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this crude period (and it is very crude), which whether skill or clumsiness appears in its concommand our admiration more. The finest and struction, are not the first questions to be most beautiful human products of the time, asked. The prior question, as I conceive, is whom even the Philistines would join us in this: does the book leave any kind of fine and choosing for honor, as exemplars to their genera-wholesome feeling in the mind of one who reads tion, might not pass an examination in biology it? That is not a question concerning the mere or physics. They are the men and women, sweet | morality of the book, in the conventional meanwith the sweetness and luminous with the lighting of the term. It touches the whole quality which Matthew Arnold never tired of extolling, of the work as one of true literature. "Does who represent that side of civilization which is it leave any kind of fine and wholesome feeling refinement more than knowledge, or which is in the mind of one who reads it?" There is no knowledge refined. I speak wrongly, however, mistaking a feeling of that nature, though it when I say that refinement is one side of civili- may never seem twice the same in our experience zation, for it is civilization, and all science that of it. Sometimes it may be to us as though we lacks it is barbaric, even though steam-engines had eaten of good food; at other times like the and the dynamos of Niagara are shaking the tasting of wine; at others, again, like a draught earth at its command. of water from a cool spring. Some books that we read will make us feel that we are lifted as on wings; some will make music within us; some will give us visions; some will just fill us with a happy content. In such feelings there is a refining potency that seems to be equalled in nothing else. The simplest art is as sure to produce them as the highest. We take them from Burns' lines to a field-mouse, from Wordsworth's "Poor Susan," from the story of Ruth, from the story of "The vicar of Wakefield," from the story of "Picciola," from the story of "Daddy Darwin's dovecote," as certainly as from "Hamlet" or from "Henry Esmond." The true pleasure, the fine, pleasure, the civilizing pleasure to be drawn from any form of art is one which leaves a distinctly wholesome feeling of some such nature as these which I have tried to describe; and the poem, the romance, the play, the music, or the picture which has nothing of the sort to give us, but only a moment of sensation and then blankness, does no kind of good, however innocent of positive evil it may be,

If the wholesome feeling which all true art produces, in literature or elsewhere, is unmistakable, so, too, are those feelings of the other nature which works of an opposite character give rise to. Our minds are as sensitive to a moral force of gravitation as our bodies are sensitive to the physical force, and we are as conscious of the downward pull upon us of a vulgar tale or a vicious play as we are conscious of the buoyant lift of one that is nobly written. We have, likewise, a mental touch, to which the texture of coarse literature is as distinct a fact as the grit in a muddy road that we grind with our heels. And so I will say again that the conclusive test for a book which offers pleasure rather than

Now, the refinements of life come chiefly from its pleasures. That is true to an extent which is sure to surprise us when we think of it first. Unfortunately, it is no less true that the meaner influences which vitiate and vulgarize life, making it gross and coarse, come from the pleasure side of existence, too. There the main sources of the two are together: on one hand, the springs of all art-music, poetry, romance, drama, sculpture, painting brimmed with delights of the imagination and the joy of the beauty of the world; on the other hand, the muddy wells into which so many people choose perversely to dip.

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These contrary influences are working in every region of pleasurable art, but nowhere else so actively as in the field of letters, and they give rise to the greatest difficulties that are met in the selection of books for a public library. In disseminating the literature which aims at pleasure- | giving more than instruction, and at the moving of emotion more than thought, where can a proper line of restriction be drawn? Shall we, in the first place, incline to parsimony in the restriction, and yield no more of this literature | than we must to the readers who demand it? I say, no; because, as I have asked you to note, there is a great stream in this channel from the very sources of refinement in civilization, and that stream should be unstintingly diffused. Against the other tide, which flows by the side of this one, but distinguished from it by a thousand mud-marks, we cannot build dikes too busily. On which of the two currents an offered book of entertainment has been floated to us is what we must know, if we can. Whether the book is alive with genius or dead with the lack of it, whether it be brilliant or commonplace,

knowledge is in the question, "Does it leave any kind of wholesome and fine feeling in the mind of one who reads it?"

But the truth is that there is a cunning deceit All this which I am saying is straightly op- in this pretension to "Art for Art's sake." posed to a doctrine much preached in our day, Those who lead the cry do not mean what their by a school of pretenders in art, who have gained words seem to imply. They do not mean the such a hearing by their talkativeness that they emptiness that one might suppose. What they are seriously dangerous. It first appeared, I be- do mean, as their practice proves, is to put lieve, in France, among the painters. French something ignoble in the place of what should literature took infection from it; then England be noble, something vulgar or something vile in became diseased, and America is in peril. It is the place of what should be wholly pure and the false and ignorant doctrine which phrases wholly fine. What they are really striving to itself in the meaningless motto "Art for do is to degrade the content of Art, and to perArt's sake!" "Pursue Art for Art's sake suade the world that it can be made the vehicle of - enjoy Art for Art's sake!" say these as-low suggestions and mean ideals without ceasing thetic prophets of our generation, who have to be Art in the noble sense. no comprehension of what Art is. As well In literature, the workers to that end are nowtalk of sailing a ship for the ship's sake—of adays very busy, and the countenance they rewheeling a cart for the cart's sake of ar-ceive is disheartening to see. It is for us who ticulating words for the words' sake. Art is are among the custodians of good literature to a vessel, a vehicle, for the carriage and com- set our faces against them, I offer you as the munication of something from one mind to an- one most important maxim that can be laid down other mind from one soul to another soul. for your guidance in the selection of books— Without a content, it has no more reason for its Beware of the literature of the school which being than a meaningless word could have in hu- preaches "Art for Art's sake." man speech. Considered in itself and for its own So much for the theory of the matter. It is sake, it has no existence- it is an imposture-a a theory that we may not be able, perhaps, to mere simulation of Art; for that which, duly | wholly carry out, but it is our duty to go as far in filled with meanings and laden with a message, that way as we can.

would be Art, is then but the handicraft of a
skilful mechanic.

