ith August.
There will be very few, who, kno ing the ups and downs in the history of the Shanghai Library, will object to the Council's deci the books may be housed Hall. Yet it ist be remembered Fthat the Library is not public property. It is one of the many institntions in Shanghai which owes its i ception, its support, and its tinuance to private initiative and uvate purses. But, as a private j institution, the Library has very nearly done its work, and little little it must grow into a Municipal undertaking and be carried on with wider objects and on broader lines. Once upon a time the only rival to the Library then housed in the Museum Road was that of the Shanghai Club, Now, in all. probability the fingers of both hands would not suffice to count the collections of books open to all but the poorer section of the community, Phe time is coming therefore who the Shanghai Private Library will have to become the Shanghai Public Library. In other words the present arrangement by which a private Committee collects private subseriptions, orders its own selection of books, or lays down lines for such selection in London, anid receives a grant from the Council on condition that the public may be admitted to certain sharply restricted privileges, will cease and under suitable terms the Library will be handed over by its private owners to the Council for public use, All this is more or less prophetic—we are not in the confidence of the Committee in the matter, but the trend taken by events in recent years is too plain to be mistaken.
Whether there should be established an absolutely free brary as is the custom in the home lands, or whether there should still be a subscription exacted from the users of books at home is a matter for consideration when the final arrangement comes to be made, The re-housing of the Library at the 'Town Hall' and its consequent saving of rent will _probably prolong the lease of its life as a semi-private institution, and we do not know that this is to be deprecated. On the whole the management has been satisfactory when all the ciridered. But nobody knows better than the Committee how many improvements might be male were tore sufficient funds.
Some of the most desirable of these will perhaps be attainable at once. When the books are in their new home they will at any rate be get-at-able. At present 1any of them are
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.