History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. I, Part 39

Author: Kershaw, W. L
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 500


USA > Iowa > Page County > History of Page County, Iowa : also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county, Vol. I > Part 39


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46


At a public meeting held in the opera house, the mayor presiding, the correspondence was all read and a public discussion followed. It proved to be the unanimous voice of the meeting that an effort should be made to secure the location of the school. An executive committee consisting of Mayor Ferguson, Z. D. Mathus, G. J. Ross, G. C. Stevens, and C. S. Barr was appointed to enter into negotiations with Prof. Wilson. The committee acted with earnestness and energy, and Mr. Wilson visited Shenandoah in conference with this committee, March 24, 1882. The conference was eminently satisfactory to both parties. The committee was fully convinced of the great benefits to be derived from the establishment of such an institution, and on the other hand Mr. Wilson was fully impressed with the superior advantages and inducements which Shenandoah offered for this school.


A mass meeting at the opera house was called for the next day. March 25th, at which time, after organization of the meeting and Hon. J. H. Castle being chosen chairman, Mr. Wilson explained the character and design of the proposed school, and made the proposition that for a dona- tion of $10,000.00 and suitable grounds, he would remove the school from Bushnell to Shenandoah and erect a college building here; the building to be of brick, four stories high, the main part to be one hundred feet long, and fifty feet wide, and the extension to be forty feet wide, as shown in the cut in the college album, and in accordance with the plans and specifications of an architect at Peoria, Illinois, the estimated cost to be $30,000.00.


This proposition was well received and a College Fund committee was at once appointed to solicit, receive and disburse all subscriptions. The committee consisted of R. B. Crose, P. H. Mentzer, D. S. Priest, T. J.


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Williams, Z. D. Mathus. This action between President Wilson, and the citizens of Shenandoah aroused great excitement and indignation at Bush- nell, and every misrepresentation was made and effort put forth by Bush- nell to thwart the further progress of the enterprise at Shenandoah. These efforts effected delays only. Finally the whole amount was subscribed by the citizens of Shenandoah and community and guaranteed payable on demand in two installments, one-half June 1, 1882, the other half August 1, 1882.


Next after the raising of the money was the important matter of select- ing a location for the new school. Public sentiment at once crystallized about two locations ; one in Forest Park, and the other at some point on the hill at or near its present situation. Mr. Wilson, at first favored the park location. Later, however, the residents of east Shenandoah tendered the present location at the expense to them of over $10.000.00, and the offer was accepted. Whatever differences or doubts there might have been at that time, as to the best site, the wisdom of the location is now ad- mitted by all. Plans for the new building went on apace. It was con- structed according to plans and was so far completed on November 14, 1882, as to enable the new school to open on the day advertised.


The opening exercises in the chapel were without program or formality, and in the presence of about forty-seven students and a considerable num- ber of visitors. Some of these students had followed from Bushnell, Il1- inois. The exercises consisted of the singing of a few familiar songs from the Gospel Hymns, and reading a portion of Scripture, and prayer by Presi- dent Wilson. Next Mr. Wilson followed with a brief statement of the work to be done and the hopes and purposes of the new school. Thus for a time there seemed a realization of Mr. Wilson's high ambition and the successful completion of an exceedingly bold, well-planned, and farsighted undertaking. The school's first faculty was as follows: I. E. Wilson, pres- ident : F. B. Farr, professor of mathematics; L. M. Disney, professor of natural science ; Miss Emma Felton, professor of languages, grammar and history : J. A. Lyons, professor of commercial branches and penmanship ; W. F. Strong, music director ; Miss May Black, instructor in music.


The new school had its financial hardships and early in its history be- came financially involved to its utmost limit.


