History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 85

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III > Part 85

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which he would surrender a volume of Seott, 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 bool: 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 elubs 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 seientifie 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 see- ond 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 acees- sion of over three hundred volumes, "rich in works of scholarly and devont thinkers."

FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY .- The Free Public Library of Watertown was first opened to the publie 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 $15,000.

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 by wealth had the necessary leisure for reading and acquaintance with books, would natur- ally know their valne. Then, that those who from being associated with these would be 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 be 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 better forms of restraint. In getting the idle and ignorant into reading-rooms, they are forming hahits 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- Iar 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 by 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- simony. But it is only that the selfishness perhaps of those who hore 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 be 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 demcanor and schol- ar-hip; so that industry, patience and a sense of luty received the stimulus." In 1866, " The com- mitte have determined, by aid of private subscrip- 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 District 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, all 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."

The town, at this meeting, appointed as committee to report a plan of organization, Messrs. Jesse A. Locke, Edward Bangs, Henry Chase, Alvin Adams, David B. Flint, and the chairman, Rev. John Weiss, and the secretary, Solon F. Whitney, of the former committee.

At a town-meeting held July 22, 1868, this com- mittee reported and the town adopted as a plan of organization the rules and regulations, which, with some amendment, remain in force to this day.

The town at this meeting appointed ten trustees to serve till March, 1869, viz. :-

John Weiss,

Alfred Hosmer,

Josiah Stickney, David T. Huckins,

Jamiee M. Bell,

Abiel Abbott,

Joseph Bird,

Joshua Coolidge,

Jesse A. Locke,

Charles J. Barry.

At the same meeting the town voted that the trus- tees be authorized to take the room under the town- hall, then occupied as a store, " or any other portion of the Public Buildings which they may select for the use of the Library."

Also " Voted that the Library shall not be open on Sundays."

This Board of Trustees organized by making John

1 The contributions from nov-residente to the original fund of six thousand dollars were :-

Io 1868-1869.

Seth and George Bemis, of

Newton . $500

Heire of Abijah White, Cam-

bridge 500 George T. Bigelow, Boston . 100 George C. and Abby Francis,

Cambridge . . 100

Mrs. G. W. Lyman, Waltham 50 In 1872.

In 1873.

Heirs of Jonas White, Cam-

bridge . . $100

Besides numerous contributions of $1, 85, or $10 each, from residents, there were also the following :-

Alvio Adame . $1000

George F. Meacham $50

Jesse A. Locke 600

Rev. John Weiss 50

Josiah Stickney 200

Andrew J. RoBs 50

Adolphe Lewando 150

Miss Mary Pratt 50

David B. Flint 100

Charles J. Barry 50

Miles Pratt 100

John Trickey 50

John Templeton . 100

Harrison P. Page 100

George N. March

100

Culeb Ladd

George K. Snow

100

Royal Gilkey 50

Dr. Samuel Richardson 25

Joshua G. Gooch 25

Joseph Crafte 25

Thomas L. French 25

Solon F. Whitney 25

Jesse Wheeler 20

Samuel L. Batchelder 25 Joho K. Stickuey 20

Dr. Alfred Hosmer 50 Oliver Shaw

Weiss, chairman, and Alfred Hosmer, secretary, and chose Solon F. Whitney, librarian.

They proceeded at once to prepare lists of books, appropriated a vacant room under the High School room for their reception and preparation for use. After occupying this room about seven months, they moved the books to the town-hall, and, as was stated in the first lines of this sketch, were able to open the library to the public on the 31st of March, 1869.

The eagerness with which the people accepted the proffered privileges is witnessed by the fact that the circulation rose at once to teu thousand volumes the first year, and has gone on increasing till the number of nearly forty thousand volumes has been attained during the past year.

OPENING OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY .- The first even- ing the trustees were all present; the people came in great numbers and business at once began.

There was then no time wasted in speech-making, no band of music, no display of flags, neither orator or poet who, in grand and stirring periods or glowing rhymes, sounded the praises of the authors whose works were displayed on the shelves, or of the persons who had been instrumental in collecting the library; no speech-making except the cheery conversation of the trustees as they took the signatures of those de- siring to become takers of books, the few words of librarian and assistants as they helped each to a new book ; no sounds of music except the busy tones of all as they passed through the alcoves and praised the collection or criticised the absence of some loved author; no flags except the long written lists that served at first as catalogues of books. The blooming periods of orators and the musical and flowing rhymes were indeed there, but bound between pasteboard covers, asleep till some touch of the hand of the prince should come to wake them from sleep; the solid prin- ciples of philosophy and of conduct were, indeed, offered, and no taste too delicate and no moral condi- tion too enfeebled to drink else but health and in- spiration from some of the pages written by the mas- ter spirits of this and all past ages there offered free to all.

