rd work, what are the homes to which many of these
young men return? The accommodations of a cheap boarding-house, which
means a room generally occupied by two or more, with barely furniture
for necessity to say nothing of comfort.

What inducement has he to spend his evenings at home? Where, then, will
he go? Into the street, to drift into the place offering the most
attraction for the least money; alas! too often at the bitter cost of
misery to himself and sorrow for his friends hereafter.

This, then is our work, to make our reading-rooms so attractive that
they will be drawn hither. Have them well lighted, well heated and
ventilated, supplied with the daily papers of our own and other cities,
also the current magazines. We cannot afford to be niggardly in this
work. Let us supply our tables with illustrated mechanical and art
works, also the best literature of the day. The more freedom that we can
give, the better the results. The young man will pass in and out at his
pleasure, spending an hour or two with whatever pleases him best, till
the reading-room largely takes the place of home, and reading becomes a
part of his daily existence, the beneficent effect of which he will
carry through life.

There are lying on our tables week after week by actual count 600
papers, magazines, and books, from "Baby Days" to "The Cathedrals of the
World," free to the public. This has ceased to be an experiment, for
during the ten years our losses have not amounted to $10; and there are
days when nearly if not quite 500 persons sit at our tables.

The greater possibilities, however, are with our children, the future
parents and guardians of our commonwealth. What are we doing for them as
public libraries, as educators? Working hand in hand with the schools
faithfully and well, as shown by the valuable and interesting reports
published in the Library journal, without which we would know as little
of the library work outside our own as we would know of the outside
world without our newspaper. Long may it live!

Does our responsibility rest here? What of the multitude of waifs worse
than homeless, without restraining or guiding influence, to be thrown
into the community to swell the numbers of paupers and criminals, many
of whom, yes, the majority of whom, have the same gentle instincts and
latent ability as our own little ones so tenderly nurtured.

We may say this is the work of charitable institutions and humane
societies; not