History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 144

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

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and extensively used by the young artisans and operatives of the village." Person: who have resided im Worcester for forty or fifty years remember that in their younger dare the Lyceum was the main depend- ence of the people of the town for a circularing library, and that it was kept for many years at the residence of Mrs. Sarah B. Wood, on the south corner of Main and School Streets. The entrance to the bonse was on School Street. Mrs. Wood bad a pri- rare school for children. The books of the Lyceum were in cases in the school-room, and Mrs. Wood served as librarian on one or two holiday afternoons every week. "By a provision of the constitution " of

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the Lyceum, writes Mr. Lincoln, "no alienation of the property is to be made ; to secure its preservation during any suspension of the society, the selectmen are authorized to deposit the collections with some incorporated literary institution of the town, to be held in trust and transferred to some new association for similar purposes."

In 1854 or early in 1855 the books belonging to the Lyceum were deposited in the rooms of the Young Men's Library Association, and a union of the Ly- ceum and the latter society was effected April 12, 1856. Thus the libraries of these two organizations were consolidated.

LIBRARY OF THE YOUNG MEN'S LIBRARY ASSOCIA- TION .- That society was formed in August, 1852, and fully organized in December of the same year. The act incorporating it was signed by the Governor, March 26, 1853, and accepted by the association on the 16th of the following month. Principal purposes of the organization were the establishment and maintenance of a reading-room and library. A reading-room was opened December 31, 1852, and in the following month steps were taken to obtain subscriptions in money and gifts of books to be used in forming a library ; $1300 was secured in cash, and contributions of books to the number of about eight hundred and fifty volumes were received. The library was thrown open to members June 18, 1853. It then numbered seventeen hundred volumes. Persons who were not members of the society were allowed to take books out of the library on the payment of an annual fee of one dollar. It appears from a report made in April, 1854, that during the first nine months of the existence of the library, 8620 volumes were taken out from it by 430 persons. At the date of the report the library contained 1762 volumes. John Gray was the first librarian. His services to the library became of great value at once, and continued to be so till the date of his death.

During the second year of the continuance of the Young Men's Library Association, which ended April, 1855, the Young Men's Rhetorical Society was tem- porarily merged in the former organization, and its library of about one hundred volumes came into the custody and soon into the full possession of the asso- ciation. In April, 1855, the library of the association numbered 2126 volumes; 11,000 volumes had been taken out of it during the year preceding that date, which was the first complete year of its life. In De- cember, 1855, the late Dr. John Green placed his large and valuable private library of 4500 volumes in the charge of the association, to be used for purposes of consultation and reference. The arrangements in regard to its care and use were consummated in April, 1856. According to these it was to remain in the custody of the association for five years or for a longer period, should such an arrangement be desired by both of the parties in interest.

April 12, 1856, the library of the Young Men's Li-

brary Association, consisted of two thousand six hun- dred and ten volumes. On that date the act approved by the Governor, March 15th, of the same year, pro- viding for a union of that association and of the Wor- cester Lyceum, was accepted by both organizations and the name of the united societies became

THE WORCESTER LYCEUM AND LIBRARY ASSO- CIATION .-- One year later, April 11, 1857, we find that the circulating library of this organization contained three thousand eight hundred volumes and the refer- ence or Green Library six thousand volumes. April 12, 1858, the circulating department had about forty- one hundred volumes and the Green Library sixty- five hundred volumes. During the year ending with that date the valuable and rapidly increasing library of the Worcester District Medical Association, com- prising about twenty-four hundred volumes, was placed in a room in Worcester Bank block, adjoining the rooms of the Worcester Lyceum and Library As- sociation, and put under the care of the librarian of the latter organization. April 9, 1859, the circulating department of the library under consideration con- tained four thousand three hundred and fifty volumes, and the Green library seven thousand five hundred volumes.

