THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14507, 26 April 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

' Sir.—J was not. a little surprised at tii'refusal of the Library Committee lt> ,«,<•- i cspt my gift of religious journals for the ; reading room. The reasons have not, taen. given, so that the religiously inclined have [ lo surmise llmm. I suprose it is Wausc, ; first, the prevailing spiri< of secularism ha* I gained the ascendancy in our council, notf withstanding the fact that there arc protesting Christians and at least one elder- of tho kirk among the councillors. Tho de- ' cision is strange, and out of harmony with the statement that it would be the'object of Ihe council to give the people good and ■ Bound literature. Now, in the magazine ,- loom there is any amount of fiction. This. - in the estimation of the committee, is all right, hut religious journals or ma <r a/.imc r or* not to lie tolerated. Why'! The comi mittco lias not taken the trouble to wad Ihem. If it had, 1 am |K>sitiw it wonid not have refused them a place on iho table.* set apart for journals and magazines. The American Christian and the Littie , Christian, which I offered to put on (ho I tablr; every month freo, are of the highest order, and have during the last 40 ' done an untold amount of good. It seems , inconsistent to accept, from me six volumes of religious books, aixl then to refuse- re- :■ lipio-js newspapers. It is sincerely to 1* i hoped thai the new commit,tec will be less t -.ecular than the present one. If any momhe r of the l-cliriiijr commit(«c will give tlieir -easons for their action it will help us to judge whether the* are justifiable.—l am etc.. ' ' , CHRISTIAN RaTEIWYKK.