the parts4 ,in particular1 the lady who1 although long past forty1 continues to play ingenue parts and gets away with it on the stage1 must get away from it1 when it comes to the screen4 ,the close up tells the sad story at once4 ,the part of a sixteen-year-old girl must be played by a real one4 ,another concession to realism1 you see4 ,and what is true of persons is true of their environment4 ,i have already registered my disapproval of the ,universal ,city type of production4 ,it is almost as easy for the expert to pick out the fake ,russian village or the pasteboard ,virginia court-house as it is for him to spot the wrinkles in the countenance of the school girl who left school in #ahib4 ,next to a fake environment the patchwork scene enrages one--the railway that is double-track with #ij-pound rails in one scene and single-track with streaks of rust in the next2 the train that is hauled in quick succession by locomotives of the ,mogul type1 the ,atlantic and the wood-burning vintage of #ahfh4 ,there is here an impudent assumption in the producer1 of a lack of intelligence in his audience1 that is quite maddening4 ,the same lack of correspondence appears between different parts of the same street1 and between the outside and inside of houses4 ,i am told by friends that ,i am quite unreasonable in the extent to which ,i carry my demands for realism in the movies4 ,what would you have8 they ask4 ,i would have a producing company that should advertise1 ,we have no studio and use only real backgrounds--the actual localities represented4 ,do you mean to tell me1 my friend goes on1 that you would carry your company to ,spain whenever the scene of their play is laid in that country8 ,the expense would be prohibitive4 ,i most certainly should not1 and this because of the very realism that ,i am advocating4 ,plays laid in ,spain should be acted not only in ,spain but by ,spaniards4 ,the most objectionable kind of fake is that in which ,americans are made to do duty for ,spaniards1 ,hindus or ,japanese when their appearance1 action and bearing clearly indicate that they were born and brought up in ,skowhegan1 ,maine or ,crawfordsville1 ,indiana4 ,i have seen ,mary ,pickford in ,madame ,butterfly1 and ,i testify sadly that not even she can succeed here4 ,no2 if we want ,spanish plays let us use those made on ,spanish soil4 ,let us have free interchange of films between all film-producing countries4 ,all the change required would be translating the captions1 or better still1 plays might be produced that require no captions4 ,this might mean the total reorganization of the movie-play business in this country--a revolution which ,i should view with equanimity4 ,speaking of captions1 here again the average producer appears to agree with ,walter ,pritchard ,eaton that he is catering only to the uneducated4 ,the writers of most captions seem1 indeed1 to have abandoned formal instruction in the primary school4 ,why should not a movie caption be good literature8 ,some of them are4 ,the ,cabiria captions were fine3 though ,i do not admire that masterpiece4 ,i am told that ,d',annunzio composed them with care1 and equal care was evidently used in the translation4 ,the captions of the ,george ,ade fables are uniformly good1 and there are other notable exceptions4 ,other places where knowledge of language is required are inadequately taken care of4 ,letters from eminent persons make one want to hide under the chairs4 ,these persons usually sign themselves ,duke of ,gandolfo or ,secretary of ,state ,smith4 ,are grammar school graduates difficult to get1 or high-priced8 ,i beg you to observe that here again lack of realism is my objection4 ,but divers friends interpose the remark that the movies are already too realistic4 ,they leave nothing to the imagination4 ,if this were so1 it were a grievous fault--at any rate in so far as the moving-picture play aims at being an art-form4 ,all good art leaves something to the imagination4 ,as a matter of fact1 however1 the movie is the exact complement of the spoken play as read from a book4 ,here we have the words in full1 the scene and action being left to the imagination except as briefly sketched in the stage direction4 ,in the movie we have scene and action in full1 the words being left to the imagination except as briefly indicated in the captions4 ,where captions are very full the form may perhaps be said to be complementary to the novel1 where besides the words we are given a written description of scene and action that is often full of detail4 ,the movie leaves just as much to the imagination as the novel1 but what is so left is different in the two cases4 ,do ,i think that everyone in a movie audience makes use of his privilege to imagine what the actors are saying8 ,no2 neither does the novel-reader always image the scene and action4 ,this does not depend on ignorance or the reverse1 but on imaging power4 ,exceptional visual and auditive imaging power are rarely present in the same individual4 ,i happen to have the former4 ,i automatically see everything of which ,i read in a novel1 and when the descriptions are not detailed1 this gets me into trouble4 ,on a second reading my imaged background may be different