USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Watertown > Historical sketches of Watertown, Massachusetts > Part 11
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"In pursuance of the foregoing Warrant to me directed, I do hereby ! fines for lending books; examine library, call meet- notify the proprietors within named to meet at the time & place men- tioned in the foregoing application, & for the purposes therein expressed. "Dated at Watertown, the second day of December, A. D. 1779. " MOSES COOLIDGE."
"To meet annually the 2nd Monday at Bird's tay- ern, and to have the library open two hours on each 2nd Monday through the year." These were essential to success. I have heard that those annual meetings, held at six o'clock P. M., at Bird's tavern, were not wholly unpleasant; and that proprietors, or pro- prietors' children, visited the library on its monthly opening of two hours, is well attested by the thumb- marks which some of the books bear to this day.
At the annual meeting in December, 1800, nearly the same officers were chosen, and it was voted that
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each member pay three shillings to purchase addi- tional books, and that the librarian be paid for his services one shilling a night (or month). Evidently, great confidence was felt in the librarian or other officers, for the directors or society seldom met, except at the annual meeting at Bird's tavern.
At the next annual meeting, called with all the formalities of a regular towu-meeting, held January 25, 1802, Moses Coolidge was chosen moderator, Samuel Coolidge, clerk ; Thos. Clark, Nathaniel R. Whitney, Nathaniel Stone, David Stone and Thomas Bisco, di- rectors. " Voted, that the money which is not col- lected may be collected & laid out for such books as shall be thought necessary by the Directors. Voted, that the fines arising for not returning the books at the time, the past year, be appropriated for the cover- ing, with leather, such books as the Directors shall think necessary."
So the records run on with some changes of names, with the annual purchase of books, collection of fines and assessments, and it is fair to believe, for after a few years the name of the library was changed to the Union Social Library, with a good social meeting at Mr. Bird's tavern, with such literary discourse as the batch of new books would naturally suggest.
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After awhile, about the time of the last war with England, it was decided to pay the librarian for his services (two dollars) and also the cierk for his, and the only records are of the annual meetings which were then held at the house of Samuel Bellows (the same tavern). In the year 1818, Joshua Coolidge gave his share to Joshua Coolidge, Jr .; Col. Moses Coolidge, still chosen moderator nearly every year, is now made librarian ; Joseph Bird is made collector and assistant librarian. The records are very legibly written by Elisha Livermore, clerk.
In 1842, at a legal meeting, the warrant for which was issued by Tyler Bigelow, one of the justices of the peace, a report was received from a committee ap- pointed to report on the state of the library, and pro- posing a union with the North District, was accepted and entered at length on the records.
As this report was prepared with evident care, partly by men who, twenty-six years afterwards, in- terested themselves in the Free Public Library, and as it recommended an immediate union with the North District, thus endorsing the plan of Horace Mann for furnishing the whole State with good read- ing in the District School Libraries, we think it of importance not only to the history of the library in this place, but as showing the results of both of these steps-the society library and the district school library-in the gradual development of a system of free public libraries, probably nowhere excelled in the world, and now quite generally patterned after by England.
We therefore make free extracts from the report, which was signed by Charles Stone, Daniel Learned, Joseph Bird, Jr., Thomas Livermore and Joshua
Coolidge, Jr. They report : "That the subject upon mature consideration seems more feasible and likely to produce good results to most of the proprietors and particularly to the district. A large number of the books are valuable, and only want more attention di- rected to them and also an introduction to a new class of readers to still be permanently useful." They complain that the books are not read ; that the neglect of them even seems to increase; give as a reason that not books enough can be bought to keep up the inter- est ; that personal assessments are too apt to be ne- glected, and the committee deplore the evident result to which all is tending, for several reasons : " First, that this Library, founded by our fathers many years since, should not be destroyed by their children, but continued to our children with increased energy and usefuluess. Second, that many of the books could not uow be purchased, and which, united with new books, would make a valuable library. Third and more im- portant, that if the library should now be broken up, the taste for reading which is now with us, would lie dormant and perhaps be extinguished, instead of which it needs, by every proper means, encouragement."
