distribution to depositories of public documents. The Public Printer is authorized to furnish the daily Record to subscribers at $8 for the long or $4 for the short session, or $1.50 per month, payable in advance. The "usual number" shall not be printed.

The Secretary of War is directed to furnish a complete set of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate armies to each Senator and member of the present Congress not already entitled by law to receive the same, and to use for this purpose incomplete sets or require extra printing, as necessary.

Of the annual Report of the Public Printer, there shall be printed 1000 copies to be distributed under his direction, and he may retain out of all documents, bills, and resolutions printed the number of copies absolutely needful for the official use of the Government Printing Office, not exceeding five of each.

To provide for the Official Register, each head official is required to file, on the first day of July in each year in which a new Congress is to assemble, with the Secretary of the Interior, a full and complete list of the employees. A list of the names, force, and condition of all ships and vessels belonging to the U. S. shall be filed in like manner. The Secretary of the Interior shall cause such Official Register to be edited, indexed, and published on the first day of December following, of which 3000 copies shall be printed and bound, to be distributed as provided in detail in the bill, including to the Library of the Senate, 10 copies; to the Library of the House, 10 copies; to the Library of Congress, 25 copies, etc., and the remaining copies shall be delivered to the Superintendent of Documents, who is authorized to send one copy to each designated depository and to such public, college, or school library not a depository of public documents, and one copy to such other person as shall be designated by each Senator, Representative, and Delegate, and shall hold the remainder for sale under the provisions of this law. The "usual number" of the Official Register shall not be printed.

The Commissioner of Patents is authorized to continue the printing of (1) Patents for inventions and designs (specifications and drawings). (2) Certificates of trade-marks and labels. (3) The Official Gazette in number sufficient to supply subscribers at $5 per annum, to exchange for other scientific_publications, and to supply one copy to each Congressman, also one copy to eight such public libraries having over 1000 volumes, exclusive of Government publications, as shall be designated by each Congressman, with 100 additional copies, together with bimonthly and annual indexes for all the same. (4) Report of the Commissioner for the fiscal year, not exceeding 500 copies for distribution by him; annual report of the Commissioner to Congress, without list of patents, not exceeding 1500, for distribution by him; and of the annual report, with the list of patents, 500 copies for sale by him, if needed, and in addition thereto the "usual number" only. (5) Specifications and drawings in monthly volumes, certified copies for free public in

spection in each state capital and U. S. court, and one in the Library of Congress; also 100 additional copies for sale, and the "usual number" shall not be printed. (6) Pamphlet copies of rules of practice, patent laws and trade-mark laws, circulars, etc., in such numbers as may be needed. (7) Annual volumes of patent decisions, not exceeding 1500, of which the "usual number" shall be printed. (8) Indexes to electrical patents and to foreign patents, as needed. The "usual number" shall not be printed. Printing for the Patent Office may be done within the Government Printing Office or contracted for outside under conditions prescribed by the Joint Committee on Printing.

No Government publications shall contain any notice that the same is sent with "the compliments of an officer of the Government, or with any special notice.

"SEC. 74. Government publications furnished to judicial and executive officers of the United States for their official use shall not become the property of these officers, but on the expiration of their official term shall be by them delivered to their successors in office and all Government publications delivered to designated depositories or other libraries shall be for public use without charge.

"SEC. 75. Documents and reports may be furnished to foreign legations to the United States upon request specifying those desired and requisition made upon the Public Printer by the Secretary of State: Provided, That such gratuitous distribution shall only be made to legations whose Governments furnish to legations from the United States copies of their printed and legislative documents desired.

"SEC. 76. The charts published by the Coast and Geodetic Survey shall be sold at cost of paper and printing as nearly as practicable; and there shall be no free distribution of such charts except to the Departments and officers of the United States requiring them for public use; and a number of copies of each sheet, not to exceed 300, to be presented to such foreign governments, libraries, and scientific associations, and institutions of learning as the Secretary of the Treasury may direct; but on the order of Senators, Representatives, and Delegates not to exceed 10 copies to each may be distributed through the Superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

"SEC. 77. The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to cause to be prepared at the Hydrographic Office attached to the Bureau of Navigation, in the Navy Department, maps, charts, and nautical books relating to and required in navigation, and to publish and furnish them to navigators at the cost of printing and paper, and to purchase the plates and copyrights of such existing maps, charts, navigators' sailing directions and instructions as he may consider necessary and when he may deem it expedient to do so, and under such regulations and instructions as he may prescribe."