John Gray, the esteemed librarian of the Lyceum and Library Association, died suddenly in the latter part of 1859, and at a special meeting of the Board of Directors held November 25th of that year, the first regular business was to choose a committee to confer with Dr. Green in reference to the selection of a li- brarian. Dr. Chandler, Albert Tolman and T. W. Higginson were appointed the committee. At an ad- journment of the meeting held the next day, that committee reported: "That an interview had been held with Dr. Green, in which he expressed a readiness and desire to present the Green Library to the city, as the foundation of a Free Public Library. That subsequently the committee had visited the Mayor," Honorable Alexander H. Bullock, "who expressed much gratification at Dr. Green's liberality and cor- dially entered into the plans. The following pream- ble and resolution were then adopted :

'" WHEREAS, Dr. John Green has indicated to a com- mittee of the directors of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association, a desire to give his library to the city, on such liberal conditions that the directors believe it best the public should receive the gift:

'" Resolved, That the Directors recommend that the library of the Association be also transferred to the city, provided suitable appropriations and arrange- ments are made for its reception.'" (Seventh annual report of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Associa- tion, signed by Edward Earle, president.)

The action of Dr. Green and of the Board of Directors was regarded gratefully by the city govern- ment, and after conferences between the representa- tives of the city and the other parties interested, "On December 16th, at a special meeting of the

Sammal S. Grun

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Association, called for that purpose, it was voted, on motion of Mr. N. Paine, that the Association accept and adopt the resolutions passed by the Board of Directors, at their meeting held November 25th, and that the Board of Directors have full power to carry out any arrangements that may be necessary under the resolves, including the transfer of the library."

The proposition endorsed in this vote was accepted by the city government December 23, 1859, and the library of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Associa- tion became almost immediately the property of the city of Worcester and a portion of the Free Public Library, which was established by an ordinance bear- ing the same date as the resolves of the City Council in which the gift of the association was accepted.

The manuscript records which contain an account of the organization and early meetings of the Young Men's Library Association are in the possession of the American Antiquarian Society. Other manu- script volumes which belonged to the association and its successor, the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association, are owned by the Free Public Library, which also has a bound volume containing all the printed reports of the two organizations and two catalogues-one issued in 1853 and the other in 1859.

FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY .- This institution, as stated above, came into existence December 23, 1859. The library was opened to the public April 30, 1860, in the rooms in Worcester Bank Block, which had been occupied by the two libraries out of which it was formed. Those quarters were regarded as temporary, however, since it had been stipulated by Dr. Green in the deed by which he transferred his collection of books to the city that the latter should put up a library building. This stipulation was early complied with, although it is understood that the vote provid- ing for the erection of a building failed at first to pass in the Board of Aldermen. The Mayor, Hon. William W. Rice, exerted himself, however, to secure its passage, and by arguments addressed to one of the members of the board, who had opposed the measure, convinced him that it would be well to favor it, and in this way obtained the support needed for its adoption.

In the first annual report of the directors of the Free Public Library it is stated that prior to its foundation " the want of such an institution had for a long period been felt by the people of the city, and had repeatedly been made the subject of remark in the inaugural addresses of its chief magistrates. So great, however, would necessarily be the expenditure for its establishment, that no mayor of the city had felt authorized to treat the matter with any other language than that of desire and hope."

It had been the wish of some of the gentlemen who formed the Young Men's Library Association that the library which they were bringing together should be eventually merged in a free public library. Thus, for example, Mr. Thomas Wentworth Higginson