THE TRAINING OF LIBRARY EMPLOYES.-III.

BY ADELAIDE R. HASSE.

ACCESSION work.

IN almost all libraries the general routine is based in the main upon identical lines, differing only in so far as these are influenced by local conditions. So all libraries support a purchasing department, whose chief adjunct is the accession department. Since the card system has been extended to other than cataloging purposes, the librarian has delegated to the staff the care of a large part of the work of the purchasing department, such as keeping records of books to be purchased, books ordered, periodical subscriptions, etc. Here belongs also the filing and in- | dexing of correspondence, and, as much of this work must come from the librarian's office, some attention should be given here to the relations of the librarian with the board, the filing of committee reports, the indexing of the minute book, the form of the librarian's monthly reports to the board, the preliminary arrangements attendant upon meetings of the board, etc. Encourage

the inventive faculty of pupils in matters of
filing and arrangement; never hesitate to ac-
knowledge defects in your own methods. Bright
pupils have often been led in this way to develop
an interest which resulted in valuable sugges-
tions.

Purchasing Books: Pupils having been required to submit monthly lists of new books, with references where obtained, etc., they are now more or less familiar with all the book reviews to be found in the library. Let them extend their acquaintance to at least all the American and the leading English book reviews, by reporting upon the scope, special features, departments, editorship, manner of publication, whether m., w. or qr., etc., price, size, address, how long established, etc. To do this the person in charge of the class should have provided sample copies of the reviews; lists published by periodical agencies; the Review of Reviews indexed, in place of which the monthly index may be used,

etc.

These, with publishers' catalogs, comprise the tools by the aid of which the average public library compiles its order lists.

To acquaint the pupils at once with publishers, their specialties, catalogs, etc., set them to work in some such manner as this:

cises covering this ground may be given to pupils as follows: Prepare lists of leading American periodicals specially devoted to economics, music, art, industry, educatiɔn, women, drama, engineering, history, electricity, science, agriculture, outdoor sports, juvenile interests, etc., stating any decided points of variance among magazines of one subject, place where published, size, cost, how long published, important contributions, etc. Prepare a subscription list of your own selection.

Let pupils make their own selections of the above without suggestions; have the lists compared in class; let pupils defend all questioned selections. Give some attention with pupils to subject of filing of current periodicals; of temtransla-porary binders, varieties, advantages and cost; of binding of periodicals for circulation and reference; of the various uses to which periodicals may be put (see ann. rpt. Los Angeles P. L., 1893-4).

Who publishes the following: Variorum Shakespeare; Story of the nations; red line edition of the poets; Contemporary science ser.; International education ser.; Sacred books of Pupils should be taught methods of keeping the East, etc.? subscriptions, expirations, etc., in both card References: Publishers' Weekly; "American and ledger systems. See L. J., and Denver P. Catalogue," with supplements; "Trade List | L. "Handbook"; "Hints for small libraries," Annual;" Annual Catalogues;" "A. L. A. | Plummer. Catalog;" Publishers' Circular; Whitaker's "Reference Catalogue;" Low's Catalogues; Sonnenschein, 1st and 2d eds.; Poole.

Let the pupils early form the habit of using reference books, and require of them, when submitting the result of such exercises as the above, to include a list of the reference books which they have used, other than those which have been suggested, thereby giving an indication of their own ability of research.

Let pupils prepare model forms for ordering books; fill out all blanks used by the library in ordering books; examine blanks of other libraries, etc. For practice many of these exercises may be typewritten, or when done in manuscript, a good library hand should be insisted

on.

Prepare a list of five largest American publishing firms, firm-name, place of business, with at least three important publications of each. Same, English.

Name five English and five American secondhand dealers, giving firm-name, place of business, etc.

Name American publishing houses making a specialty of the following: maps, atlases, etc.; medical books; complete editions of American authors; engineering; photography; tions, music, etc.

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Pupils should have explained to them in this connection the system of average library discounts; cost of transportation by freight, book post, mail; an outline of copyright laws; of the laws governing the importation of foreign books. References: Indexes in yolumes of Publishers' Weekly; U. S. Official Postal Guide; Putnam, "Law of copyright."

Periodicals: Many libraries now number among their most desirable features the circulation of periodicals, and almost every library carries a large stock for reference. Exer

Newspapers: Newspapers were a feature of public libraries before periodicals had begun to be considered as within their province. Let pupils prepare lists of leading newspapers of various political parties, leading German-American papers, also French and Italian, showing where and by whom published, cost, how often issued, etc. Study newspaper files; systems of checking receipt of newspapers; methods of caring for old files; care of clippings; binding, etc.

In a public library it will be quite impossible for even one person to take the time to oversee a continuous course of work such as the above; and it should therefore be scheduled in relays, as suggested in the July L. J., or it may be given for "busy work” in instalments during those hours when the pupil is not actually employed in one of the departments.

For a guide in the practical work of the accession department use the Library School accession rules; have pupils make a note of the specifications for an order for an accession book. Fac-simile sheets of the accession book should be furnished them, or they should rule them themselves, and fill them out with sample entries of various kinds of books, such as newspapers, books of more than one volume, periodicals, maps, music, etc.