The plan of union with the District School Library seems advisable. First, because of the new books added to the library ; second, that the "children, as they are plodding through the dull routine of educa- tion,"-it must have been a dull routine before the days of Horace Mann,-" will be forming a taste for correct reading, which cannot fail to increase their usefulness in society; and still another reason is that parents also will be able to increase in useful knowl- edge and thus be better prepared to educate their children. This is no new idea. Many districts in our State already have libraries, one even in our own town. Of so much importance was it deemed by our Legislature, that it was proposed to form one in every District in the State, and it is probable, but for the pecuniary difficulties of the times, it would have been done." The report goes on to say that the Board of Education have begun to prepare a number of books to be sold as cheap as possible to encourage their adoption. Indeed it would seem that there should be no objection to a plan of this kind if properly man- aged, and they would hope that every one will see the importance of either aiding the present plan or pro- posing a better one. They recommend a union with the North District, the library to be called "The North District Union Social Library." Minute and wise conditions are appended which were substan- tially adopted.
The remnant of this North District Union Social Library, after thirty-six years more of partial useful- ness and natural neglect, came, in 1875, by the hand of Joseph Bird, together with the old and precious record-book, as a gift to the town, to the care of the Free Public Library, the natural successor to such and all other institutions for the education of the people through books.
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CIRCULATING LIBRARIES .- Before speaking more explicitly of the experiment mentioned as District School Libraries, attention should be given to the work of circulating libraries in the town. Several have existed at different periods, well cared for by their owners, always open to those who were willing to pay the small fee for the daily or weekly use of the books, and furnishing such books as the taste or the selfish interests of their owners dictated. In some cases these books have given an impulse to study, and have laid the foundations of learning.
Such a library was kept by Mrs. Curtis, in the Robbins house, near the Great Bridge. Mrs. Curtis was the daughter of " an intelligent, prominent and much respected citizen of Watertown, Mr. James Robbins, who carried on various branches of manu- facturing," aud had also a country store. When he died, in 1810, having been less successful in the latter part of his life, and having left a numerous family, with rather scauty means, this daughter, a person of euergy aud education, not wishing to be dependeut upon friends, opened this library as one means of support. Here her two boys, Benjamin Robbins Cur- tis and George Ticknor Curtis, laid the foundation of their love of books for which the world has since been richer. We may never know how much good was done by that collection for the mass of its read- ers ; but one grateful son has thrown a little light on the subject which is encouraging to those who, from any motives, are trying to bring good books to the at- tention of those who may be benefited thereby. Of course, "It was chiefly a collection of novels and poetry ; and when I name the period during which my mother kept this library, as from about 1818 to 1825, the reader will see that Scott's novels from ' Waverly' to 'Redgauntlet,' and all his principal poems; Byron's works; Southey's 'Thalaba' and 'Roderick ;' Irving's 'Sketch-Book,' Bracebridge Hall' and 'Tales of a Traveler ; ' Cooper's 'Spy,' 'Pioneers' and 'Pilot' and many other books, new at that pe- riod, might have been, as in fact they were, included in this collection. The books were much sought for by the surrounding families.
" My aunt's books were not embraced in the circu- lating library ; but she possessed, among others, an excellent edition of Shakespeare-of whose works she was a constant reader-Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' Young's 'Night Thoughts,' Thomson's 'Seasons,' Cowper's 'Poems,' Johnson's ' Rasselas, 'Jeremy Tay- lor's 'Holy Living and Dying,' and the ‘Specta- tor.' I am quite sure that my brother's first know- ledge of these authors was derived from her books. In a home so furnished with the lighter and some of the more solid materials of intellectual develop- ment, my brother became a great reader at an age when most boys care for nothing but their sports. At first he read novels incessantly,"-this young judgel and why should he not ?- "and I can well remember the sorrowful resignation with
which he would surrender a volume of Scott, or Cooper, or Irving, when a call for it came into my mother's little parlor, from the 'shop.' From novel- reading he passed to some of the historical plays of Shakespeare, and afterwards to 'Paradise Lost.'"