devoutly desired such a consummation. Mr. Gray, the librarian of the organization, entertained from the beginning of the library of the association the hope that such a plan would some time be carried out, and clung to it as a cherished wish until his death. The late Mr. Stephen Salisbury, in a letter written to the Council of the American Antiquarian Society January 21, 1852, a date which is earlier by a few months than that of the formation of the Young Men's Library Association, stated that the establish- ment of a Public Library was then regarded with much favor by the citizens of Worcester and would probably be accomplished with readiness and on a liberal and nseful scheme, if suitable apartments for its accommodation were offered. He then went on to say that he would give to the society five thousand dollars, to be used in defraying the cost of a new building for its occupation, on condition that it would grant without rent and under such regulations as might be necessary, until the 1st day of January, 1875, for a Public Library for the citizens of Worces- ter, the use of the large hall.in the lower story of the proposed building, with suitable finish and shelves for books and a room on the same floor sufficient for the office of the librarian. Mr. Salisbury's gift was accepted by the Antiquarian Society with the condi- tions imposed, but nothing further appears to have been done regarding so much of the subject-matter of his communication as related to the use of rooms in the lower story of Antiquarian Hall for the purposes of a public library. It is an interesting fact, stated by Mr. Barton in a report as librarian of the Anti- quarian Society, in which Mr. Salisbury's letter may be found, that the latter gentleman and Doctor Green, when the communication was addressed to the coun- cil of the society, were both of them members of that body, and a rational curiosity would be gratified could it be found out whether Mr. Salisbury had Doctor Green's library in mind when he made the proposition just mentioned and reserved to himself, as he did, the right to designate the Public Library that should have the contemplated accommodation.

Whatever the fact respecting this matter may have been, however, the library of the Young Men's Li- brary Association was formed a few months later, Dr. Green's library was soon after placed in its rooms, and both libraries were before long given to the city and formed the nucleus of the present Free Public Library, for the accommodation of which an especial building was put up.

On the 27th day of December, A.D. 1859, Dr. John Green gave to the city of Worcester, by a deed of gift bearing date of that day, a library of about seven thousand volumes "in trust for the free use of the citi- zens and the public forever, as a library of consultation and reference, but to be used only in the library build- ing." This library had been collected from time to time, during a long professional career, at a cost of not less than ten thousand dollars, with the purpose

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of some time devoting it to public uses. Among the terms and conditions of the gift were the follow- ing :

"First: The management of the Library, the custody of the books, and the regulatione under which they may be used shall be vested in a Board of Directors, who sball be citizens of Worcester, to be chosen by the City Council in a convention of the two branches thereof, two of wbom shall, after the first election, be chosen annually and shall hold their offices six years euch.

* *

"Third : The City of Worcester shall forever pay the salary of a com- petent Librarian, to be chosen by the Directore, and shall furnish a suit- able Library building for the books to be secure against fire, and to be constructed with reference to the future increase of the Library, and this building shall be kept warmed and lighted at the expense of the city and shall be provided with suitable accommodatione for the convenience of those neing the booke and shall be kept open at all proper hours, ac- cording to the regulations of the Directors, for the use of the public.

"Fourth : No plan for a Library building shall be adopted without the concurrence of the Board of Directors.

"Fifth : The foregoing provisions may, during my life, be changed by the joint action of myself and the Directors in any manner which shall not impair the value and public utility of the Library, but they shall not be altered after my decease, nor shall any books, once added to the department established by me, ever be transferred to any other."

The Worcester Lyceum and Library Association gave its library to the city of Worcester in December, 1859, as has been already stated. That library con- sisted of about forty-five hundred volumes. Dr. Green gave his books to be used as a reference library. The Library Association contemplated the use of most of its books as the nucleus of a circulating library.

The City Council passed an ordinance, dated De- cember 23, 1859, of which the following is the first section :

"The City of Worcester hereby accepts the donations of Dr. John Green and of the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association, and establish the Free Public Library of the City of Worcester."

The ordinance, as originally adopted and in its subsequent revisions, carries out, in provisions for the whole institution, the spirit of the conditions which Dr. Green imposed in regard to the library given by him.

In the first annual report of the directors of the li- brary, presented to the city government in January, 1861, it is stated that "the building is now far ad- vanced in the stages of erection."

