shelves twenty-four hours, for
another twenty-eight days' use by the same reader. The annual report of
an American library which lies before us contains a case in point.
Speaking of Bryce's "American Commonwealth," it states: "Of this, seven
copies were added in succession." It names 101 as the total of the
issues of this work during the year; but considering the truth expressed
in Mr. O'Brien's own very just words, that "any book requiring serious
study cannot be galloped through, like a novel," the statement is added
that "such a record, for a book like this, constantly in the hands of
readers, may be contrasted with the more than ten times greater number
of times that some work of fiction might be read through, returned and
taken out again, requiring but a part of a day's attention." In fact,
101 is very likely to be the total number of issues possible in the case
of seven copies of this book, while 700 would probably fall far short of
the total possible issues of the same number of copies of a story like
"The Wreck of the Grosvenor." Again, Mr. O'Brien not only tells us that
"a free library favors one special section of the community" at the
expense of all the rest, but throughout his chapter recurs again and
again to the case of the "workingman." On page 330, for instance, we are
solemnly told: "If the workingman cannot come by his books honestly, let
him wait until he can." This is indeed somewhat summary, particularly
when, being interpreted, it is found to mean, Let there be no free
libraries supported by the public. And yet, on page 344, with no less
certainty, we are assured that "there is little doubt that at least
forty-nine out of every fifty workingmen have no interest whatever in
these institutions."

Where the deliverances from one and the same source are so
contradictory, the impartial inquirer will doubtless feel like looking
for some other source of information. From the materials accessible to
the present writer in regard to American libraries--and the new edition
of Mr. Greenwood's "Public libraries" appears to tell the same tale in
regard to Great Britain--the interest of workingmen in the opportunities
afforded by public libraries is everywhere emphatically shown; but he
who sets out with the purpose of showing that there is any one exclusive
class to whom the public library is of service and to no other--be that
class workingmen, or students, or manufacturers, or scientists--will
find the facts