George Ticknor Curtis, in thus speaking of his bro- ther's experience, says nothing of his own ; but as we know of his great ability in letters, and the fact that he was three years younger in the same circulating library, we are at liberty to draw our own inference.
Many years ago there was a circulating library in the north part of the town, and, until quite recently, there has been quite a prosperous one for many years on Main Street.
THE DISTRICT SCHOOL LIBRARIES planted by Hor- ace Mann in almost every town in the State, have left the evidence of their existence in several districts of this town. A few of the books scattered among the families have come into the Public Library. There are less than a dozen of them from all sources. It were an ungracious task to show why such collections of the wisdom of the ages should have so short a life and be dissipated so soon. The very conditions under which they were located, without permanent respon- sible care, being in charge of the teacher, who was changed each term, made their usefulness, as collec- tions, of very short duration. Then, we believe, there were some grave difficulties of choice of books among the State authorities ; and the conflicting interests of publishers were, in this State, however they may have been managed in other States, very near in- superable.
They gave many a youth, however, a taste which helped in mature life to develop that larger knowledge of books which demands for all, the more permanent public library.
BOOK CLUBS .- Since 1843, soon after Mr. Weiss came to town, there has been a very flourishing took club, composed of some of our most appreciative people, who pass their books and periodicals from one to another in some prearranged order. More recently other book and magazine clubs have been formed.
Dr. Francis says, in his historical sketch of Water- town: "In 1829 a Lyceum was established. Connected with the Lyceum is a scientific and miscellaneous library; there are two libraries besides this-one a Religious Library, the other a Juvenile Library." What has become of the Lyceum Library ? The sec- oud one mentioned is probably what afterwards be- came the Parish Library, given to the Public Library in 1870 by the First Parish. This gift was an acces- sion of over three hundred volumes, "rich in works of scholarly and devout thinkers."
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY .- The Free Public Library of Watertown was first opened to the public on the 31st of March, 1869, with 2250 volumes on the shelves, and $3000 in cash and subscriptions to be expended for books.
By the conditions of the original gift of $6000 in
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money to the town, given by quite a large number of residents and former residents of the town, in the year 1868, the town agreed " to accept the gift to establish a Free Public Library, provide a convenient place to receive it, and make it useful to the citizens. The said Library shall belong to the town, be cared for, and enlarged as circumstances will permit by annual votes of the town, in meeting assembled."
When the first catalogue was published, in March, 1870, the original subscription of $6000 having been expended and several considerably large contributions of books having been included, there were five thou- sand (5401) volumes, and nearly two thousand (1956) pamphlets and papers. When the second catalogue was published, in 1881, there were over twelve thou- sand (12,447) volumes, and nearly twelve thousand (11,830) pamphlets and paper. At present, in 1890, there are about 20,000 volumes and over 25,000 pamphlets and papers. The library is located in a handsome building which, with improvements intro- duced since its erection, has cost, with the ' lot on which it stands, about $45,000.
The town has not in these twenty-two years failed to do its part in preserving, in maintaining, in en- larging, and in making useful this noble trust.
The history of the formation and growth of this library is creditable to the public spirit of the town. It was not, as we have seen, the first attempt in town to make a collection of books for public use; it was the first attempt, as far as we know, to make a collection for the use of the entire town without expense to any reader.
The history of this library, perhaps not unlike the history of the public library in many another town, is full of interest. It is creditable to the public spirit, the energy and zealous self-denial of many of its cit- izens. What they did others can do, so that no town or community, following their example, need be with- out some kind of a public library. In the first steps, regard was had for what had been accomplished else- where, particularly in the neighboring town of Brook- line, and in New Bedford.