It will be noticed that, by the terms in the deed of Dr. Green's gift, the spirit of which was embodied in the city ordinance also, the whole management of the library is placed in the hands of a Board of Directors, and not interfered with by the city government. This will be regarded as a wise provision, as the members of the board are chosen with reference to their fitness for the especial work to be performed. Sufficient supervision of the City Council is implied in the facts that it chooses the directors, and that it has wholly within its control the regulation of the amount of money it will appropriate yearly for the use of the library.

The conditions in the deed of gift require, also, it will be seen, the city to put up a building secure against fire, to keep the rooms frequented by users

comfortable, and to pay the salary of the librarian and other running expenses. In inducing the city to make heavy expenditures in carrying out the object he had in view in giving his library to the city, Dr. Green greatly added to the value of his gift. He may properly be regarded, not only as a public benefactor, but also what he is called in the fourth section of the original ordinance, by which he is made an honorary life director, as the "principal founder" of the library.

The Board of Directors, as constituted by the deed of gift and the city ordinance, is a conservative body. A custom, however, was observed for several years (and that has since been embodied in an ordinance), that no person should be eligible to fill a vacancy in the Board of Directors arising from the expiration of his term of office. The observance of this rule, while aiding to secure a progressive administration of the library, has also been useful in widening the interest of citizens in the institution, by introducing into its board of direction, representatives of various occupa- tions and tastes prevailing in the community for which it was established. The year 1865 is memora- ble in the history of the library for the foundation of the reading-rooms. A fund of between $10,000 and $11,000 was raised for their endowment by subscrip- tion among the citizens of Worcester, ebiefly through the exertions of Hon. George F. Hoar, at that time an influential member of the Board of Directors. The subscription paper was headed by the late Mr. Salisbury with a gift of $4000; Mr. Hoar, Dr. Green, aud forty other persons contributed $100 apiece ; twenty-five, $50 each; thirty-eight, $25 each ; and other givers smaller sums. It is interesting to notice that the Worcester Lyceum and Library Association gave $300 to the Reading-room Fund of its successor. The money raised was carefully invested, and the in- come of the fund has since been spent in furnishing the rooms with American and foreign papers and periodicals. This income, a few gifts, and $400 taken annually from the city appropriation, now enable the library to place in its rooms current numbers of two hundred and eighty-nine journals, magazines and reviews.

With the foundation of the reading-rooms the library came substantially into its present form. The Green or reference library, the departments from which books may be taken out for use in homes or elsewhere, and the reading-rooms, constitute the Free Public Library of the City of Worcester.

Dr. Green died in the fall of 1865. According to the sixth annual report of the directors, he, from time to time, between the date of the deed of his original gift and that of his death, gave to the library 4968 volumes, in addition to the seven thousand con- tributed at the start. He also remembered the libra- ry generously in his will. The main provision of that instrument, for the benefit of the library, is de- scribed concisely and clearly in the report to which reference has just been made. That report was writ-

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ten by Hon. Stephen Salisbury, the much respected president of the Board of Directors, in the year 1865. I make the following quotation :

