for instance, Palgrave's "Year in Arabia," Palmer's "Desert of the
Exodus," Lady Duff Gordon's "Letters from Egypt," O'Donovan's "Merv
Oasis," Atkinson's and Kennan's books on Siberia, Huc's "Travels in
Tartary and in China," and hundreds of other books, each for its
locality, all over the world, could be used to give a child clear
notions and strong impressions of savage or civilized landscapes and
people. It is not too much to say that the study of geography in the
public schools of San Francisco, illustrated as it could easily be from
books of travel now in the public library, could be made from beginning
to end as fascinating as any romance, while it would store the
children's minds with a kind and quantity of distinct knowledge about
the earth and its people as much beyond the results of ordinary
geographical study as gold is better than mud. It would be easy to
furnish similar specifications for the study of history, of natural
science, and other branches. This is no mere speculation. This system of
instruction is regularly practised by Mr. Green, of the Worcester Free
Library (the originator and pioneer in it); by Mr. Poole at Chicago, and
elsewhere, and with complete success. Besides its immediate result in
vivifying and enriching the pupil's minds, this method affords a
training in habits of reading of the very best kind, by teaching
research, the habit of selecting books, and the practice of comparative
thinking.

To sum up: A free public library--

1. As to manners--is a parlor, not a bar-room; a place where not only
working men and business men, but ladies and young girls can safely and
conveniently come and abide. While not expressly a school of manners and
morals, it is much and closely concerned in maintaining a high standard
in both.

2. As to objects--is to furnish good books, not bad ones; to satisfy
within this limit all demands on it as far as may be; and in particular
to be progressive; that is, to supply for intelligent readers what they
most require,--the _new_ good books.

3. As to method--should keep the books in the best possible condition
for the longest possible term of use, and should not allow them to be
scattered, lost, abused, mutilated, or stolen.

Lastly. It is needless to add, under these heads, any of the numerous
technical details which crowd the work of an active library; but this
exposition would be inexcusably imperfect without a reference to the
absolute indispensableness