or the first six months, his regular dues thereafter being two dollars
semi-annually, in advance. Active members only may vote or hold office.
Subscribing members may become such by a payment of five dollars
annually or three dollars semi-annually. Persons of distinction may be
elected honorary members by a vote of three-fourths of the members of
the board of direction. The board of direction is composed of a
president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and eight directors,
the former elected annually, the directors four for one year and four
for two years. There is also a book committee, which reports one month
previous to each annual meeting. From the last annual report of the
board it appears that in April, 1883, there were 198,858 books in the
library. The total number of members at the same time was 3136, and the
honorary members (71), the editors using the library (54), and the
Clinton Hall stockholders (1701) swelled the total number of those
availing themselves of its privileges to 4962. The total circulation for
the year was 112,375 volumes, of which 27,549 were distributed from the
branch office, No. 2 Liberty Place, and 1695 books were delivered by
messengers at members' residences. In 1870 the circulation was 234,120,
the large falling off--over one-half--being due to the era of cheap
books. The department of fiction, of course, suffers most. This in 1870
formed about seventy per cent. of the circulation. In 1883 the number of
works of fiction circulated was 53,937,--not quite fifty per cent.

To gain a fair idea of the popularity of the library one should spend a
mid-winter Saturday afternoon and evening with the librarian and his
busy assistants. Early in the afternoon numbers of young ladies leave
the shopping and fashionable thoroughfares up-town and throng the
library-room. The attendants, all young men, work with increased
animation under the stimulus. Books fly from counter to alcoves and
return, messenger-boys dart hither and thither, the fair patrons thumb
the catalogues and chatter in sad defiance of the rules. They are long
in making their selections, and appeal for aid to the librarians. But
the last of this class of visitors departs before the six-o'clock
dinner or tea, and the attendants have a respite for an hour. At seven
the real rush begins, with the advent of the clerks and other patrons
employed in store or office during the day, each intent on supplying
himself with reading-matter for