and when the earlier one asserts itself there is a conflict that ,i can compare only to hearing two tunes played at once4 ,persons having already good visual imaging power should develop their auditive imaging power by going to the movies and hearing what the actors say2 these with deficient visual imagery should read novels and see the scenery4 ,but to say that the movies allow no scope for the imagination is absurd4 ,as ,i said at the outset1 the movie play is just a play seen through the medium of a moving picture4 ,it is like seeing a drama near enough to note the slightest play of feature and at the same time so far away that the actors can not be heard--somewhat like seeing a distant play through a fine telescope4 ,the action should therefore differ in no respect from what would be proper if the words were intended to be heard4 ,doubtless this imposes a special duty upon both the author of the scenario and the producer1 and they do not always respond to it4 ,action is introduced that fails to be intelligible without the words1 and to clear it up the actors are made to use pantomime4 ,pantomime is an interesting and valuable form of dramatic art1 but it is essentially symbolic and stagy and has1 ,i believe1 no place in the moving picture play as we have developed it4 ,if owing to the faulty construction of the play1 or a lack of skill on the part of producer or actors1 all sorts of gestures and grimaces become necessary that would not be required if the words were heard1 the production can not be considered good4 ,sometimes1 of course1 words are seen2 though not heard4 ,the story of the deaf mutes who read the lips of the movie actors1 and detected remarks not at all in consonance with the action of the play1 is doubtless familiar4 ,it crops up in various places and is as ubiquitous as ,washington's ,headquarters4 ,it is good enough to be true1 but ,i have never run it to earth yet4 ,even those of us who are not deaf-mutes1 however1 may detect an exclamation now and then and it gives great force to the action1 though ,i doubt whether it is quite legitimate in a purely picture-play4 ,i beg leave to doubt whether realism is fostered by a method of production said to be in vogue among first rate producers2 namely keeping actors in ignorance of the play and directing the action as it goes on4 ,come in now1 ,mr4 ,smith2 sit in that chair2 cross your legs2 light a cigar2 register perplexity2 you hear a sound2 jump to your feet--and so on4 ,this may save the producer trouble1 but it reduces the actors to marionettes2 it is not thus that masterpieces are turned out4 ,is there any chance of a movie masterpiece1 anyway8 ,yes1 but not in the direction that most producers see it4 ,what ,vachell ,lindsay calls ,splendor in the movies is an interesting and striking feature of them--the moving of masses of people amid great architectural construction--sieges1 triumphs1 battles1 mobs--but all this is akin to scenery4 ,its movements are like those of the trees or the surf4 ,one can not make a play entirely of scenery1 though the contrary seems to be the view of some managers1 even on the stage of the regular theatre4 ,so far1 the individual acting and plot construction in the great spectacular movies has been poor4 ,it was notably so1 it seems to me in the ,birth of a ,nation and not much better in ,cabiria4 ,judith of ,bethulia 7after ,t4,b4 ,aldrich7 is the best acted splendor play that ,i have seen4 ,masterpieces are coming not through spending millions on supes1 and real temples1 and forts2 but rather by writing a scenario particularly adapted to film-production1 hiring and training actors that know how to act for the camera1 preferably those without bad stage habits to unlearn1 cutting out all unreal scenery1 costume and make-up and keeping everything as simple and as close to the actual as possible4 ,the best movie play ,i ever saw was in a ten-cent theatre in ,st4 ,louis4 ,it was a dramatization of ,frank ,norris's ,mc,teague4 ,i have never seen it advertised anywhere1 and ,i never heard of the actors1 before or since4 ,but most of it was fine1 sincere work1 and seeing it made me feel that there is a future for the movie play4 ,one trouble is that up to date1 neither producers nor actors nor the most intelligent and best educated part of the audience take the movies seriously4 ,here is one of the marvels of modern times2 something that has captured the public as it never was captured before4 ,and yet most of us look at it as a huge joke1 or as something intended to entertain the populace1 at which we1 too are graciously pleased to be amused4 ,it might mend matters if we could have every day in some reputable paper a column of readable serious stuff about the current movie plays--real criticism1 not simply the producer's blurb4 ,possibly1 too1 a partnership between the legitimate stage and the movie may be possible and ,i shall devote to a somewhat wild scheme of this sort the few pages that remain to me4 ,to begin with1 the freedom enjoyed by the ,elizabethan dramatists from the limitations imposed by realistic scenery has not been sufficiently insisted upon as an element in their art4 ,theirs was a true drame libre1 having its analogies with