THE NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 164, 2 July 1908, Page 4

THE NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY

MR CARNEGIE'S GIFT TO ;THE TOWN. ' ACCEPTED BY THE JIAY'OR. OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY'. Despite the fact that the weather was anything but inviting there was a very large gathering of citizens in the vicinity of the new Carnegie Library building yesterday, when-the Mayor and Councillors mounted the steps prior to the otlicial opening ceremony. Mr. Fred C. ISellringer, chairman of the Carnegie Library Building Committee, opened procedings by giving par'liI cularS of events leading up to the erection of the new building. He said the

want of sudieicnt accommodation for the public reading and library rooms bad been severely felt for some years, and about four years ago a proposal was | mooted in the Council that Mr. Andrew j Carnegie be approached with a view to securing a library grant. Opposition | was met with, however, and for a time, the project was dropped. In 1005 Mr. | A. C. Fookes, an ex-mayor « f * l>e toffnwhile travelling in England, conceived the-idea of approaching Mr. Carnegie on the subject, and accordingly wrote to him. The correspondence that pusscu between Mr. Fookes and Mr. Carnegie* secretary was handed over to the borough Council, which resolved in December, 1905, to make the necessary application. Ou 13th February, I'JOO, Mr. Carnegie's private secretary informed the Council that, provided the Council spem not less than £123 l>er annum on the general upkeep and found a sinlaj)!.iite. they would receive a grant l-f £2500 to erect a free library. 11ns ollci the Council by a majority vote accepted, and a committee consisting of Councillors Brown, Collis, and the speaker wasset up to proceed with the necessary preparations for the erection ot the building. The present site, a most con venient aud central one, was finally de cided on and competitive designs wire invited, and from these a joint comiui. tee from the library aud Carnegie com-] mittces selected the one sent m by Mr. Frank Messenger, of this town. It was generallv agreed that the choice was a happy one, and he ventured the opinio'! that no gift that Mr. Carnegie has made to the public has been expended to better purpose. Tenders were at once invited, and that of Messrs. Moon Bros. accepted, who had executed a first-class piece of work to the entire satisfaction of the architect and the public. In arranging the internal fittings the committce had endeavored to meet the requirements of tlfe town, and on the ground floor there were provided newspaper reading-room, magazine room, chess and draughts room, and custodian's quarters. On the first floor the eircu-, lating library and reference library were housed in separate aud capacious rooms, and a larae room had also been set apart as a ladies' room. This room had beei taken charge of by the Women's Christian Tenine'raoce Union, who. would furnish and conduct the room as a free rest room for ladies. He sincerely hoped the public of Xcw" Plymouth, ami especially the young people! would appreciate M". Carnegie's magnificent gilt by using the building on every occasion. The library was absolutely free to the public at all times. He had much pleasure in asking i the Mayor to accept Mr. Carnegie's gift. , on behalf of the town. (Applause.) < His Worship the Mayor, Mr. U. Tisch. : said he had a most pleasant duty to perform in accepting the gift on behalf of 1 the citizens of Xew Plymouth, at no co-,1 6 to the ratepayers. It was a truly mag- ! nificent gift, that which "lii-.'de possible a I frcelibrary. Thcnameof Andrew Carnegie s was known from one end -if the world I to the other, and his genero Hy in the J establishment of free libraries was world-wide. A good reading-room and library was one of the finest institutions any district could possess, and New Plymouth was io be congratulated on its splendid endowment. The library now contained over UO9O weli-sclecte.l volumes, including mauy.rarc -New Zca- I land historical works. The number of 1 subscribers to the circulating library' might be greater, however, aud the com-1 mittce, in order to further popularise I the institution, had resolved to reduce | the borrowins fee to 7s (id per annum. ■ lie believed that the publicity given to this announcement would speedily bring in an additional two hundred _ subscribers. As bad already been pointed out. the library and reading-room were absolutely free'to all who availed themselves of their use on the premises. It was, of course, necessary that a small fee should be charged to those who tool; volumes out of the building. The ladies' rest room provided in the building would, he was sure, be very much appreciated, especially by visitors. 'The ladies of the Women's Christian Temperance Cnion were deserving of the best thanks of the citizens for their offer to furnish and maintain the room. He had that afternoon, in looking over the library, been shown a set of booksthe "Encyclopedia liritannica''—which had formed the nucleus of the present library, as far back as the' year 1811, at the time of the founding of the settlement by the Plymouth (England) company. The volumes, which were printed in iS'2:l, bore the following inscription: '•This work was presented to the infant colony of Xew Plymouth, in Xcw Zealand, bv Thomas (Sill. Esq.. of Plymouth, England; .March, 1841." Mr. dill, lie believed, was Mayor of Plymouth at I he time. The Mayor went on to deal with the original founding of the library by the old Provincial Council m Hie old Provincial Covermnent buildings, from which it was now being removed, and recalled the original librarians, the late Mrs. licale. and later Mr. Andrew Morton, whom he was pleased to see present. In conclusion, he said he had great < pleasure in accepting Mr. Carnegie's magnificent gift to the town, lie moved that a vole of thanks be accorded to I Mr. A. C. Fookes for his action in open- J ing negotiations with Mr. Carnegie, and the vote was carried by acclamation, and on the call of the Mayor three cheers were heartily accorded Mr. Carnegie. ' The building was then declared open, and the public invited to inspect the internal arrangements. During the rest of the afternoon crowds filed through the building, which was the subject of most favorable comment. THE lICILDIXC,

