As one of the directors of the Columbus Atheneum, I fully concur in the transfer of the books belonging to that instiution, as proposed by Mr. Hutcheson in the foregoing note.

I concur in the above.

J. J. JANNEY.

W. E. IDE.

Rev. J. L. Grover was employed to make a catalogue of the books thus secured and remove them to the rooms of the Public Library, which work he completed during the summer of 1872.

In April, 1872, a "successful men's" banquet was held, and the Committee in charge found they had a surplus of $49.00. This was donated to the Library-its first cash donation. The work of fitting up the rooms with the necessary shelving and newspaper racks progressed during the fall and winter, and the Trustees had everything in first-class shape for the formal opening which took place March 4th, 1873. pursuant to the following notice given by the Trustees:

OPENING OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND READING ROOM OF COLUMBUS, AT THE CITY HALL, TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1873, -8 P. M.

We take pleasure in anouncing that the Public Library and Reading Room of Columbus, now completely and well furnished, will be thrown open to the public from and after the fourth of next month. This new institution belongs to no sect, creed, class or sex in particular, but is the common property of all. All are therefore cordially invited to avail themselves at pleasure of the inexhaustible source thus furnished for intellectual enjoyment. We open with about 1,200 books, donated to the Library, and with about 50 leading newspapers and magazines, representing a wide neld in the news, literature, politics, science and art of America and Europe. The means at our disposal are limited, but we rely upon the well-known generosity and liberality of our fellow citizens to assist us in our most earnest efforts to render the Public Library and Reading Room one of the most interesting and attractive features of Columbus. The formal opening will take place at the City Hall, Tuesday, March 4, at 8 P. M. The exercises will consist of

An Address to be delivered by John W. Andrews, Our President,

and choice instrumental and vocal music, to be performed by leading musicians of Columbus. For particulars we refer to the programs.

PRICE OF ADMISSION 50 CENTS.

Tickets for sale at all the Music and Book stores of the city. Let the people of Columbus turn out en masse, and thus prove to the world that they take a deep interest in and cheerfully encourage means for mental culture and the dissemination of knowledge.

By order of the Board of Trustees of the Public Library and Reading Room of Columbus,

OTTO DRESSEL, See y

The celebration of the opening of the Library to the public was held Tuesday evening, March 4th, 1873, in the City Hall, and the following programme was carried out:—

CITY HALL,

TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 4TH.

INAUGURATION CONCERT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FREE
PUBLIC LIBRARY AND READING ROOM OF COLUMBUS.

1. Overture

PROGRAMME.

HEMMERSBACH'S BAND.

2. Silent Stars - Solo Quartette.....

..Beschnit.

MESSRS. H. HEYDE, J. FALKENBACH, WM. BACH and ED. BACH.

3. Robert, toi que j'aime (from Robert Le Diable).....

ADDRESS BY JOHN W. ANDREWS.

.Meyerbeer.

8. Largo and Allegro Molto (from Quintette No. 2)..........Mozart.

Doors open at 7 o'clock. Concert to commence at 8 o'clock.

The address of Hon. John W. Andrews, President of the Board of Trustees, was a splendid effort, reviewing the work done to establish the Library, the present conditions, and hope for the future, with at strong presentation of the great benefits to result to the community. He appealed to the citizens to assist in every practical way the growth of the Library. Among other things he said:

* * *

"I congratulate you, that in the midst of the numerous and some of them almost gigantic projects in which the people of this city are now engaged, and in the pressure of great prosperity, our City Council backed by the unanimous voice of the citizens, has established and liberally endowed a free library and reading room, free to the whole population of the city. This speaks well for us and shows that the people of Columbus are asking for and are determined to have something more than mere material prosperity, and that we seek to train up a body of well educated men and women with high moral aims and purposes. * You will be glad to know what is the present condition of this institution: Our rooms are provided by the city, warmed and lighted at the public expense, our furnishings cost $3000, and from the subscriptions already received and the proceeds of this concert we expect to pay for them. We owe this sub

*

scription largely to the energy, and patient, persistent labor of our fellow citizen, Luther Donaldson. * ** We have received through the liberality of Mr. Joseph Hutcheson and other gentlemen, about 1200 volumes, many of them valuable, which formerly belonged to the Columbus Atheneum. We are indebted to the School Board for about 350 volumes of the old Ohio School Library, and some hundred volumes received from other donors. * ** Such is our beginning. We start our reading room with about fifty newspapers and twenty or thirty periodicals. Council has provided a levy of 1-10 of 1 mill. The growth of the Library will be slow, but we hope to keep up the growth in proportion to the demand. * * We look to donations from time to time, to this library, from our citizens. We hope that our men of wealth will place their monuments in it, rather than in Green Lawn Cemetery - they will be more lasting than marble or granite. A thousand or fifteen hundred dollars, furnishing an alcove of good books, which shall bear the name of the donor, will be a monument that, while perpetuating the name, will bless successive generations of citizns and will have an influence on children and children's children. Such an act shows that a man * * nizes solemnly his obligations to society and to God.

recog

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DESHLER ALCOVE.