William M. Croan, January 9, 1884, purchased one-half interest and assumed the position of treasurer and secretary, and a little over a month later purchased the remaining half interest of Mr. I. E. Wilson, thus becom- ing sole proprietor of the school. Mr. Wilson and wife, who had been Miss Emma Felton, professor of languages, retired from the school. The institution was then leased to L. M. Disney and V. P. Wormwood, for a period of one year with the privilege of two years. At the close of the first year, the school's finances were so involved that it could not con- tinue without some reorganization. Almost a score of prominent citizens of the city contributed of their means for the financial relief of the in- stitution and it was started out in the fall of 1885 with a larger and stronger faculty but with an enrollment of only sixty-seven students. This seemed


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a gloomy outlook, but the new president and friends of the school had a strong faith in its ultimate success. Through thorough class-room work, careful individual attention to attending students, and judicious advertising, the school steadily grew until carly in the year 1889 it became evident that larger and more commodious quarters were demanded.


In March, 1889. a mass meeting was held at the opera house and after full discussion and conferences, President Croan proposed that a $10,000.00 addition to the building be erected and that if the citizens would subscribe $5,000.00 he would put with it an equal amount. Within ten days the required amount was subscribed through the efforts of D. S. Priest, T. H. Read, and John T. Stewart as committee. The new addition was ready for occupancy November 5, 1889, and completed entirely through- out by the following January.


During the years 1889 and 1890 the attendance grew wonderfully, but on the night of December 2, 1891, the college building and almost all of its contents, were destroyed by fire.


The citizens and trustees of the various funds entering into the original building and its additions, effected a settlement with President Croan and at once set about the raising of a much larger fund to add to the insurance money received from the burning of the old building, and to erect a finely appointed modern college building, as near fire proof as possible, which would constitute a suitable and permanent home for the large school.


The ashes of the old building had hardly grown cold before nearly everybody in Shenandoah who was able to give anything, and many who were not able, and the farmers for miles around, and prominent citizens of different portions of southwestern Iowa, all contributed to the funds for the new building. Nearly $50,000.00 was raised. This fund together with the insurance, erected and furnished the present handsome and com- modious structure. The Board of Trustees chose as president of the insti- tution, to re-open it in the new building, Mr. J. M. Hussey, at that time associate president of the Fremont Normal School, Fremont, Nebraska, who assumed the duties of his office in September. 1893, rechristening the old school in its new home, and has been constantly re-elected by the Board to preside over the work of the school in its unbroken prosperity since that time.


President Croan organized a land syndicate at Lincoln, Nebraska, and established a new school and appropriated the name Western Normal College. Principal O. H. Longwell organized a similar school in the suburbs of Des Moines. Professor J. A. Saylor, formerly professor of science in the school at Shenandoah, floated another real estate specula- tion in a suburb of Lincoln, Nebraska, and established what was known as the Lincoln Normal University. Thus, the school at Shenandoah had these three off-shoots striving hard to divide the patronage that had previously belonged to the Western Normal College at Shenandoah.


President Hussey and the Board of Trustees were not disheartened, but by indefatigable work, wide advertising, and the setting forth of the unusual advantages of the city of Shenandoah as an ideal place for attending school,


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kept the institution steadily growing and increasing in usefulness, al- though the next few years saw both Lincoln, Nebraska, projects fail, and the remnant of students from both institutions return to Shenandoah.


Since the building of the new building, through all this competition and stress of hard times which followed throughout the country, the Western Normal College has met every financial obligation and early cleared itself entirely from debt, thus allowing every dollar of its income to be used immediately for the students' benefit, and has been famous for its high standard of practical work in all the departments.


In the summer of 1902, after an inspection of the equipments and work of the institution by the State Board of Examiners for Iowa, the college was accredited by the state of Iowa as an "approved training school for teachers for the public school of Iowa."


The institution comprises the following schools and colleges: The Nor- mal School, College of Letters and Science : the Preparatory School ; the Bus- iness Institute ; the Shorthand College; the School of Penmanship; the School of Elocution and Oratory; the Conservatory of Music; and the Summer School.


