X ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
It is also encouraging to learn that the city of Ottawa will probably ere 
long have a free public library worthy of the political capital of the 
Dominion, though the satisfaction of some Canadians is somewhat 
marred by the fact that this praiseworthy movement in the 
direction of culture will owe its success to the generosity of a public- 
spirited millionaire of the United States. While we think too much 
praise cannot be given to Mr. Carnegie for the readiness with which he 
has responded to the urgent request to place Ottawa in the list of the 
numerous American cities where he has consented to establish libraries, 
at the same time we do not believe that the fact is at all a reflection on 
the public spirit or generosity of wealthy Canadians, many of whom 
have already contributed large sums of money to education and similar 
objects throughout the Dominion. We have little doubt that had an 
earnest appeal been made to wealthy Canadians, even in Ottawa itself, 
they would have responded to the request; but while we feel as Cana- 
dians, bound to say this much, we see no reason whatever for raising a 
doubt as to the propriety of accepting Mr. Carnegie’s handsome offer. 
In matters of learning and culture we need not consider geographical 
or national distinctions, but simply the motive that animates the donor, 
and the advantage which his liberality will confer on a community 
which has been so long without a library to which all classes of the 
people can go for literature, without the restraints that are necessarily 
imposed by the Parliamentary library, which is an institution of a very 
limited scope. 
It is to be hoped that the public spirit which has made Ontario the 
premier province in respect to public libraries as well as in other mat- 
ters, will find itself reflected in other provinces. Quebec and the 
Maritime Provinces especially, have few libraries of any importance 
outside of the cities. Charlottetown indeed is remarkably destitute in 
this particular. 
It must be admitted that among some thinking men there are 
latent doubts that in these days, when the reading of fiction is so 
dominant, the growth of public libraries may have on this account 
deteriorating influence on the mass of the people. Statistics, however, 
show that the establishment of libraries actually stimulates a taste for 
reading and studying historical, scientific and other literature which is 
thus made more accessible to a large body of readers who previously 
were unable to obtain it on account of its greater cost compared with 
fiction. In this connection the following letter written by an able 
librarian to the Chicago Dial is worthy of the attention of the Canadian 
public for whom these remarks are cheerfully intended. 