The monographs and bulletins of the Geological Survey shall (sec. 79) be published only on specific estimate and appropriation. There shall be distributed of monographs, bulletins,

and reports of the United States Geological Survey, now in possession of said Survey, if published prior to 1894, one copy to every public library designated to the superintendent of documents as follows: Two public libraries by each Senator, two by each Representative, and two by each Territorial Delegate. Such public libraries to be additional to those to which the said publications are distributed under existing law.

No document to be illustrated shall (sec. 80) be printed until the illustrations or maps are ready for publication, and no order for printing shall be acted upon by the Public Printer after the expiration of one year, unless the entire copy and illustrations for the work shall have been furnished within that period.

"SEC. 81. Every public document of sufficient size on any one subject shall be bound separately, and receive the title suggested by the subject of the volume, which shall be the chief title, and the classification of the volume shall be placed on the back at the bottom, as simply indicating its classification and not as a part of the title.

"

"The executive and miscellaneous documents and the reports of each House of Congress shall be designated as "House Documents,' ," "Senate Documents," "House Reports,' "Senate Reports," thus making two classes for each House, and each volume shall receive the title suggested by its subject matter clearly placed upon its back.

"SEC. 82. The Public Printer shall bind four sets of Senate and House of Representatives bills, joint and concurrent resolutions of each Congress, two for the Senate and two for the House, to be furnished him from the files of the Senate and House document room, the volumes when bound to be kept there for reference.

"SEC. 83. The Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House shall procure and file for the use of their respective Houses copies of all reports made by committees, and they are hereby directed at the close of each session of Congress to cause such reports to be indexed and bound, one copy to be deposited in the library of each House and one copy in the room of the committee from which the reports emanate."

The Vice-President, Senators, Congressmen, Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House may (sec. 85) send and receive through the mail all public documents printed by order of Congress, until the first of December following the expiration of their terms, and may frank any correspondence, not exceeding one ounce in weight, upon official or departmental business.

"SEC. 86. No printing or binding shall be done at the Government Printing Office unless authorized by law. Binding for the Departments of the Government shall be done in plain sheep or cloth, except that record and account books may be bound in Russia leather, sheep fleshers, and skivers, when authorized by the head of a Department: Provided, The libraries of the several Departments, the Library of Congress, the libraries of the Surgeon-General's Office, the Patent Office, and the Naval Observatory may have books for the exclusive use of said

libraries bound in half Turkey, or material no more expensive.

"SEC. 87. All printing, binding, and blank books for the Senate or House of Representatives and for the Executive and Judicial Departments shall be done at the Government Printing Office, except in cases otherwise provided by law.

"SEC. 88. The Public Printer shall execute such printing and binding for the President as he shall order and make requisitions for, and deliver to the Executive Mansion two copies each of all documents, bills, and resolutions as soon as printed and ready for distribution.

"SEC. 89. No printing shall be done for the Executive Departments in any fiscal year in excess of the amount of the appropriation, and none shall be done without a special requisition signed by the chief of the Department and filed with the Public Printer.

"No report, publication, or document shall be printed in excess of the number of 1000 of each in any one fiscal year without authorization therefor by Congress, except that of the annual report of the head of the Department without appendices there may be printed in any one fiscal year not to exceed 5000 copies, bound in pamphlet form; and of the reports of chiefs of bureaus without appendices there may be printed in any one fiscal year not to exceed 2500 copies, bound in pamplet form: Provided, The Secretary of Agriculture may print such number of copies of the monthly crop report, and of other reports and bulletins containing not to exceed 100 octavo pages, as he shall deem requi site; and this provision shall apply to the maps, charts, bulletins, and minor reports of the Weather Bureau, which shall be printed in such numbers as the Secretary of Agriculture may deem for the best interests of the Government: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Treasury may authorize the printing of the notices to mariners, tide tables' coast pilots, bulletins, and other special publications of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and of the LightHouse Board, and the Secretary of the Navy may authorize the printing of the charts, maps, notices to mariners, tide tables, light lists, sailing directions, bulletins, and other special publications of the Hydrographic Office in such editions as the interests of the Government and of the public may require.