the present attempts of the vers-librists to free poetry from its restrictions of rhyme and metre4 ,but while the tendency of poetry has always been away from its restrictions1 the mise-en-scene in the drama has continually1 with the attempts to make it conform to nature1 tightened its throttling bands on the real vitality of the stage4 ,those who periodically wonder why the dramatists of the ,elizabethan age--the greatest productive period in the history of the ,english stage--no longer hold the stage1 with the exception of ,shakespeare1 and who lament that even ,shakespeare is yielding his traditional place1 have apparently given little thought to this loss of freedom as a contributing cause4 ,while the writers of vers libre have so far freed themselves that some of them have ceased to write poetry at all1 it is a question whether the scenic freedom of the old dramatists may not have played such a vital part in the development of their art1 that they owed to it at least some of their pre-eminence4 ,shakespeare's plays1 as ,shakespeare wrote them1 read better than they act4 ,hundreds of ,shakespeare-lovers have reached this conclusion1 and many more have reached it than have dared to put it into words4 ,the reason is1 it seems to me1 that we can not1 on the modern stage1 enact the plays of ,shakespeare as he intended them to be acted--as he really wrote them4 ,if we compare an acting edition of any of the plays with the text as presented by any good editor1 this becomes increasingly clear4 ,shakespeare in his original garb1 is simply impossible for the modern stage4 ,the fact that the ,elizabethan plays were given against an imaginary back-ground enabled the playwright to disregard the old1 hampering unity of place more thoroughly than has ever been possible since his time4 ,his ability to do so1 was the result not of any reasoned determination to set his plays without scenery1 but simply of environment4 ,as the scenic art progressed1 the backgrounds became more and more realistic and less and less imaginary4 ,the imagination of the audience1 however1 has always been more or less requisite to the appreciation of drama1 as of any other art4 ,no stage tree or house has ever been close enough to its original to deceive the onlooker4 ,he always knows that they are imitations1 intended only to aid the imagination1 and his imagination has always been obliged to do its part4 ,in ,shakespeare's time the imagination did all the work2 and as imaginary houses and trees have no weight1 the services of the scene-shifter were not required to remove them and to substitute others4 ,the scene could be shifted at once from a battlefield in ,flanders to a palace in ,london and after the briefest of dialogues it could change again to a street in ,genoa--all without inconveniencing anyone or necessitating a halt in the presentation of the drama4 ,any reflective reader of ,shakespeare will agree1 ,i think1 that this ability to shift scenes1 which after all1 is only that which the novelist or poet has always possessed and still possesses1 enables the dramatist to impart a breadth of view that was impossible under the ideas of unity that governed the drama of the ,ancients4 ,greek tragedy was drama in concentration1 a tabloid of intense power--a brilliant light focussed on a single spot of passion or exaltation4 ,the ,elizabethan drama is a view of life2 and life does not focus1 it is diffuse--a congeries of episodes1 successive or simultaneous--something not re-producible by the ancient dramatic methods4 ,today1 while we have not gone back to the terrific force of the ,greek unified presentation1 we have lost this breadth4 ,we strive for it1 but we can no longer reach it because of the growth of an idea that realism in mise-en-scne is absolutely necessary4 ,of course this idea has been injurious to the drama in more ways than the one that we are now considering4 ,the notable reform in stage settings associated with the names of ,gordon ,craig1 ,granville ,barker1 ,urban1 ,hume and others1 arises from a conviction that mise-en-scne should inspire and reflect a mood--should furnish an atmosphere1 rather than attempt to reproduce realistic details4 ,to a certain extent these reforms also operate to simplify stage settings and hence to make a little more possible the quick transitions and the play of viewpoint which ,i regard as one of the glories of the ,elizabethan drama4 ,this simplification1 however1 is very far from a return to the absolute simplicity of the ,elizabethan setting4 ,moreover1 it is doubtful whether the temper of the modern audience is favorable to a great change in this direction4 ,we live in an age of realistic detail and we must yield to the current1 while using it1 so far as possible1 to gain our ends4 ,this being the case1 it is certainly interesting to find that1 entirely without the aid or consent of those who have at heart the interests of the drama1 a new dramatic form has grown up which caters to the utmost to the modern desire for realistic detail--far beyond the dreams of ordinary stage settings--and at the same time makes possible the quick transitions that are the glory of the ,elizabethan drama4 ,here1 of course1 is where we make