In the movement for a public library in this town, it was accepted as a fundamental principle that peo- ple would pay for what they considered of real worth. That those who had enjoyed peculiar advantages of education, or hy wealth had the necessary leisure for reading and acquaintance with books, would natur- ally know their value. Then, that those who from being associated with these would he influenced by them, would like to appear to prize what the others prized, and help what the others helped. In a word, that if a certain number could be found who knew the value of a library to themselves, and so by infer- ence to a community, who also to their knowledge could add a certain amount of Christian benevolence sufficient to enable them to make a sacrifice of the ownership or immediate possession of books that they called their own, and had themselves enjoyed, or were
willing to transfer the investment of a portion of the funds which stood or might stand in their own name, to the charge of public trustees to be chosen for the purpose, in order that they might be invested in books for the public use; in short, if there could be found a sufficient number of people who could see that the wealth in their possession was something held in trust, and could see that by transferring a por- tion of their money for this specific purpose of a pub- lic store of books, they would more certainly advance the common good by this treasury of learning, to which all alike might go for information, and trans- fer their care to those to he benefited, and so relieve themselves so far from further care ; if, in a word, an appropriate appeal were made to the better educated and more benevolent members of the community, the foundation of a library would be secured. The appeal was made. The result more than established the correctness of the assumption. At each decided step in the direction of greatly increased expense, during the more than twenty years of experimental life of the library, such people have been asked to contribute of their means as an evidence of faith in the value of things asked for, and then the town has been asked to complete the appropriation.
Any community can have a public library if the more intelligent and benevolent will personally from their own means contribute one-half of the cost, and then will assist the rest of the community according to their rates by taxation to bear their share by public appropriation of the other half. The mass of any community can be brought to see that thus they, the principal gainers of the advantages of such an appro- priation of funds, and only contributors to a part according to their amount of property, do a good thing for themselves and their town by voting the other half. The mass, I say. Alas! there are some stubborn exceptions to the truth of so natural and obvious an assertion.
The time will come when towns will vote libraries as they do schools, directly. When the experimental, missionary stage of the work has passed, then sup- plies for libraries will be voted as for roads, for public lighting, for schools, as a matter of necessity. For they will see that by creating a taste for reading among the children, for instance, who, growing up in idleness and vice, would form the criminal classes, they will be merely transferring a part of the expense of police and police courts and jails to other and hetter forms of restraint. In getting the idle and ignorant into reading-rooms, they are forming habits that will lead to knowledge and thoughtfulness and desire of personal independence and useful employment, and thus so far do away with the necessity of police machinery. The cost of insurance of the safety of property in a community decreases as the common estimate of the desirability and use of a public library becomes more universal. The productive energies of a people are increased by increase of knowledge. The
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quality of the skill of a community improves with the improvement of the minds of the workers and with the elevation of their taste and artistic sense. It is not necessary to predict converts to some particu- lar idea or sect as the result of opening to a people the fountains of all knowledge. To one who believes that all knowledge, all truth in its vast ramifications, proceeds from and tends to one vast origin and end, and is a part of the great cosmos, there can be no fear as to the final result of opening all the flood-gates of light for the benefit of the seeker after truth. There will be limitations enough left in the capacity of men, in the willingness of human beings to consider the more desirable forms of truth.
We have indicated in a general way some of the peculiar conditions in this town favorable for the growth of the public library when once planted. The spirit of independence of thought and action, exem- plified in its entire history, from the foundation hy Sir Richard Saltonstall and George Phillips, and the somewhat broad-minded Deacon Brown, like the light of a vestal lamp has never been allowed to be quite extinguished. In looking over the history written by the successive School Committees, one is almost op- pressed, it must be confessed, with the fear of the near approach of some fatal extinguisher of policy or par- simiony. But it is only that the selfishness perhaps of those who bore the lamp, or their short-sightedness for the time, allowed the flames to burn low. Again and again the flame rekindles. In the report of 1850 we read "thrift, thrift, Horatio," " it would he easy to show that good schools would pay us in good dollars," although the committee sadly, one would think, and with fear, recommended the raising of $850 for each of the three school-districts with their total of 500 scholars. Now they cheerfully and confidently ask for $26,000 for 917 scholars. The committee of 1852, when an additional school-house was imperative, "respectfully suggests the establishment of a High School." In 1856, " If Watertown wishes to grow in numbers and in wealth, let her continue as she is now doing, appropriating liberally for the education of her children."