"Heads of Executive Departments shall direct whether reports made to them by bureau chiefs and chiefs of divisions shall be printed or not.

"SEC. 90. The heads of Executive Departments, and such executive officers as are not connected with the Departments, respectively, shall cause daily examination of the Congressional Record for the purpose of noting documents, reports, and other publications of interest to their departments, and shall cause an immediate order to be sent to the Public Printer for the number of copies of such publications required for official use, not to exceed, however, the number of bureaus in the Department and divisions in the office of the head thereof. The Public Printer shall send to each Executive Department

and to each executive office not connected with the Departments, as soon as printed, five copies of all bills and resolutions, except the State Department, to which shall be sent 10 copies of

bills and resolutions. When the head of a Department desires a greater number of any class of bills or resolutions for official use, they shall be furnished by the Public Printer on requisition promptly made.

"SEC. 91. The annual reports of executive of ficers shall be printed in the same type and form as the report of the head of the Department which it accompanies, unless otherwise ordered by the Joint Committee on Printing.

"SEC. 92. Government publications printed for or received by the Executive Departments,

whether for official use or distribution, shall be distributed by a competent person detailed to such duty in each department by the head thereof. He shall keep an account in detail of all publications received and distributed by him. He shall prevent duplication, and make detailed report to the head of the Department, who shall transmit the same annually to Congress.

"SEC. 93. When any Department, the Supreme Court, the Court of Claims, or the Library of Congress shall require printing or binding to be done, it shall be on certificate that such work be necessary for the public service; whereupon the Public Printer shall furnish an estimate of the cost by the principal items for such printing or binding so called for, after which requisitions shall be made upon him therefor by the head of such Department, the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of the Court of Claims, or the Librarian of Congress; and the Public Printer shall place the cost thereof to the debit of such Department in its annual appropriation for printing and binding.

"SEC. 94. No head of any Executive Department, or of any bureau, branch, or office of the Government shall cause to be printed, nor shall the Public Printer print, any document or matter except that which is authorized by law and necessary to the public business; and executive officers, before transmitting their annual reports, shall carefully examine the same and all accompanying documents, and exclude therefrom all matter, including engravings, maps, drawings, and illustrations, except such as they shall certify in their letters transmitting such reports are necessary and relate entirely to the transaction of the public business.

"SEC. 95. Heads of Departments are authorized to exchange surplus documents for such other documents and books as may be required by them, when the same can be done to the advantage of the public service.

"SEC. 98. The libraries of the eight Executive Departments, of the United States Military Academy, and United States Naval Academy, are hereby constituted designated depositories of Government publications, and the superintendent of documents shall supply one copy of said publications, in the same form as supplied to other depositories, to each of said libraries."

The first difficulty confronting the Public Printer is the provision of storage room for the volumes to be collected.

A LIST OF BOOKS FOR GIRLS' CLUBS.

THE LIBRARY JOURNAL for November last announced an annotated list of books for girls' clubs, which is being compiled and edited by Miss Ellen M. Coe, librarian of the New York Free Circulating Library. Additional contributors, recently engaged, are Miss Caroline Garland, Public Library, Dover, N. H., for titles in philosophy; Miss Margaret Healy, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, for the useful and decorative arts and the literature of other means of livelihood-telegraphy, typewriting, and the like. Miss Maria B. Chapin, of New York, a teach er self-instruction, selecting good text-books in of mark, will give titles in the department of each department, and will contribute an outline constitution and by-laws recommended for girls' clubs, together with helpful hints for their management. Miss Chapin was the editor of Far and Near, the organ of the girls' clubs, and will draw upon much experience in giving her advice. The annotations for fiction and belleslettres are by the lady who reviews English and

American fiction for the Nation; the same practised hand will provide a brief introduction to fiction. "H. H.," the lady whose column on affairs of the household is one of the best features of the Saturday Evening Post of New York, will supplement the list in domestic economy, as may be needful, with additional titles and paragraphs. Miss Bisland, of McClure's Magazine, will furnish brief items describing the new vocations for girls and women as yet unmentioned in

books.