"The probate of the last Will and Testament of Dr. Green, has made known his bequest to this City of Thirty thousand dollars, to be paid within one year after his decease, to the officer of the City authorized to receive it, and to be held with its future accumulations as a separate fund, designated in the Books of this City as the 'Green Library Fund;' and the Testator states that he 'aims not to gratify any per- sonal teeling of his own, but to set apart and designate the Fund in a wanner which shall forever keep it distinct from all others,' 'and which shall enable the people of Worcester at all times clearly to per- ceive ite amount and condition.' He requires that the fund shall be kept, and that the income shall be collected hy the authorized officer of the city ; and he provides that the investment and management of said Fund shall be under the direction of a Financial Committee of three directors of this Library, annually to be chosen by ballot, and that said Committee shall annually report to the Board of Directors, and their report shall make a part of the annual Report of this Board to the City Council. It is required that three-fourths of the investments shall be made in 'real estate mortgage securities,' and one-fourth in Bank stock ; and in taking landed securities, it is the 'deaire and request' of the Testator, 'that in every instance first mortgages shall he taken for no larger loau than one-third of the value, of the security ;. and as to the use and expenditure of the income of said fund, it is directed that one-fourth part of said income shall be added annually to said fund, and that the remaining three-fourths of said income, atter repairing any accidental loss that may happen to the principal, shall be expended hy said Directors in the purchase of books, to be added to that depart- ment of said Free Public Library which was instituted by the Testator, and in repairing and re-binding the books of that department. Pro- vided that when the invested fund shall reach the sum of One Hundred Thousand Dollars, one-fourth part of the income thereof, shall continue . to be forever annually added to the principal, and three-fourths of the income of $100,000, after replacing any losses of the principal, and neither more oor less, shall be applied to the increase and support of the Department of said Library instituted by the Testator ; and the remain- ing part of the income of said fund, shall be applied and expended by said Directors for the benefit of the whole of said Free Public Library, as well for that part which is kept for circulating or lending, as for that part which was instituted by the testator."

The principal of the Green Library Fund has met with no loss. It has been increased by the addition of a quarter of every year's income. Five hundred and fifty dollars and eighty-five cents, the proceeds of a trust instituted by Dr. Green during his life, has also been added to the fund. That amounted Decem- ber 1, 1888, to $43,117.91. Fifty shares of bank stock, now held by trustees, will eventually come into the possession of the city, to be applied, besides his other bequests, in accordance with the testator's will, for the benefit of the library.

Hon. George F. Hoar, president of the Board of Directors in 1867, in writing the annual report for that year, after reciting provisions of Dr. Green's will, in regard to the library, remarks that, " Upon these pro- visions a grave, and nntil within a few years what would have been deemed a quite doubtful question of law arose, growing out of the policy of the law, which prohibits perpetuities." He then proceeds in an able argument to quiet fears which might be entertained. He speaks of the hesitation of the executors of the will of Dr. Green to pass over his bequest to the city, and narrrates the action of the city and board of di- rectors of the library. He compliments the family of Dr. Green for just and honorable conduct in facilitat- ing the carrying of his wishes into effect, and states

that the Supreme Judicial Court, upon application, rendered a judgment, so far establishing the validity of the will as to order the fund to be paid over to the city. Mr. Hoar then cites two recent decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and, after a discussion of the points at issue, announces his belief, " that the city may rightfully and lawfully obey the direction of the will, until a fund is accumulated, ample enough to defray all the expenses of the library, and so fulfil the beneficent purpose of the donor." It is well understood that when Mr. Hoar speaks of an ample provision for a library like the Free Public Library, he does not mean a paltry few hundred thousand dollars, but a much larger snm. It is wor- thy of remark, before leaving the consideration of Dr. Green's will, that he is careful to reiterate in it the terms and conditions contained in the original deed of his gift to the city, executed in 1859.

Here, then, there is in the City of Worcester a reference library, founded and endowed by Dr. Green. It is important to inquire whether the citizens of Worcester use the library which has been provided for them. Reports of the directors show that it was but little used for several years. They express regret that this was so, and it appears from their fifth annual report that the establishment of the reading-room resulted from a movement to increase the usefulness of the Green Library. It was thought that a reading- room would add to and bring out its value. Many of the newspapers and periodicals taken are bonnd, and the volumes placed on the shelves of the reference library. They thus add to its value. Readers of magazines and papers have curiosity awakened which they seek to satisfy by the use of atlases, encyclopæ- dias and other works of reference. A taste for read- ing and the habit of reading are promoted by a reading-room ; a desire to study often follows. A reading-room in this way brings out the value of a reference library. At the start the Green Library reading-room was not properly heated; this defect was remedied by the introduction of a steam-heating apparatus.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 144

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464