The building lias a pleasing yet substantial appearance. It is erccied on tin- borough reserve in King-street ailjoining the Town Hall and Council Chambers ami is a credit to the designer and to the town. The front elevation is finished in pressed red brick and cement facings and portico, etc. The name, '■Carnegie free Library." occupies a prominent position in the central pediment. The portico, approached by a flight of broad concrete steps, is a pleasing addition to the architectural feature, with its substantial columns, cornices, and »o on. A little iluwer garden is arranged between the building and the scalloped concrete wall with ornamental iron railing along the street frontage. The designer, .Mr. Frank Messenger, lias made ample provision for lighting, by day and by night, and the best use is made of it by keeping the walls and ceilings in white. The inside walls are plastered throughout. 'Ku-'j France is gained by swing doors opening into a hall Bft wide, and from this open the magazine-room (22ft x 14ft) and 'lie; readinp-rooin (.loft x 22ft), both with windows facing King-street. At the end of the hall is a cosy little room l'.lft Oil v lnft liin. comfortably furnished 'as a chess and draughts room. The slain-T . lo tin- lir-t Moor als.i vises from Cm main hail, in nhich'is a framed enlargement of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, by whose munificence the building has been erect ed. The reading-room is well provided with reading-stands for newspapers, and prominent notices. accommodation is car.-

the other side of the landing is tlis ladies', room, 25ft x lift, which is furnished uiut is to he controlled by the ladies of the local branch of the Women'*.! Christian Temperance. Union as a restroom. The ventilating and sanitary provisions are all'on a modern and ample scale. The building will lie heated by electric radiators and lighted also by electricity, this being supplied, of course, from the municipal mains. Carefullyselected wood, principally mountain riniu, has been used in all the .varnished architraves, balustrade, and dowmvork, and in the doors, the panels of which are of pukolca. As a means of silencing footfalls the iloors have been covered with thick cork carpeting. Altogether it can safely be said tliat we have s. i thoroughly up-to-date institution.

THE UOXOirS IDEAL. A SPEECH BY MR. CAPNEC.IE. Speaking at the opening of a new C'arnegie jmblic library at Bromley (England) twelve months ago, Mr. Carnegie said it had fallen to his lot to open i)uile a number of free libraries, and he often thought, when money was given to have a library, one's duty did not cease. He felt there was another duty, either to open the library or to pay » visit to it. He never, whenever possible, failed to obey a summons to open a library, because it was fell that Ms presence would stimulate public interest. Proceeding, he said as he went throng'* life lie found it more and more good to trust the people. He had lived most of his life in close touch with the working I HK'ii. Ho knew them, and he loved llicm, and Hie more he met them the higher was his estimate of the self-respecting sober working man. A point he had insisted upon in recent donations was tint libraries should Lave a hall, if possible with a stage. Mr. Carnegie explained that his reasons for so wishing were that local talent might be brought out and encouraged. He said lie attached much importance to a man's capacity for acting, and if he wanted to be an orator and move people his best experience lay in private companies. Referring to fiction-reading. Mr. Carnegie held that extremes on either side were not

the proper tiling. If children were to lie i improved it should lie done by evolution i and lint by revolution. The man'who declaimed against the reading of fiction ; was an extremist, and the nihil who accepted all iietion was also an extremist. Nothing could he hettor than reading good fiction, especially for those for whom these libraries were primarily designed—the working class. 11 was important that tlie working man should be allowed to read fiction. Fiction was the means of leading them out of I hemselves up into the higher and more elevated atmosphere, and eventually creat- I ing in tlicm a taste for reading good and •useful books. All these things happened gradually. Speaking of librarians, he said a librarian's duty vns not merely to give out the book the borrower asked for, but to guide and lead him. not to what he wants, but what he should want. Mr. Carnegie continued: "One other point about a free library. When that Scotch member of Parliament introduced the Library Act by which communities could tax themselves for the support of a library, that was not desired, perhaps, by some of the taxpayers, but the age of Socialism had developed. Now, ladies and gentlemen, don't be j afraid of Socialism. It is not founded j

on anything durable. You need not lie awake at night, thinking that democracy is going to upset society, or that your life's pleasures will be interfered with in any way at all. Now, there is not an individual living in Creat Britain.' Ann riea, Canada, or New Zealand who believes that it is not the wisest thing to tax a community that, there should be a librarv like this within its bounds, free lo all (lie people. So it will be nil li other places. 'J'hey are all leading in the right direction, and what, is false and unwise von may believe me will fall to the ground, and only that which is bene lieiaT will i-eiuain with von. There is another point I will mention. A free library given to the people in no wise lends'to pauperise the community. I I only make the gift of the building, and I you maintain it by public taxation. That 1 is the saving clause. The President of I the United States, in opening a public I librarv at Washington, said thai Lie | community nl ' ( '"- ""'" lll!,t always I wanted carrying was not worth carrying and that is whal I think. This is a "people's librarv. H remains lor me to declare this library open lo all people, and this'l do in the hope, and not only in the hope, but also in the beliel, that, it will never fail, generation after generation, to prove itself a fountain from which blessed waters alone can How.