One week after the opening of the Library the Trustees were gratified to receive the following proposition,-a prompt and practical response to the appeal of President Andrews:

COLUMBUS, March 10, 1873.

John W. Andrews, President Board of Trustees "Columbus Free Circulating Library and Reading Room":

DEAR SIR: Nearly sixty years ago, our father, David W. Deshler, came to the then village of Columbus, a poor young man - a carpenter by trade. About the first work he did was to make, with his own hands, the book stands for the Ohio State Library, at the time of its establishment in 1817, under a contract between Governor Worthington and himself.

The stands remained in the old library until their removal to the present library in the Capitol, and upon improvements being made there a few years since they were all discarded — at which time one of us purchased from Governor Cox the stand herewith tendered - intending to keep it as a prized souvenir, in his own home.

While its value to us and our family is obvious, the thought has occurred that the old stand, from the fact of its having stood for more than half a century in the Ohio State Library, laden with books read by a generation now passed away, might possibly possess sufficient interest to the public to warrant your Board in placing it in your beautiful rooms, letting its age and history be sufficient answer for any incongruity.

We therefore offer it to your Board of Trustees, on condition that you will hereafter be its custodians, keeping it in your rooms, to be known as the "Deshler Alcove," to be used only as the receptacle of such books as shall be provided for it.

Should you accept our offer, it will be the duty and pleasure of ourselves and family to see that "Deshler Alcove" be ever kept supplied with good books; and, upon the advice of your acceptance of the trust, as above proposed, we will provide for its permanent maintenance by placing twelve hundred dollars of the stock of the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad Company, in trust, in the hands

of William King Deshler, Frank Work Deshler, and John G. Deshler, Jr., and the survivor or survivors of them, with power to re-invest the net increase thereof to be forthwith applied, upon receipt, to the purchase of books, not less than one tenth in value of which shall be German books, by said Trustees, for said "Deshler Alcove," so long as the Library shall remain public and free to every resident of Columbus, without distinction of race, sex, color or religion, under just and equitable rules and regulations, and so long as the conditions affixed to our offer are observed.

Yours respectfully,

JOHN G. DEShler,
W. G. DESHLER.

The Board adopted the following resolution:

Resolved, That this magnificent gift be accepted, on the terms and conditions proposed in said letter, which shall, on the part of the Trustees be fully observed; and that the President be requested to inform Messrs. Deshler of such acceptance, and to thank them in behalf of the Trustees and the city of Columbus; and that the letter of the Messrs. Deshler be spread upon the records.

The action of the Trustees was communicated to the Messrs. Deshler in the following letter by President Andrews:

Messrs. John G. Deshler and William G. Deshler:

GENTIEMEN: Your letter of the 10th inst., proposing to furnish shelving for an alcove in the Public Library and Reading Room of Columbus, and to fill the same with good books, and to set apart a fund of $1,200 of Hocking Valley Railroad stock in trust, the income thereof to be applied in keeping such alcove supplied with good books in all time to come, said alcove to be called the "Deshler Alcove," has been duly received, and I am instructed by the Trustees to say that your liberal gift is accepted, and to express to you their thanks, and the thanks of the people of Columbus, therefor.

We do not think that there is any incongruity between the plain and simple structure that you present to us, and which is intended to be the basis of your gift, in honor of your departed father, and the beautiful surroundings of more costly furniture and work. It is to the early struggles and perseverance of men like him that we owe, in great measure, the means of now bautifying our city and adorning it with libraries and works of art and taste, and we are glad to have before our eyes such a memorial of the past and of an honorable and useful life. I enclose a copy of the resolutions of the Board of Trustees accepting your proposal, on the terms and conditions suggested by you,, and with many thanks remain, gentlemen, Very truly yours,

JOHN W. ANDREWS,

President Public Library and Reading Room, Columbus.

The donation has grown and prospered and on January 1st, 1901, the records showed that the Alcove has a permanent endowment of $2,000.00, contains 3,426 volumes, and that the total issue of books from its shelves for home reading, to date, numbers 197,679 volumes.

The bequest of the Messrs. Deshler was soon followed by a proposition from Hon. Henry C. Noble for the

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NOBLE ALCOVE.

the Trustees receiving the following:

COLUMBUS, OHIO, March 29, 1876..

To the Trustees of the Public Library of Columbus:

GENTLEMEN: I desire, in memory of my deceased father, Col. John Noble, who in his lifetime was so long connected with and identified in the public affairs of this city, to constitute an alcove in your Library, to be known as "The Noble Alcove."

To that end, I propose to purchase for it, as soon as I can have time to make proper selections, two hundred and fifty dollars' worth of books, and also make a permanent trust fund of twelve hundred and fifty dollars, the income of which. shall be perpetually devoted to supplying books for this alcove. This income, during the lives of my wife and myself, or either of us, is to be expended for that: purpose by us; after our deaths, by the Trustees of the Library, subject to the single limitation, that from this income, no book shall ever be purchased, which manifestly contains an attack upon the Christian religion.