y than by going
to one's own home, or than by having any home at all. It would be so
used systematically, constantly, and to a degree of intolerable
nuisance; and its purification from such uses, if they have been set up,
will be met with clamor, abuse, and with any degree and kind of even
violent resistance which may be thought safe, or likely to succeed. Let
it not be supposed that this is an imaginary picture. It is in every
point taken from actual and numerous instances, and could be illustrated
by a sufficiently ridiculous series of single adventures, by any
librarian of large experience. Open public premises for some of the
purposes above specified might conceivably be properly supplied by the
public. What is here affirmed is, that public libraries are not at
present proper for them.

[4] San Francisco is at present taxed on a precise scale of one dollar
to the hundred dollars of value, and on an annual total valuation of
$200,000,000, which is, however, in practice somewhat, but not
largely, exceeded.

Second. What such a library _is_ for.

Its first object is to supply books to persons wishing to improve their
knowledge of their occupations. Such books as Nicholson's, Burns',
Riddell's, Tredgold's, Dwyer's, Waring's, Holly's, and others, on
practical architecture, building, or departments of them; the numerous
collections of plans and details of domestic and other architecture;
Masury's house-painting; Kittredge's metal-worker's pattern-book;
Percy's, Phillips', and other books on metallurgy and mining; Dussance,
Piesse, and others on soap-making, perfumery, and other branches of
applied chemistry; Lock on sugar-refining; many manuals of brewing and
distilling; Noad, Hospitalier, Preece, etc., on applications of
electricity; Burgh's, Roper's, and other hand-books and more advanced
works on steam engineering generally, locomotives, marine engines, etc.;
Gaskell's, Hill's, and other business manuals; hand-books of
correspondence, book-keeping, phonography; in short, text-books, both
elementary and advanced, in all sorts of commercial and industrial
occupations, are of the first importance in a free public library, and
are constantly and eagerly used in this one. The study of such books
puts money directly into the student's pocket, promotes his success in
life, and the prosperity of the city. A good and active public library
raises the value of every piece of real estate in the city, by thus
making the city mo