connection with the moving picture1 whose fascinating realism and freedom from the taint of the footlights have perhaps been sufficiently insisted upon in what has been already said4 ,in the moving picture1 with the possibility of realistic backgrounds such as no skill1 no money1 no opportunity could build up on the ordinary stage--distant prospects1 marvels of architecture1 waving trees and moving animals--comes the ability of passing from one environment to another1 on the other side of the globe perhaps1 in the twinkling of an eye4 ,the transitions of the ,elizabethan stage sink into insignificance beside the possibilities of the moving-picture screen4 ,such an alternation as is now common in the film play1 where two characters1 talking to each other over the telephone1 are seen in quick succession1 would be impossible on the ordinary stage4 ,the ,elizabethan auditor1 if his imagination were vivid and ready1 might picture such a background of castle or palace or rocky coast as no photographer could produce2 but even such imagination takes time to get under way1 whereas the screen-picture gets to the brain through the retina instantly4 ,it is worth our while1 ,i think1 to consider whether this kind of scenery1 rich in detail1 but immaterial and therefore devoid of weight1 could not be used in connection with the ordinary drama4 ,there are obstacles1 but they do not appear insuperable4 ,the ordinary moving-picture1 of course1 is much smaller than the back drop of a large stage4 ,its enlargement is merely a matter of optical apparatus4 ,wings must be reduced in number and provided each with its own projection-machine1 or replaced with drops similarly provided4 ,exits and entrances must be managed somewhat differently than with ordinary scenery4 ,all this is surely not beyond the power of modern stagecraft1 which has already surmounted such obstacles and accomplished such wonders4 ,the projection1 it is unnecessary to say1 must be from behind1 not from before1 to avoid throwing the actors' shadows on the scenery4 ,there must still1 of course1 be lighting from the front1 and the shadow problem still exists1 but no more than it does with ordinary scenery4 ,its solution lies in diffusing the light4 ,no spotlight could be used1 and its enforced absence would be one of the incidental blessings of the moving scene4 ,the advantages of this moving-picture scenery would be many and obvious4 ,prominent among them of course are fidelity to nature and richness of detail4 ,the one1 however1 on which ,i desire to lay stress here is the flexibility in change of scene that we have lost with the introduction of heavy material scenery on our stages4 ,this flexibility would be regained without the necessity of discarding scenery altogether and going back to the ,elizabethan reliance on the imagination of the audience4 ,of course1 moving scenery would not be required or desired in all dramatic productions--only in those where realistic detail combined with perfect flexibility and rapidity of change in scene seems to be indicated4 ,the scenery should of course be colored1 and while we are waiting for the commercial tri-chroic picture with absolutely true values1 we may get along very well with the di-chroic ones1 such as those turned out with the so-called ,kinemacolor process4 ,those who saw the wonderful screen reproduction of the ,indian durbar1 several years ago1 will realize the possibilities4 ,and more than all else1 may we not hope that these new backgrounds may react on the players who perform their parts in front of them8 ,not necessarily2 for we have seen that it does not always do so in the present movie play4 ,but ,i am confident that the change will come4 ,little by little the necessities of the case are developing actors who act naturally4 ,one may pose in a canoe on a painted rapid2 but how can he do so in the real water course1 where every attitude1 every play of the muscles must be adapted to the real propulsion of the boat8 ,in short1 the movie may ultimately require its presenters to be real1 and so may come a school of realism in acting that may have its uses on the legitimate stage also4 ,who will be the first manager to experiment with this new adjunct to the art of the stage8 ,a ,,word ,,to ,,believers#ag #ag ,address at the closing session of the ,church ,school of ,religious ,instruction1 ,st4 ,louis4 ,people may be divided into a great many different classes according to their attitude toward belief and beliefs--toward the meaning and value of belief in general--toward their own beliefs and those of their neighbors4 ,we have the man who does not know what belief means1 and who does not care2 the man whose idea of its meaning is perverse and wrong2 the man who thinks his own beliefs are important and those of his neighbors are unimportant2 the man who thinks it proper to base belief on certain considerations and not on others--the man1 for instance1 who will say he believes that two plus two equals four1 but can not believe in the existence of ,god because the grounds for such belief can not be stated in the same mathematical symbols4 ,these are only a few of the classes that might be defined1 using this interesting basis of classification4 ,but before we can take up the question of instruction in the church's beliefs1 about which ,i have been asked to address you this evening1 we must recognize the existence of these classes1 and possibly the fact that you yourselves are not all in accord in the way in which you look at the subject4 ,what ,i shall say is largely personal and you must not look upon me as representing anybody or anything4 ,i may even fail to agree with some of the instruction that you have received in this interesting and valuable course4 ,but ,i do speak1 of course1 as one who loves our church and as a loyal and ,i hope a thoughtful layman4 ,first1 what is belief8 ,we surely give the word a wide range of values4 ,a man says that he believes in his own existence1 which the philosopher ,descartes said was the most sure thing in the world--,cogito1 ergo sum4 ,he also says that he believes it will rain to-morrow4 ,what can there be in common between these two acts of faith8 ,between a certainty and a fifty per cent chance1 or less8 ,this--that a man is always willing to act on his beliefs2 if not1 they are not beliefs within the meaning of this address4 ,if you believe it will rain1 you take an umbrella4 ,your doing so is quite independent of the grounds for your belief4 ,there may really be very little chance of its raining2 but it is your belief that causes your action1 no matter whether it is justified or not4 ,you could not act more decisively if you were acting on the certainty of your own existence4 ,it is this willingness to act that unifies our beliefs--that gives them value4 ,if ,i heard a man declare his belief that a fierce wild animal was on his track1 and if ,i then saw him calmly lie down and go to sleep on the trail1 ,i should know that he was either insane or a liar4 ,i have intimated above that belief may or may not be based on mathematical certainty4 ,fill up a basket with black and white pebbles and then draw out one4 ,let us create a situation that shall make it imperative for a person to declare whether a black or a white pebble will be drawn4 ,for instance1 suppose the event to be controlled by an oriental despot who has given orders to strike off the man's head if he announces the wrong color4 ,of course1 if he has seen that only white pebbles went into the basket he says boldly ,white4 ,that is certainty4 ,but suppose he saw one black pebble in the mass4 ,does he any the less say ,white8 ,that one black pebble represents a tiny doubt2 does it affect the direction of his enforced action8 ,suppose there were two black pebbles2 or a handful4 ,suppose nearly half the pebbles were black8 ,would that make the slightest difference about what he would do8 ,if you judge a man's belief by what he does1 as ,i think you should do1 that belief may admit of a good deal of doubt before it is nullified4 ,are your beliefs all based on mathematical certainties8 ,i hope not2 for then they must be few indeed4 ,that many of our fellow men have a wrong conception of belief is a very sad fact4 ,the idea that it must be based on a mathematical demonstration of certainty1 or even that it must be free from doubt is surely not ,christian4 ,our prayers and our hymns are full of the contrary4 ,we are beset not only by fightings but by fears--within2 without2 by many a conflict1 many a doubt2 we pray to be delivered from this same doubt4 ,the whole body of ,christian doctrine is permeated with the idea that the true believer is likely to be beset by doubts of all kinds1 and that it is his duty1 despite all this1 to believe4 ,and yet there are many who will not call themselves ,christians so long as they can not construct a rigid demonstration of every ,christian doctrine4 ,there are many thoughtful men who call themselves ,agnostics just because they can not be mathematically sure of religious truth4 ,some of these men are better ,christians than many that are so named4 ,that they hold aloof from ,christian fellowship is due to their mistaken notion of the nature of belief4 ,the more is the pity4 ,now let us go back for a moment to our basket of pebbles4 ,we have seen that the action of the guesser is based to some extent on his knowledge of the contents of the basket4 ,in other words1 he has grounds for the belief by which his act is conditioned4 ,persons may act without grounds2 it may be necessary for them so to do4 ,even in this case there may be a sort of blind substitute for belief4 ,a man1 pursued by a bear1 comes to a fork in the road4 ,he knows nothing about either branch2 one may lead to safety and one to a jungle4 ,but he has to choose1 and choose at once2 and his choice represents his bid for safety4 ,there is plenty of action of this sort in the world2 if we would avoid the necessity for it we must do a little preliminary investigation2 and if we can not find definitely where the roads lead1 we may at least hit upon some idea of which is the safest4 ,but with all our investigation we shall find that we must rely in the end on our trust in some person2 either ourselves or someone else4 ,even the certainty of the mathematical formula depends on our confidence in the sanity of our own mental processes4 ,the man who sees the basket filled with white pebbles