nd who are able and willing to keep the
work in good order. In cities the success of these district libraries is
much greater. They now report an aggregate of 1,270,497 books, but their
statistics are very incomplete. College libraries are among the most
important in the country, that of Harvard being the largest we have,
after the Congressional library in Washington. As to asylum and
reformatory libraries, it would be hard to find circumstances under
which books could be more usefully collected than in those institutions,
where in 1870 32,901 prisoners were confined, and 116,102 paupers housed
habitually or at times. If we consider that only one-fifth of the
criminals are in jail, and allow for the natural increase of criminals
and paupers, it will be apparent that the population which may derive
benefit from these libraries must now number at least 300,000 persons.
To meet their wants there are 206 libraries, with 223,197 volumes. The
Pennsylvania State Penitentiary has the largest collection, 9,000
volumes, besides 1,000 school books. The other end of the line is
occupied by Florida, which maintains 40 volumes in its Penitentiary.

Some interesting information has been gathered concerning the literary
taste of convicts. Story books, magazines, and light literature
generally are the favorite choice, but history, biography, and travels
are also well patronized. In the Massachusetts State prison Humboldt's
"Cosmos" and other philosophical works are called for. In fact the value
of prison libraries is vouched for by all authorities, and one says that
no convicts, except those really idiotic, leave a prison where there is
a library without having gained some advantage. The greatest defects in
the system are the lack of books and of light to read them by at night.
There are but forty prison libraries, with 61,095 volumes, and in
American prisons the cells are not lighted. Lights are placed in the
corridors so that only a small number of the inmates have light enough
to read by. The Joliet (Ill.) prison is a cheering exception to this
gloomy state of things. Each cell has its own catalogue, and lights are
allowed up to nine o'clock. Public charities of several kinds have
lately suffered from exposures that prevent charitably disposed persons
from giving aid which they would otherwise gladly contribute. It may be
useful to suggest that money sent to any prison for the benefit of its
library could hardly fail to be helpful.