Of the novelists who flourished in 1830 or about that time, George Sand shows a loss of popularity, Dumas (presumably the elder) defies the impotent efforts of time, Eugene Sue holds his own, while Balzac falls off from year to year. Among the moderns Zola leads, Jules Verne comes second, and Gaboriau and Montepin seem to be gaining. In the enumeration of poetic works, all dramatic literature is included, but of this tragedies and dramas in verse make a very large majority. Victor Hugo holds the front rank here, and the nearest of those behind him is a long way off.

It is encouraging to note an annual increase in

the demand for books relating to the arts and sciences. Nearly all of these have been taken out by workmen of from 20 to 30 years of age, and there is no sign of feminine interest in this class of literature. All ages read history. The item music seems to refer to collections of pieces and songs and not to the literature of the art, and it is not clear whether the last item refers to books in foreign tongues or to text-books of instruction. The figures show that the poorest and most populous sections of the city furnish the largest proportion of readers, apparently because the people in those sections have no other means to gratify their love of reading.

State Library Associations.

1. Securing facts and statistics. 2. Giving advice and instruction when requested.

3. Organizing new libraries and chartering others coming under the conditions of the law. 4. Distributing public library money granted by the State.

5. Lending "travelling libraries " (as described in an article by Mr. Eastman in The Forum, for January).

6. Preparing lists of best books.

Mr. Eastman enlarged upon each of these points and showed that a very gratifying interest in this work is being shown throughout the state, and many new libraries are being formed and old ones quickened into new life and activity.

The next paper was a suggestive one by Mr. A. L. Peck, Librarian Gloversville Free Library, on "The adaptation of libraries to local needs." The librarian and library officers must be familiar with the needs of the community, moral, industrial, commercial, educational, and other, and with the wants of indithese needs to be brought strenuously to their attention, but by a careful study of the problem, making it an object of earnest endeavor thus to learn what the needs are; then by an equally earnest effort they must select and secure the books and other reading-matter best adapted to meet those needs.

The first session was held at 3 p.m. on Friday the 11th, and was opened with the address of the President of the State Association, Mr. R. B. Poole, Librarian New York Y. M. C. A. His theme was "The personality of the librarian." Premising, as a general principle, that unselfish devotion to high ideals of library usefulness must mark the genuine librarian, the address proceeded to show how this kind of personality would be manifested in the three great divisions of the librarian's work. In administration, by the choice of right methods and the selection and training of competent and devoted attendants in the selection of books by a constant effort to get together such as will do the greatest good to the largest number, irrespective of his own personal tastes or hobbies (if he has them)— and in securing the widest possible use of the books by all means in his power, through the issue of special lists and catalogs, university extension methods, co-operation with teachers, etc. In all these things the personality of the librarian will after all determine the usefulness of the library, rather than the excellence of mere methods and the completeness of the outfit.

The president's address was followed by a paper on the library work of the University of the State of New York, by Mr. W. R. Eastman, superintendent of this work. The library law of 1892, a compilation and revision of former laws, gave new prominence to the establishment of public libraries as a part of the educational system. Under this law the work was definitely organized, and is carried on along six lines:

This paper but reflected something of the ad. mirable work which has been done in Gloversville in the solution of this problem.

"The value of a classified arrangement of books was discussed by Miss Jenny L. Christman, of Albany, and Miss E. M. Coe, of the N. Y. City Free Circulating Libraries. The former sending a carefully worked-out paper, showing the many and great advantages to trustees, librarians, and readers in even the smallest libraries of having the books properly (not necessarily very minutely) classified, and Miss Coe prefacing her own text by calling upon Miss Hitchler, the chief cataloger of the Free Circulating Libraries, to read a brief paper.

These papers, with a good deal of informal discussion on them, made a very full and satisfactory program for the afternoon.

In the evening occurred one of the pleasantest gatherings of library people ever held in New York, the Library Club inviting the State Association and other guests to dinner at Clarke's parlors, on 23d Street. Mr. C: Alex. Nelson, Deputy Librarian Columbia College, and president of the Club, occupied the place of honor, and near him sat Edward Eggleston, Hamilton W. Mabie, Mrs. Sarah K. Bolton, and other literary people, guests of the evenirg. The menu was a triumph of President Nelson's skill in combining with the "text" a "gloss" of apt quotations, culled from writers ancient and modern. When the dainty dishes, which certainly needed no such garnishing to commend them, had been disposed of, Mr. Nelson called upon Dr. Eggleston to open the " postprandiana," which he did in his usual happy

vein, expressing his gratitude to librarians for great assistance to him in his literary work, claiming for himself the honor of having been a librarian (having had charge, in its nascent days, of the St. Paul Public Library), and giving an account of the founding and excellent results of the "Mountainside Library," established, through his efforts, in the hills near Lake George.