must trust the accuracy of his eyesight4 ,if he relies for his information on what someone else told him1 he must trust not only that other's eyesight1 but his memory1 his veracity1 his friendliness4 ,and yet one may be far safer in trusting another than in relying on his own unaided powers4 ,securus judicat orbis terrarum1 says the old ,latin4 ,the world's judgment is safe4 ,we have learned to modify this1 for we have seen world judgments that are manifestly incorrect4 ,the world thought the earth was flat4 ,it thought there were witches1 and it burned them4 ,here individuals simply followed one another like sheep2 and all1 like sheep1 went astray4 ,but where there is a real1 independent judgment on the part of each member of a group1 and all agree1 that is better proof of its correctness than most individual investigations could furnish4 ,my watch1 of the best make and carefully regulated1 indicates five o'clock1 but if ,i meet five friends1 each of whom tells me1 independently1 that it is six1 ,i conclude that my watch is wrong4 ,there was never a more careful scientific investigation than that by which a ,french physicist thought he had established the existence of what he called the ,n ray--examined its properties and measured its constants4 ,he read paper after paper before learned bodies as his research progressed4 ,he challenged the interest of his brother scientists on three continents4 ,and yet he was entirely wrong3 there never was any ,n ray4 ,the man had deceived himself4 ,the failure of hundreds to see as he did weighed more than his positive testimony that he saw what he thought he saw4 ,here as elsewhere our view of what may be the truth is based on trust4 ,if you trust the ,french physicist1 you will still believe in the ,n ray4 ,creeds1 we are told1 are outworn1 and yet we are confronted1 from birth to death1 with situations that imperiously require action of some sort4 ,every act that responds must be based on belief of some kind4 ,creeds are only expressions of belief4 ,the kind of ,creed that is outworn 7and this is doubtless what intelligent persons mean when they make this statement7 is the parrot creed1 the form of words without meaning1 the statement of belief without any grounds behind it or any action in front of it4 ,for this the modern churchman has no use4 ,and if he desires to avoid the parrot creed1 he must surely inform himself regarding the meaning of its articles and the grounds on which they are held4 ,more2 he must satisfy himself of the particular meaning that they have for him and the personal grounds on which he is to hold them4 ,this is the reason why such a course as that which you complete to-night is necessary and valuable4 ,i have heard instruction of this kind deprecated as likely to bring disturbing elements into the mind4 ,one may doubtless change from belief to skepticism by too much searching4 ,it used to be a standing joke in ,yale ,college1 when ,i was a student there1 that a well-known professor reputed to be an ,atheist1 had been perfectly orthodox until he had heard ,president ,porter's lectures on the ,evidences of ,christianity4 ,but seriously1 this objection is but another phase of the fallacy at which we have already glanced--that doubts are fatal to belief4 ,i am certain that the professor in question might have examined in detail every one of ,president ,porter's ,evidences1 and found them wanting1 only to discover clearer and stronger grounds of belief elsewhere--in his mere confidence in others1 perhaps4 ,or he might have turned pragmatist and believed in ,christianity because it worked--a valid reason in this case doubtless1 but not always to be depended on2 because the ,father of ,lies sometimes makes things work himself--at least temporarily4 ,but if examining into the grounds of his belief makes a man honestly give up that belief1 then ,i bid him ,god-speed4 ,i may weep for him1 but ,i cannot help believing that he stands better with his ,maker for being honest with himself than if he had gone on with his parrot belief that meant absolutely nothing4 ,i can not feel that the ,aztecs who were baptized by the followers of ,cortes were any more believers in ,christianity after the ceremony than they were before4 ,it seems to me1 however that a ,christian1 examining faithfully the grounds of his belief1 will usually have that belief strengthened1 and that a churchman1 examining the doctrines of the church will be similarly upheld4 ,not that church instruction should be one-sided4 ,the teaching that tends to make us believe that every intelligent man thinks as we do reacts against itself4 ,it is like the unfortunate temperance teaching that represents the liking for wine as always acquired4 ,when the pupil comes to taste wine and finds that he likes it at once1 he concludes that the whole body of instruction in the physiology of alcohol is false and acts accordingly4 ,when a boy is taught that there is nothing of value beyond his own church1 or nothing of value outside of ,christianity1 he will think less of his church1 and less of ,christianity when he finds intelligent1 upright1 lovable outsiders4 ,i look back with horror on some of the books1 piously prepared under the auspices