The length of the school year is forty-eight weeks and all the above schools and colleges continue in session for that time. The fall opening is the first Tuesday in September each year. Annual commencement exer- cises the last week in July. The rates for tuition are very reasonable, in fact much lower than at most other high-class schools. The students are furnished rooming and boarding accommodations at cost. The scope of patronage each year comes from sixteen to twenty states, and its annual enrollment exceeds eight hundred students. At the present time in its twenty-seventh year, it has more than nine hundred alumni as graduates from its literary and music courses, and more than twice that number as graduates from its commercial and shorthand courses.


A COMPLETE LIST OF THE GENEROUS DONORS WHO CONTRIBUTED TIIE NEC- ESSARY AMOUNT TO SECURE THE WESTERN NORMAL COLLEGE.


J. Q. Anderson & Brother, $250: Thomas Aikins, $10; Charles Allphin. $IO: J. B. Armstrong, $100: Thomas Action, $10; -- Argus, $100; Charles Aldrich, $25; J. Q. Archer, $25; F. H. Alden, $25; E. H. Ayers, $25 : A. &. C. S. Burr & Company, $500 : E. K. Bailey, $10; George Bogart, $200: W. A. Bradley, $to: Isaiah Beam, $25: Andrew Bowman, $50; Joseph Beardsley, $50 : Ira L. Bailey, $25 ; Bennet & Mathuss, $500; Burnet & Miller. $100; J. Bender, $100; Brown & West, $100: J. C. Brown, $25 ; J. Bright, $5: J. C. Brewer. $25. J. C. Brookfelt, $10: D. S. Campbell, $25; Copson & Gaff. $50; W. C. Cass. $50; Crose Brothers, $500: J. L. Cole, $25 ; R. S. Crosby, $10: T. C. Cook, $10; B. W. Carey, $100; George H. Castle, $100; Cotrill. Beard & Hall, $100; M. B. Campbell, $25; A. J. Crane, $25. E. D. Day, $100; H. P. Duffield & Company, $200: Elliott & Son, $25; N. B. Easton, $25: First National Bank, $500; S. E. Field, $25; W. P. Ferguson, $100: J. Fishbaugh, $100; Fred Friess, $25; T. Finley,


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$10; Samuel Gallup, $25; John Gillespie, $50; George W. Gunnison, $50; William Griffin, $25; John X. Griffith, $200; G. H. Gurney, $25; Daniel Griffin, $10; G. H. Harvey, $10; J. E. Hutson, $5 ; Hoaglund & Company, $10; A. Hodges, $25 : Giles Hand, $5; James Harris, $20; Amos Hopsley, $50; C. H. Helme & Company, $50; W. S. Hooker, $25; A. L. Henderson, $100: William Hood, $25; Rub Holloway, $25; H. S. Holcomb, $25; M. J. Hester, $25 ; Eli Hite, $10; Harrel Brothers, $25; J. W. Humphrey, $Io: A. J. Hodge, $100: A. T. Irwin, $10; M. C. Johnson, $100; F. M. Johnson, $30; James F. Jackson, $10; Allen Johnson, $100; - Jennings, $25; D. H. Kelsey, $15: J. T. Kemp, $25 ; C. S. Keena, $100 ; C. D. Lester, $25; Thomas Lytle, $50; J. D. Laughlin, $50: J. A. Latimer. $25; T. C. Lippitt, $25 ; A. S. Lake, $100; Laws & McCabe, $100; D. S. Lake, $100; James O'Laghlin, $5; R. W. Morse & Company, $200; T. E. B. Mason, $50: John McCulloch, $50 ;- McComb, $50; W. C. Mathews, $10; W. G. Mackinson, $20; Joseph Markham. $5: J. F. McGogy, $50: Martin & Son. $50: Mentzer Brothers, $250; A. McCormick, $100; C. V. Mount, $25: D. D. Miller, $10; Joseph McKee, $25: M. T. Morse, SIo: William McMahill, $50; Peter Nies, $150; Nordstrom, $25: John Norton, $200: Needham & Mell, $10: William North, $25; Mrs. William North, $25 ; Peter Nies, $25; James Oppenheimer, $15; W. E. Oviatt, $25; D. S. Priest, $500 ; J. C. Perry, $25 ; G. W. Patterson, $10; Louis Patterson, $25 ; James A. Patterson, $10: George Palmer & Company, $250; Pace, Wilcox & Company, $100; William Priestman, $25; K. A. Pence, $25: Walter Pratt, $10; A. H. Potter, $10: George A. Quimby, $25 : Rhodes & Stephen- son, $25 : Rockafellow Brothers, $15: George Z. Redfield, $4: G. L. Ross, $100 ; L. D. Spencer, $to; W. N. Shaffer, $10: W. J. Staples, $10 ; S. Smith, $10; J. C. Swift, $50: J. G. Schneider, $30; O. S. Schultz, $10; R. G. Simons, $25 ; Thomas Sanderson, $25; J. D. Thomas, $25 ; A. S. Thomas, $25; L. R. Thorp, $10: Jonathan Uhl, $25; . Vawter & Hagerty, $100; George T. Vaughan, $50; Woodford & Sons, $150; B. M. Webster, $25; Milton Wise, $10: A. H. Warren, $25; A. J. Welty, $200; J. C. Wilson, $100; E. G. Whiting, $100; D. Wingert, $100; A. J. West, $100; T. J. Williams, $100: D. C. Wills, $25; William A. Wagner, $5: Frank White, $50 : J. M. Waugh, $100; H. S. Wolff, $100; S. E. Wilson, $25. The total subscription was $10.539.


