ate
endeavor among men, and thrift is to be commended, but when these
degenerate into greed, pity and not envy should be the meed of the man
seized with the money disease.

HENRY E. LEGLER.

THE LIBRARY AND THE WORKERS

My opinion of the public library from a workingman's standpoint is, that
it is the greatest boon that could possibly be conferred upon him. It
places him at once upon the level with the millionaire, the student and
the philosopher. It opens for him (whose poverty would otherwise debar
him) the vast fields of literature. Here he may wander at will with the
master minds of humanity, hand in hand with the great thinkers of the
ages, open his mind and heart to the lessons taught by those great
leaders of men who have conquered nations and shaped the destinies of
the human race. Here he may associate with the greatest, the wisest and
the best. There is no limit to the possibilities of possessing knowledge
which is power, without money and without price. The public library
should be managed in the best interests of the workingman, and the books
should be purchased mainly with his welfare in view. The capitalist can
buy and own his own books. The workingman cannot do this. The children
of the workingman must get from the public library the general books of
reference which the business man has in his home. The children of the
workingman must have these books in order properly to do their school
work and thoroughly understand it. Their teachers require this. The
children of the workingman have their schools as well as the library.
Their work in the schools and the work in the library go hand in hand,
but the workingman himself has only the library for his school and must,
of necessity, go there. His schoolroom is the reference room, for the
knowledge he gains in that department he can at once put into practical
use in any capacity in which he may be employed.

The question arises, having presented those opportunities to the
workingman, will he take advantage of them? I answer, he surely will. It
is now more than twenty years since I joined a labor organization, the
"Stone-cutters' Union" of Minneapolis. Since that time I have always
been affiliated with organized workingmen. During all these years the
workingman has taken advantage of every opportunity to better the
condition of himself, his fellow workman and his employer. He has
learned to be more patient, more conservative and more trustworthy. His
hour