of the ,s4,p4,c4,k4 in ,london1 that ,i used to take home from ,sunday ,school4 ,in them we were told that a good man outside the church was worse than a bad man in it4 ,if that was not the teaching in the book1 it was at least the form in which it took lodgment in my boyish brain4 ,thank ,god it never found permanent foothold there4 ,instead1 ,i hold in my memory the ,eastern story of ,god's rebuke to ,abraham when he expelled the ,fire ,worshipper from his tent4 ,could you not bear with him for one hour8 ,lo6 ,i have borne with him these forty years6 ,i have always thought that a knowledge of what our neighbors believe is an excellent balance-wheel to our own beliefs and that our own beliefs1 so balanced1 will be saner and more restrained4 ,it would be well1 ,i think1 if we could have a survey of the world's religions1 setting down in parallel columns all the faiths of mankind4 ,if this is too great a task we might begin with a survey of ,christianity1 set down in the same way4 ,i believe that the results of such a survey might surprise us1 showing1 as ,i think it would do1 the many fundamentals that we hold in common and the trivial nature of some of the barriers that appear to separate us4 ,in your course1 just completed1 you have had such a survey1 ,i doubt not1 of the beliefs of our own beloved church4 ,where her divines have differed1 you have had the varying opinions spread before you4 ,you have not been told that the mind of every churchman has always been a replica of the mind of every other churchman4 ,personally1 ,i feel grateful that this has not been the case4 ,as ,i say my creed and begin ,i believe in ,god1 the ,father ,almighty1 ,i realize that the aspect of even such a basic belief as this1 is the same in no two minds2 that it shifts from land to land and from age to age4 ,i know that ,god1 as he is1 is past human knowledge and that until we see ,him face to face we can not all mean just the same thing when we repeat this article of belief4 ,but ,i realize also that this is not due to the mutability of the ,almighty but to man's variability4 ,the ,gods of ,st4 ,jerome1 of ,thomas ,carlyle and of ,william ,james are different2 but that is because these men had different types of minds4 ,behind their human ideas stands ,god himself--the same yesterday1 to-day and forever4 ,so we may go through the creed2 so we may study1 as you have been doing1 the beliefs of the church4 ,everywhere we see the evidences of the working1 upon fallible human minds of a dim appreciation of something beyond full human knowledge-- ,that one far-off divine event ,toward which the ,whole ,creation moves4 ,we have a wonderful church1 my friends4 ,it is a church to live with2 a church to be proud of4 ,those who miss what we are privileged to enjoy are missing something from the fulness of life4 ,we have not broken with the historic continuity of the ,christian faith3 there is no chasm1 filled with wreckage1 between us and the fathers of the church4 ,above all we have enshrined our beliefs in a marvellous liturgy1 which is ever old and ever new1 and which had the good fortune to be put into ,english at a day when the force of expression in our ,mother tongue was peculiarly virile1 yet peculiarly lovely4 ,i know of nothing in the whole range of ,english literature that will compare with the collects as contained in our ,book of ,common ,prayer1 for beauty1 for form1 for condensation and for force4 ,they are a string of pearls4 ,and indeed1 what ,i have said of them applies to the whole book4 ,when ,i see ,committees of well-meaning divines trying to tamper with it1 ,i shudder as ,i might if ,i witnessed the attempt of a guild of modern sculptors to improve the ,venus of ,milo by chipping off a bit here and adding something there4 ,good reasons exist for changes1 doubtless2 but ,i feel that we have here a work of art1 of divine art2 and art is one of ,god's ways of reaching the human heart4 ,we are proud that we have not discarded it from our church buildings1 from our altars1 from the music of our choirs4 ,let us treat tenderly our great book of ,common ,prayer1 like that other great masterpiece of divine literary art1 the ,king ,james version of the ,bible4 ,there are plenty of better translations2 there is not one that has the same magic of words to fire the imagination and melt the heart4 ,these are all trite things to say to churchmen3 ,i have tried1 on occasion1 to say them to non-churchmen1 but they do not seem to respond4 ,there are those who rejoice in their break with historic continuity1 who look upon a written form of service with horror4 ,it is well1 as ,i have said1 for us to realize that our friends hold these opinions4 ,one can not strengthen his muscles in a tug of war unless some one is pulling the other way4 ,the savor of religion1 like that of life itself1 is in its contrasts4 ,i thank ,god that we have them even within our own ,communion4 ,we are high-church and low-church and broad-church4 ,we burn incense and we wear ,geneva gowns4 ,this diversity is not to be condemned4 ,what is to be deprecated is the feeling among some of us that the diversity should give place to uniformity--to uniformity of their own kind1 of course4 ,to