SHENANDOAH POST OFFICE.


The Shenandoah Post Office was first presided over by Stephen Spur- lock, who made his headquarters for the distribution of mail in O. S. Rider's store during the winter of 1870-71. Then J. H. Shugart was ap- pointed and held the office for several years in his store. T. J. Warren succeeded Mr. Shugart and erected a building for the office, which was subsequently used as a carpenter shop. A. J. West came next as post- master and he moved the office to a wooden building that then stood on the Opera House corner. While the present Opera House was building, the postoffice shack was moved into the street but subsequently Mr. West took


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up his headquarters in West & Irwin's store when the Opera House was completed. H. P. Duffield was successor to Mr. West, the latter having held the office eight years. Duffield was followed by J. R. Ratekin, an ap- pointee of the first Cleveland administration. He held the office a little over four years and then turned over his responsibilities to Colonel T. N. Pace. Succeeding Pace was G. C. Pierce, who was the appointee of the office under the second Cleveland administration and served until July I, 1897, when Charles N. Marvin was appointed in his stead and fulfilled the duties of the office until January 5, 1906. On that date the present incum- bent, H. E. Deater, took charge of the office.


At the first session of the sixty-second congress Colonel W. P. Hep- burn, then representative from this district, secured an appropriation of five thousand dollars for a building site for a federal building in Shenan- doah and immediately thereafter began looking around for a suitable loca- tion for a postoffice building. Several sites were offered, among them the triangle formerly occupied by Ben Smith's machine shops and a committee of citizens consisting of George E. Cotrill, George Bogart, David S. Lake and C. J. Bechtol, under the name of the Citizens Committee, offered this triangular piece of ground to the government, agreeing to pay the differ- ence between the appropriation of five thousand dollars and the price asked for it by its owner, which would be a total of nine thousand five hundred dollars. The ground was purchased and the necessary amount of four thousand five hundred and fifty dollars was contributed by the citizens of Shenandoah. The Citizens Committee then asked that condemnation pro- ceedings be instigated and the site condemned and that nine thousand five hundred dollars be paid for the site, which proceedings were finally con- summated. The Citizens Committee went before the people and secured the following subscription list :


