gated to the rear, to
await the next kindly revision as one of those things which cannot be
quite understood, but which meanwhile--it is carefully to be
observed--are not to be understood literally. But is it so very
improbable that the next stage of thought is not to restore the doctrine
in all its pristine purity and force, as being in perfect harmony with
sound ideas upon the subject of wealth and poverty, the rich and the
poor, and the contrasts everywhere seen and deplored? In Christ's day,
it is evident, reformers were against the wealthy. It is none the less
evident that we are fast recurring to that position to-day; and there
will be nothing to surprise the student of sociological development if
society should soon approve the text which has caused so much anxiety:
"It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich
man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Even if the needle were the small
casement at the gates, the words betoken serious difficulty for the
rich. It will be but a step for the theologian to take from the doctrine
that he who dies rich dies disgraced to that which brings upon the man
punishment or deprivation hereafter.

The "Gospel of Wealth" but echoes Christ's words. It calls upon the
millionaire to sell all that he hath and give it in the highest and best
form to the poor, by administering his estate himself for the good of
his fellows, before he is called upon to lie down and rest upon the
bosom of Mother Earth. So doing, he will approach his end no longer the
ignoble hoarder of useless millions, poor, very poor indeed, in money,
but rich, very rich, twenty times a millionaire still, in the affection,
gratitude and admiration of his fellow-men, and--sweeter far--soothed
and sustained by the still small voice within, which, whispering, tells
him that, because he has lived, perhaps one small part of the great
world has been bettered just a little. This much is sure: against such
riches as these no bar will be found at the gates of Paradise.

THE IDEA OF A POPULAR LIBRARY

The following seven papers give some fundamental ideas on
the functions of popular libraries. They are arranged in
chronological order, and, so grouped, span the gap between
1851 and 1906, considerably more than half a century. The
first is interesting as presenting a discussion at the
inception of our first great public library, that of the
city of Boston, quoted from "The Li