In 1865, " Mr. Jesse A. Locke proposed a set of prizes for actual improvement in demeanor and schol- arship; so that industry, patience and a sense of duty received the stimulus." In 1866, "The com- mitte have determined, by aid of private subserip- tion, to create the nucleus of a High School Library." In 1867, " There has been established a good [High School and Teachers'] library, which contains 276 volumes." " This Teachers' Library is a novelty, and the habit of using it has not yet become general among those whom it is intended to benefit." "The pupils have come to depend upon the library."
The very man who as a boy attended those meet- ings of the Social Union Library Association in his father's tavern, Mr. Joseph Bird, who afterwards was a teacher of music with Horace Mann at West Newton,
and at home was a hearty supporter of the scheme for District School Libraries, the custodian of the Union Distriet Social Library of which we have already spok- en, himself an omnivorous reader, obtained the first contributions for a " Teachers' Library," which were so generous as to inspire the hope that with similar effort extended through the town, a fund of sufficient amount could be obtained to make the establishment of a town library-a free public library for the whole town-possible. The lesson was a good one, the hope has been fully realized.
It was " At a meeting of the School Committee called by Dr. Alfred Hosmer, chairman, May 7, 1867, voted to choose Messrs. Alfred Hosmer, John Weiss and Joseph Crafts a committee to consider the subject of a town library, and report at the next meeting." On July 2d it was " Voted, that the secretary trans- mit to the donors of the books that now compose the High School Library, the thanks of the committee, in behalf of the town, for such a generous contribu- tion to the cause of education in Watertown." " Voted that the thanks of the School Committee be cordially expressed to Joseph Bird, for his personal interest and effort in securing the valuable books that now compose the High School and Teachers' Library in Watertown."
Within a few weeks after the appointment of the committee named above, namely, on the 3d of June, 1867, the School Committee issued the following in- vitation :
"The School Committee of this town, convinced of the importance of establishing here a Free Public Library (these last three words were printed in large letters, which extended across the whole page), and wishing to have some plan devised by the citizens, in- vite you to attend a preliminary meeting, at the ves- try of the Unitarian Church, on Thursday evening, June 6, at 8 o'clock, to assist in the dissussion of the subject. Per order of the committee. D. T. Huck - ins, Secretary."
The meeting was held, the subject discussed by Rev. John Weiss, Mr. Miles Pratt, Capt. Joseph Crafts, Mr. Joseph Bird, Mr. Jesse A. Locke, Rev. J. M. Bell, ail in favor ; a plan was adopted, and a com- mittee was chosen to raise funds. Mr. Locke offered to give the $600 which he had received for his salary as representative of the town to the Legislature of the former year.
The committee chosen were, Dr. Alfred Hosmer, the chairman of the meeting, Rev. John Weiss, Joseph Bird, Miles Pratt, Jesse A. Locke, Leonard Whitney, Jr., Joseph Crafts, Rev. J. M. Bell, Rev. W. F. Stubbert, Dr. D. T. Huckins, Mr. James Sharp and Solon F. Whitney.
This committee met with a generous response, both from citizens and from former residents of the town. It was able to offer, at a meeting called to consider and act upon the subject, on the 28th of January, 1868, within about seven months, the sum of six
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thousand dollars ; which it did on the following con- ditions : "That the town accept the gift of six thousand dollars,1 to establish a Free Public Library, provide a convenient place to'receive it, and make it useful to the citizens. The said Library shall belong to the town, and be cared for, and enlarged, as cir- cumstances will permit, by annual votes of the town in meeting assembled."
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