Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 38, Number 276, 27 September 1913 — Page 21
THE RICHMOND PAXLDIUM AND SUN-TELE GUAM. SATTTRDAY, SEPT. 27, 1913
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Library Big Factor in City Progress
Morrisson-Reeves Collection of oBoks, Under Competent librarian, Adds Culture and Refinement to Richmond Reference Department Valuable Data for Students.
, One of Wayne county's most valut able educational assets is the Morris- , "MfrReeves Library, an institution "Vh ha been of great assistance in v i jculturo1 and education of the peoof the county for many years. It f has had a. gradual and conservative growth until it is now the second public library in size in the state. It has a list of carefully selected books of all kinds. At the present, the library contains abotit 44,000 books, excluding pamphlets, over 1,500 rolls for player pianos, nearly 14,000 cards of mounted pictures, 1,500 stereoscope pictures and -r about 000 stereopticon slides. The library haH been invaluable to the stu- , dents of Earlham college and the Rich- ,' mond public schools, who are often in the library. & Widely Used. ), The reference books are used by , club women and strangers visiting the town and frequently the towns in the neighborhood send teachers with their pupils to enjoy the privileges of the in ' Btltutlon. The fiction section of the library is well patronized by people who desire good reading matter of a lighter character, but the greatest effort has been made since the organization of the library to make it a reference library of the best type. The re8u.lt is that the MorrisBon-ReeveB reference department has attracted attention all over the state. The history of this institution is in- ; teresting, having its beginning soon after the establishment of the city itself and passing through a series of ::: changes and activities that are all Pi the more interesting because of the ,s connection of the library with the city 'i Itself, for the Morrisson-Reeves li brary has never received any assistance or co-operation from sources foreign to the city. Established Very Early. The first record that is obtainable concerning the organization of the library Is found in a copy of the old "Richmond Intelligencer," issued May 8, 1822, six years after the platting of the town. It says, "Directors of the Richmond library are requested to meet on , Saturday, 26th inst., p. m." This library continued to operate until 1826, as mention is found of it during this time, but after four years of activity, the books were advertised for Bale and the library was reorganized and Incorporated. The books were purchased at very reasonable prices considering the time of the purchase and it was hoped to
;-. increase the stock by a slight tax j which was 60 cents per annum on , each share in 1827. At that time : three dollars a year was charged for ?- the privilege of reading the hundred ' or more volumes that were the entire ' ;", -r?-- of the library.
i i-.p, uie iiurary naa cauea in au TURNED THE JOKE. Remltu'i Fun With the Watchmaker Was Spoiled In the Windup. The French critic, musician and government official, Romlen. was fond of Joking. One of his diversions amusing, bat not to be commended was to go Into some sbor. where he thought he was not known and perplex the shopmen by his questions and remarks. One evening he bad taken a good deal of wine when be went into a little watchmaker's shop nnd. assuming the accent and air of a countryman, said: "Sir, what do yon call those little machines hanging there?" "Watches." replied the shopkeeper. "What are they for?" To indicate the time." "Really? I have heard of them. How much do they cost?" "Here Is one for 200 francs and one for 100 francs, and here are some for 50 and 23 francs." "Are there printed directions about making thera go?" "No: they have to be wonnd np erery day with a key." "Will yon show me bow. sir?" "This way. You see it is not difficult." "And must one wind It In the evening or In the morning?" "Yon must wind yours in the morning." "Why In the morning?" "Because In the evening yon are' usually drunk, M. Romieu, and might j break It." Working the Mines of the Rand. That Africa, with Its millions of idle negroes, should suffer from scarcity of labor seems to the outsider incredible, but It is a fact that the securing and distribution of labor is the most vital factor In the economic life of the continent south of the eqnator. It has been estimated that the Rand pays $300,000 a year to recruit the contingent from Portuguese East Africa alone, this sum covering only the expenne of getting the "boys" from their ;-h "m and back again. A nonsalaried :i(er gets $5 for every boy he perv; .ak to go to the mines. It is by fiirtylng the Rand with 50.000 to 60.000 boys annually that the province of Mozambique draws directly and indirectly by far the larger part of its revenue. ' Not In the Song. All over the house went little Kathleen singing lustily. "There's a Friend For Little Children." Her benevolent old aunt seeing at last, as she hoped, some signs of grace in one whom she bad almost given up at the early age of six as hopeless, called Kathleen to her with great satisfaction. "And who is the friend for little children, dear?" she asked. "I dou't know." replied Kathleen gayly. "It doesn't come out in the ong." Maatckestar Guardi&av
the books that they could get back and had packed them in a box. It was suggested at that time by the editor of the Palladium that these books be given over to the Young Men's library, which was in a very flourishing condition. From that date until 1845 frequent notices of the activities of the Young Men's library appeared, but then the library began to experience difficulty with careless patrons, who persisted in losing the books. A list of books advertised as lost appeared almost simultaneously with a similar list given out b ya rival institution, first given out by a rival institution, 1849 the merging of these two librar-
t ies was advocated, but no success at tended the plan. In 1851 a committee waiting upon the city council proposed that the con 44 PI J 41