Mr. Mabie was next called on to represent the periodical press, and made a pleasant speech, dwelling upon the value of books, especially books "of power," such as the "Imitation of Christ," which has lived immortal through the centuries, while of the thousands of learned treatises, "books of information," produced by learned doctors in the same age, hardly one is known now even by name.

Letters of regret at inability to be present by reason of previous engagements were read from President Seth Low and Prof. Henry Drisler, of Columbia College; from Evert Jansen Wendell, secretary of the Harvard Club, and Louis E. Shipman, of the Players' Club. Hon. John Bigelow wrote: "My physician forbids my participation in the librarians' revels to-night, and you know that President Lincoln's famous proclamation did not emancipate us from bondage to the medicine man. You will find substantially all I would have said, in reply to your invitation, about the Tilden Trust, in the Sun of this morning. That will spare your guests a 10 minutes' speech, and every little helps, you know, to make an evening pleasant."

Hon. Andrew H. Green wrote: "It would give me great pleasure to meet those especially interested in the matter of libraries, and I think that subject demands attention in this city."

Geo. A. Macbeth, trustee of the Carnegie Library, Pittsburg, was "extremely sorry to say I cannot possibly 'come or go'; if you could only postpone the dinner until next week I would go or break the railway. You may see I am something like the man who sent word to the Fifth Avenue Hotel 'not to wait dinner - it might be quite late before he returned.'

Moore, of the University Settlement Library, gave a touching account of the work of the library in her charge, showing how eagerly the poor boys and girls who are its patrons devour the reading put within their reach, and how powerfully they may be influenced by this means.

The dinner was in every way a great success, valued perhaps as much for the delightful social intercourse afforded as for the more formal speaking. The charm of the occasion was enhanced by excellent singing by Misses Marie Thornton and Isabelle Davis Carter.

The final session of the meeting was held Saturday morning, and was mainly devoted to the subject of "Reading for the young," the program calling for answers to three questions put by Miss L. E. Stearns, of Milwaukee, in her valuable paper at the Lake Placid conference:

1. How can we induce parents to oversee their children's reading?

2. How may we make the guiding of her pupil's reading a part of the teacher's work? 3. What can be done to help a boy to like good books after he has fallen into the dimenovel habit?

The first question was assigned to Mr. Edward H. Boyer, a school principal in New York, who gave an interesting account of the library established in his school by the efforts of the pupils themselves, and spoke of his practice of getting at the parents and securing their help in overseeing their children's reading by selecting and sending to the parents for their own reading books from the library in which the whole family would generally become interested.

The second question was responded to by Miss Merington, of New York City, who gave an extended and extremely instructive account of her prolonged and successful efforts to introduce good literature into the school-room and to win her pupils to an appreciation of it and a love for it. Where books were lacking she has made use of selected portions of newspapers made into scrap-books by the children themselves. At one time her whole school insisted on remaining more than an hour after closing time to hear the completion of the “Tale of two cities." Such facts speak for themselves.

Mr. J. C. Sickley, of the Poughkeepsie Public Library, Mr. Peck, of Gloversville, Miss Hewins of Hartford, Ct. (where excellent and systematic work in this line has been done for years), and others contributed to the discussion which followed.

"

Miss E. M. Coe, of the N. Y. Free Circulating Library, than whom no better "respondent' could have been named, considered the dimenovel evil as presented in the third question on the program, speaking hopefully on the whole, though admitting the difficulties in the way. She named as chief agencies in winning boys and girls away from trashy reading, first acquaintance and sympathy with them, then gradual

Brief speeches were made by Messrs. Cutter, Fletcher, Bowker, Eastman, and Baker; Miss

ter books. Books of adventure, even lives of criminals and other exciting literature, not commendable in itself, may be used to bridge the