George Bogart, $500: George F. Cotrill, $500; D. S. Lake, $500; C. J. Bechtol, $300: Shenandoah National Bank, $200; Swanson Manufacturing Company. $100 ; Shenandoah Artificial Ice, Power, Heat & Light Company, $550 : Dr. T. L. Putman, $; R. E. Anderson, $100; E. S. Welch, $100; G. A. Shadle, $125: Edward Birkhimer. $50; J. W. Perkins, $20; J. M. Van Buskirk. $15; J. J. Dunnegan, $25: J. W. Ratekin, $50; Frank An- shutz, $50: Boyd & Quist, $25: Smock Shoe Company, $20; C. C. Polly, $15 : McGlone Brothers, $10: W. E. Ray, $: C. D. Chapman, $25; Clovis & Gage, $25: S. W. Nelson, $10: Gauss & Simons, $25: William Priest- man, $50: Earl Sheets, $20: S. Goldberg & Son. $25; Jackson Drug Com- pany, $25 : O. S. Long, $25: J. D. Kline, $25 ; St. Mary's Congregation, $200 : George Custer, $100: Snider & Gauss, $100; Gibson Brothers. $100; Spooner & Boner. $25: G. B. Biddle, $10: James J. Doty. $50: J. H. Bishiep, $15; Charles Schick, $10; W. S. Crane, $10: J. Auracher, $50; H. I. Foskett, $50; J. H. Snook. $io: J. J. Cardwell. $15; J. A. Snow, $5; J. W. Myers, $25: John F. Lake, SIo: O. B. Stevens, $15: Albert Myers, $5: Sam Clark. $25: J. Swain, $10: H. F. Shurtz, $50; E. F. Clovis. $10 : L. H. Mitchell, SIo: C. E. Fliesbach, $15 : W. I. McCulloch. $15 ; James A. Swallow. $10: John Toft. SIO; C. N. Marvin, $10.


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In 1908 Congressman Colonel W. P. Hepburn secured an appropriation of fifty thousand dollars for a federal building. The plans were drawn for this structure by the government's supervising architect and bids for the construction of the building were advertised for. Several bids were offered but none of them being within the appropriation they were all re- jected and at this writing, the architect is at work revising and scaling down the plans for the building to meet the amount of money appropriated.


This postoffice building will have about one hundred feet frontage on Clarinda avenue. It will be divided into different departments such as the postmaster's office, the money order department, the registry department, the distribution of mail department, and making-up-of-mails department, etc. It will be one story in height, with basement, swing room for the car- riers, rest rooms, etc. The materials used will be brick, terra cotta and stone. It will have glass partitions and tile floor. The aim is to make this structure entirely fire proof.


The Eighth congressional district is composed of eleven counties and the receipts of the office at Shenandoah for the past several years have been largely in excess of any other city in the district. In the fiscal year of 1909 the business increased over one-third that of the preceding year, and as a con- sequence, the postmaster's salary was raised one hundred dollars. This is saying not a little when one considers that such important towns as Cres- ton, with its ten thousand population, Red Oak, with a greater population than Shenandoah, and Clarinda, the county seat, are in the district.


The first rural delivery routes in southwestern Iowa were established from the Shenandoah office, March 15, 1900, with G. M. Castle, carrier, No. I, and N. H. Ingals, as carrier No. 2. Mr. Ingals is probably the oldest carrier in the state. His salary was four hundred dollars a year. The second year the salary was raised to five hundred dollars. Mr. Castle resigned and Mr. Ingals was changed to No. I. H. F. Newcomb being made carrier No. 2. Newcomb was followed by C. C. Leonard and he by S. L. Hall, who still holds routes Nos. 3 and 4. Routes Nos. 3 and 4 were established in August, 1901, with Isaac Greer and F. E. Woodworth as carriers, and No. 5 was started in August, 1905, with W. G. Ruby as car- rier. The salary continued two years at five hundred dollars and two years at six hundred dollars, and in 1905 was raised to seven hundred and twenty dollars.


Free delivery of mail in the city of Shenandoah was established in December, 1901. J. W. Bower and Roselle M. Davis were the first car- riers. After two weeks' trial it was found that two carriers could not do the work and J. Crawford was made carrier No. 3. September 1. 1905. the fourth carrier was allowed the office and Roy Owen was appointed to the position.


THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY, SHENANDOAH.


The Carnegie Library building was formally opened August 1, 1905. The ceremony of dedication took place at the Opera House in the evening.