me1 this would be a calamity4 ,let us continue to make room in our church for individuality4 ,god never intended men to be pressed down in one mold of sameness4 ,in the last analysis1 each of us has his own religious beliefs4 ,the doctrines of our church1 or of any church are but a composite portrait of these beliefs4 ,but when one takes such a portrait throughout all lands and in all time1 and the features keep true1 one can not help regarding them as the divine lineaments4 ,this is how ,i would have you regard the beliefs of our church1 as you have studied them throughout this course--as our particular composite photograph of the face of ,god1 as ,he has impressed it on the hearts and minds of each one of us4 ,i commend this view to those who have no reverence for beliefs1 particularly when they are formulated as creeds4 ,these persons mean that they have no regard for group beliefs but only for those of the individual4 ,each has his own beliefs1 and he must have confidence in them1 for they are the grounds on which he acts1 if he is a normal man4 ,even the faith of an ,agnostic is based on a very positive belief4 ,as for me1 ,i feel that the churchman goes one step beyond him3 he even doubts ,doubt4 ,said ,socrates3 ,i know nothing except this one thing1 that ,i know nothing4 ,the rest of you are ignorant even of this4 ,socrates was a great man4 ,if he had been greater still1 he might have said something like this3 ,i freely acknowledge that a mathematical formula can not satisfy all the cases that we discuss4 ,but neither can it be stated mathematically that they are all unknowable4 ,i am not even sure that ,i know nothing4 ,surely1 under these circumstances1 we may give over looking for mathematical demonstrations and believe a few things on our own account--that our children love us--that our eyes do not deceive us2 that the soul lives on2 that ,god rules all4 ,we may put our faith in what our own church teaches us1 even as a child trusts his father though he can not construct a single syllogism that will increase that trust4 ,this does not mean that we shall not benefit by examining the articles of our faith2 by learning what they are1 what they mean and what others have thought of them4 ,the churchman must combine1 in his mental habits1 all that is best of the ,conservative and the ,radical4 ,while holding fast that which is good he must keep an open mind toward every change that may serve to bring him nearer to the truth or give him a clearer vision of it4 ,how we can insure this better than by such an institution as the ,church ,school for ,religious ,instruction ,i am sure ,i do not see4 ,may ,god guide it and aid it in its work6 ,,index ,abraham1 ,story of1 #cce ,action1 test of belief1 #ccb ,ade1 ,george1 #aaj1 #agj2 fables in picture plays1 #cai ,adults and children1 compared1 #ad ,advertisement of ideas1 #abg ,aldrich1 ,t4,b41 #cbb ,alger1 ,horatio1 #af1 #agd ,america1 ,fluid customs in1 #bbd ,america1 hymn1 #aia ,american ,academy of ,sciences1 #eg ,american ancestry1 #agi2 architecture1 #bah2 art1 #bag2 music1 #bah2 philosophy1 #bbj2 religion1 #bai2 thought1 tendencies of1 #bac ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 #ej ,american ,library ,association1 #ea ,american ,library ,institute1 #eb ,american readers1 #db ,americanization1 #ag1 #gc ,americanization of ,england1 #bbe ,ancestry1 ,american1 #agi ,anglo-,saxon ancestry1 #aha ,architecture1 ,american1 #bah ,archives1 family1 #ahd ,army1 international1 #aei ,art1 ,american1 #bag2 effect of1 #afc ,art1 ,early forms of1 #cg ,association1 value of1 #de ,atoms of energy and action1 #abb ,attractiveness a selective feature1 #bf ,austen1 ,jane1 #agf ,author1 ,function of1 #fg ,authors ,club1 ,n4,y41 #ea ,auto-suggestion in drugs1 #bcc ,aviation1 ,newcomb's opinion of1 #hf ,belief1 ,what is81 #cci ,bennett1 ,arnold1 #age ,bible1 ,king ,james ,version1 #ccg ,birth of a nation2 picture play1 #cbb ,book-stores1 disappearance of1 #bch ,books in selective education1 #bg ,book-,taught ,bilkins1 #hi1 #ih ,book-titles1 ,possessive case in1 #ai ,boston tea-party1 #ahc ,branch libraries1 ,reasons given for using1 #aa ,british ,association1 #cjg ,brooklyn ,public ,library1 #d ,brown1 ,susannah ,h41 who was she8 #bha ,browsing1 #bg2 uses of1 #ajd ,bryce1 ,james1 quoted1 #baf ,buildings1 ,monumental1 #ada ,bulwer-,lytton1 ,e4,g4,e4,l41 #hf ,burbank1 ,luther1 #bd ,cabiria2 motion picture play1 #cai1 #cbb ,captions in motion pictures1 #cah ,carnegie1 ,andrew1 #gg ,carnegie ,institution1 #he1 #cjf ,cartoonist1 ,anecdote of1 #bid ,centre1 ,what is a81 #ade ,centralized associations1 #eh ,certainty and belief1 #ccj ,chaucer1 #bic ,chautauqua1 #bfe ,chemistry1 ,new drugs from1 #bcb ,chicago ,evening ,post1 quoted1 #aji ,chicago1 ,field houses in1 #adh ,chicago ,women's ,club1 ,paper before1 #aig ,children's editions1 #f2 rooms1 #ca ,christian ,science and drugs1 #bcc ,christianity1 #cca ,christmas book shows1 #agj ,church ,school of religious instruction1 #cbi ,church1 ,use of symbols by1 #ahh ,churches of ,christ in ,america1 ,federation of1 #bbj ,circulation by volumes1 #f2 publicity value of1 #adb2 tables1 #g1 #h ,circulation1 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