The opening of this library to the people of Water- town we may acknowledge, at this distance of time, when most of the principal actors have passed on to other fields and are beyond reach of praise or blame of our poor words, was an occasion the wisdom, the magnitude of which far transcends in character and importance most of those occasions that are mar- shaled in with so much display and circumstance, when all are moved to contribute their presence and their aid in magnifying the event.

Our children in some future time shall gather to lay the corner-stone of some grand temple of learning and rational enjoyment, when they will recall the simple and business-like proceedings at this opening, and calling to their aid the muses of music and of painting, of architecture and of sculpture, will rouse

B. B. Titcomb 100

Charles Bemis .

Edward Bangs .

George B. Wilbur 50

William Cole, Baltimore . . $100

H. H. Huonewell, of Boston . $500 Edward Whitney, Belmont . 100 Mrs. Theodore Chase, Boston 100 Edward S. Rowse, St. Louis . 100 B. R. Curtis, Boston . . . 50

Mrs. Mary Jennieen, Newton 10

L. L. Thaxter, Newton . . . 10

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS

the kindled souls of a more sensitive and apprecia- tive people to the full significance of the opening event, when the few, by the sacrifice of books from their own stores, by the gift of funds from their own small incomes, aided by larger gifts from those who had opportunity to test the benefits of stores of books, from some who, perhaps, saw this a cheaper way to police the town and protect their own abundant wealth, had been brought to unite in such an under- taking in those carly days when not more than one- eighth of the towns and cities of the Commonwealth had taken the first step to establish that long list of libraries now almost equal in number to the number of the separate municipalities in the State.

These lame words can only make this attempt to record the beginning of the march of this company in the grand army now covering the whole land, whose onward and majestic tread shall, in its own time, ex- alt the lowly and break down the proud, shall offer to every appreciative soul the help of the choicest spirits of earth, and breaking down every barrier of power or wealth or social distinction, bring together in the kingdom of intelligence and moral worth those who begin to catch some glimpse of those shores of the blessed lands where all shall find full scope for the best of which he is capable, and all circum- seribing hindrances to full development be removed. Emerson says when you find some fine piece of statu- ary that you greatly enjoy or some picture that stirs your soul, place them where the public may enjoy them and your pleasure shall be all the greater.

In this spirit many were led to begin this library. Continued in this spirit, it will ever grow in magni- tude, in richness of adornment, as well as in the re- sources it will accumulate to give pleasure to the latest generation of a happy posterity.

The wealth of our language is too poor to give full credit to the elear intuitions, the noble motives of some of those engaged in laying the foundations of this Watertown Free Public Library. John Weiss made the larger part of the first selection of books. That selcetion challenges the serutiny of all oppo- nents of public libraries. Some of the books in the collection, it is true, were such as our people felt moved to give from their own stores. Some of these were not what more intelligent people, with ample meatis, would have selected from the shelves of pub- lishers when choice was frec. The trustees wished to rucourage all to give according to their means and according to their knowledge. All good books are use- ful, some to some people, others to others. They desired to avoid giving offence to any by rejection of gift- of any books which any person felt moved to offer to the common good, while exercising the great- et care and discrimination in spending the money which way the free offering of the best of the entire people.

John Weiss, looking up to the spire of one of the churches, and thinking of the exclusiveness which in

the name of religion bars out all who can not pro- nounce a certain shibboleth, was moved to say that the time will sometime come when the work of the public library will be sustained with hope and with honor when all such narrowness shall be despised and forgotten. With the keen eye that looks through shams and the clouds that beset ignorance and selfish- ness, he saw with that piercing vision the weakness in the harness of other men, while feeling with humility the mortal weakness of his own.

John Weiss was aided on the board of trustees, by men, who, being yet above the sod and liable to still greater efforts, to show still greater works, had better not be praised too openly. But one large, noble fel- low, whose faults as well as virtues are still vividly before his companions, "Jo Bird," as he was familiarly known and called, " who read every book that came under his hand and remembered every book he read;" who made the man who had no music in his soul feel like a child to begin the humble steps to musical ap- preciation if not musical performance, who roused the wealthy to the first gifts for the teachers' library and gained the aid of the ablest followers of Horace Mann in a wise selection of books for the same: who had in his younger days co-operated with Horace Mann himself in his noble work at Lexington and West Newton, came to some of the others one day with his big soul, too big for his big body, all aglow with the enthusiasm which success had begun to kindle in him, to express his joy and thankfulness that his appeals had been heard and that this larger prospect of a town library seemed possible. Joseph Bird, the music teacher, the man whose voice never failed to be heard when he thought the truth or the justice or even the fitness of things required bis help, was at the first one of the most outspoken friends of the library. Too quick to see the advantages to be gained by a forward movement, too rash to protect his flanks by outlying or his rear by reserve forces, he failed to accomplish alone what a more careful and better disciplined man would have accomplished. But take the ten first trustees as a body of men who were selected to lead the weak hope, to pioneer a new undertaking in a new field, for what they were, with their peculiar surroundings, and success was well assured from the beginning.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 85

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278