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Rev. C. I. Shatto delivered the invocation and a quartet, consisting of the Misses Pace and Bothe and Messrs. Hitte and Dalin, opened the proceed- ings. C. N. Marvin, president of the board of trustees, occupied the chair and officially presented the library to the city. Below is given a part of Mr. Marvin's address, from which the reader will be able to gather some features connected with the history of the library :


"The length of program will not permit of an extended history of the library movement in this city. The older residents will remember that several unsuccessful attempts were made in the years past to establish a public library in Shenandoah. On one occasion a proposition of this kind was submitted to a vote of the people and was defeated by a large majority. This defeat was not due to a lack of appreciation of the benefits of a public library, but to the belief that the small sum to be secured by taxa- tion would not properly equip and maintain a creditable institution. The desire for a good library was general among our people, but no feasible plan for securing it was proposed until Mrs. Nichols and a few other hardy spirits suggested that we might secure the help needed from Andrew Carnegie, the philanthropist. With Thomas H. Read to think of the plan, meant to act upon it immediately. While others wondered and waited he wrote to the great library builder and set forth the needs and advantages of Shenandoah in such glowing terms that Mr. Carnegie was at once interested and wrote to Mr. Read saying, that if the city would raise one thousand dollars per year to maintain the library he would contribute ten thousand dollars for the erection of a suitable building. The generous offer was at once accepted and ratified by a vote of the people. Citizens subscribed money for the purchase of a building site and for books and other equipment, it being the policy of Mr. Carnegie to donate money for buildings only. The mayor appointed a board of trustees. The council levied the tax. The site was purchased on one of the most conspicuous corners in Shenandoah. The building has been constructed along lines similar to most of the Carnegie public libraries in the United States. Nearly two thousand books have been purchased or contributed as well as numerous newspapers and periodicals. A competent librarian has been employed and she has spent the summer in a special school for instruction in library work. The books have been catalogued and all the preparatory work for the opening of the library done under the direction of Miss Mabel Caldwell Willard, a lady experienced in such work and of rare judgment in the relative value of books. At one o'clock tomorrow afternoon the reading rooms will be open to the public and at two o'clock those who wish them may secure books to take to their homes. The regular hours will be from one to six and from seven to nine of each day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and July 4th. The reading rooms will be open every Sunday afternoon from two till half-past five. Books will be free to all citizens of Shenandoah and vicinity, under certain restrictions to prevent loss or mis- use. The same regulations as to responsibility for the books will apply to rich and poor, no discriminations or favoritism being shown to any person or persons whomsoever.


CARNEGIE LIBRARY. SHENANDOAH


SHENANDOAH ARMORY


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And now a few words as to the building itself. It has cost slightly more than expected, slightly more than ten thousand dollars. It contains a few minor defects that will be remedied in time but on the whole it has been well and economically constructed. Some criticisms have been made upon the size and appearance of the building but we doubt whether the critics have fully investigated the cost of such a building or compared it with other library buildings. More attention was given in the construction to the interior arrangements and conveniences than to the exterior ap- pearance. It was built for permanency and it stands in material and workmanship the best building of its cost in Shenandoah. Barring acci- dents from fire or cyclone, it will stand as firm and strong one hundred years hence as today. Each portion of the work was done on contract taken in open competition and at prices that permitted of slight profit if any. For no other structure in Shenandoah was there so much work done free of charge. It has been largely a labor of love on the part of all con- cerned in the construction of the building or its equipment. Contractors and furnishers of supplies have vied with each other to do their part at actual cost or less. The members of the board of trustees have performed their work without one cent of compensation. Thousands of dollars would not recompense the president and secretary for the time freely and cheer- fully given to the library during the past two years. Money could not hire Miss Willard to perform the arduous labor she has lovingly performed during the past three months. Many of the ladies of Shenandoah have assisted Miss Willard with no thought of pay. The newspapers have devoted hundreds of dollars worth of advertising to the library without one cent of charge. All classes of citizens from the richest to the poorest have contributed books, many of them that could hardly be spared from their own small libraries.




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