cerns of the Young Men's Library association be put under the management of the city authorities and the library changed into a "City Circulating Library." Again the Palladium stepped forward with advice as to the handling of the situation and suggested flhat as there were about 500 volumes in the library at that time, sufficient to form a nucleus for a larger institution, a slight tax be levied every year, say ten cents on the $100 valuation, and thus build up one of the best selected libraries in the state. Later this advice seems to have been carried out exactly. New Library Launched. The next agitation in library circles came up in 1855, when a literary and scientific society was formed in order to secure a share of the McClure fund. At the same time it. was announced that a township library had been formed under the Mills law. This new Institution was opened in the third story of the old Wlggans building where Birck's Harness store now stands, and was only open on Saturdays from ! o'clock in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. It was the complaint of the ' inconvenient location and hours that perhaps suggested the building of the Morrisson library. Robert Morrisson, one of the many Friends who had migrated to Richmond from North Carolina in 1810, as
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he grew old, desired to leave a remembrance that would be a permanent benefaction to the community in which he had achieved success and accumulated a fortune, and so he purchased the site of the present library and bequeathed it to "Wayne township, Wayne County, Indiana, in trust for the benefit of its inhabitants forever." On this lot, at a cost of $17,00, a building was erected. The south half of the building was used by the librarian as living apartments, the basement rooms for the township trustee, and the rest of the building for the library proper. The library was under the control and supervision of a board of four persons, two appointed by the township trustee, and two appointed by the common council of Richmond. Buy More Books. An appropriation of $5.W was devoted to the purchasing of new books. The township library of several hundred volumes and the volumes owned my the Manual Labor and Working Men's Institute were added to the new books secured through this appropriation, thus uniting all the library units of the town and making their organization one. The total equipment at this time was about 6,000 volumes, all of which had been selected with the utmost care. There was no further provision for the purchase of additional books except with the rent derived
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I from the living quarters in the build- ' ing, and this was so small that the i growth was necessarily small. In the first decade it had grown until the I total number of books was 9.294. but a further provision for the purchase I of new volumes w as made in 1ST!', j w hen, by special act of the legis lai ture, the township trustee was authorized to levy a tax of 1 cent on $100 (or i that purpose. j j Under this rule the library prosperd i and in 1S85 its trustees offices were! i . i built in the rear. Reeves Bequest. ! The second donation to the library , was made in 1S3H when Mrs Mark K. Reeves, gave the sum of J3000, most , of which was used in remodeling and enlarging the building to meet the demands of the increased business, i Out of respect to this legacy the name ; of the institution was changed to Morrisson-Reeves Library. In IS'in another amendment to the bill of l$7:l authorized a levy of a 6 cent tax, thus giving thp library an income sufficient to defray all running expenses. ; The library has developed through 1 a period embracing almost all the history of the city of Richmond itself and has grown from a little library equipped with a meagre hundred volumes to a splendid, modern institution, equip- ! ped In the finest and most sensible ' manner with the most educational and '. refining books obtainable.
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OCCUPIES BUILDING NEWLY CONSTRUCTED Miller Hardware Company Rivals State Wholesale Concerns.
The Miiler Hardware company is now located in its nw and up-to-date three-story brick building on Fort Wayne avenue, covering one-half of a cit block. In addition to a dry basement, a larso warehouse with a wide shipping platform "i.ii feet long with two side tracks, affords an'.p'e shipping facilities from the rear of the buiidiiit;. This firm was incorporated December 2. 11 1 . capitalized at $r0.0rto, having succeeded the Pogue-Miller tompain which made its entrance in the hardware world at Ninth and Main stroetsKrom this small beginning, by the ambition and persistence of George Miller, the business has grown until today a volume of business amounting to Jl.000.u0o, is done yearly and the Miller Hardware company is today
rivals of other wholerale hardware 'companies in Indiana. This concern deals exclusively la t wholesale hardware with twelve salesmen covering the whole of Indiana and Western Ohio. The new building on Fort Wajne avenue is equipped solely for the hardware business, w ith modern improved freight elevators and automatic
' sprinkler throughout. The officers of the company are: President -George W. Miller. Vice President Fred Miller. Vice Presidents Fred Miller ana Jacob Miller. Secretary Treaturer F. O. Chambers. The English Breakfast. England has known many chantet during revot year. Caste Ilcea bare been obliterated. the silk Bat Is no longer an object of reverential worship, actors ha been knighted and and Introduced Into restaurant. Hut the breakfast table Is the last dltcb of British conservatism. The Englishman eat bacon and eggs 3I5 mornings tn the year and welcomes leap year because it enable hiiu to iudulge Id that delightful dish tlmew. The mon archy may be abolished ami the bvust of lord deprived of lt prerogative, but the English breakfast will rentals aa It was iu the days of the conqueror. New York tlemld.
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