France, and the United States, with
their increase for ten years to come, require an apartment at least
thirty feet square.

_Proprietary_ public libraries are the second of the six kinds in size,
and would be the first if the "miscellaneous" were counted among them,
as they probably should be. Under this head we have grouped all public
collections the access to which is in any way limited, as by a yearly
payment, by membership in a society, or otherwise. The large total in
the table is made up of:

_Number._ _Volumes._

1. College Society L. 299 474,642
2. Mercantile 15 543,930
3. Social 708 2,052,423
4. Y. M. Christian A. 87 157,557

In this class we first reach the libraries that deal directly with the
"people"; that is, adults of moderate means. These collections have been
well styled the "colleges of the poor," and in them all persons who are
industrious enough to be able to spare a dollar or two yearly may obtain
useful knowledge or innocent amusement. Classes for study of languages,
literature, and the arts, and lectures by prominent persons are
frequently added to the library system, the whole forming one of the
most potent of modern social forces. It seems quite natural that this
democratic system of intellectual improvement should owe its origin to
the people's philosopher, Poor Richard. Benjamin Franklin founded the
first proprietary library in Philadelphia, in 1731, and his plan
included not merely cooeperation for the sake of pecuniary strength, but
also discussion and mutual improvement.

_Free_ public libraries are in character much like the last class, but
are maintained usually by State or town grants, or by private gifts. It
is probably in connection with these institutions that the dream of
some enthusiasts for uniting art museums to the collections of books
will be realized.

Only twelve States have a quarter of a million volumes in their public
libraries, taken together. They are:

_Libraries._ _Volumes._

Massachusetts 454 2,208,304
New York 615 2,131,377
Pennsylvania 364 1,291,665
District of Columbia 63 761,133
Ohio 237 634,939
Illinois 177