10th June.
Ir is avery well-recognised fact; that one of the most important features of educational the establishment of public libraries, where all classes can have access to the best literature the world can supply. Mr. Carnegie has made for himself an imperishable name in different parts of America by devoting considerable sums to the establishment or encouragement of such centres of useful knowledge.
Turning to our own Model Settlement we find there is a public library more or less culted to the needs of the foreign residents, who number but a fraction of the population, or ratepayers of our community. For the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who dwell among us, and who belong to a nation that has carefully cultivated literature for thousands of years, almost nothing has yet been done. It is true that Chinese book shops and printing establishments abound in almost every street, in which treatises embodying some of the newest forms of Western knowledge find ready sale, side by side with the standard classical works on which the native literati justly pride themselves. But the bulk of our Chinese fellow-residents are poor and unable to afford the cost of these, to them, expensive publications, Surely it is high time, in the evolution of our Model Settlement from a few semiforeign buildings on a forlorn looking mud flat, to its preset position as the gnercantile and manufacturing metropolis of China, that a large public library of suitable Chinese works should be provided, Twenty or more years ago an attempt was made in this direction by Sir Walter Medhurst, who was then H, B. M's Consul in Shanghai. About 1,500 taels were subscribed by the Shanghai foreign community for the purpose of establishing a Chinese Tibrary and reading room. When the natives were asked to aid in this undertaking they responded so liberally through the efforts, principally, of Mr.
Hsii Hsueh-tsun of the Kiangnan Arsenal with Li Hung-chang and other high Chinese officials, that the total sum of above 10,000 Taels was soon realised. A committee of Chinese and foreign gentlemen was appointed with Sir Walter Medhurst as Chairman; land was purchased and the building known as the is Chinese Polytechnic Institution and Reading Rooms," at the corner of Kwangsi and Hupeh Roads, was soon erected.
Unfortunately the Chinese members of the committee seemed to think that in addition to a liberal supply of Chinese books and periodic cals representing the newest developments of Western thought, a large collection of apparatus was necessary to illustrate some of the various scientific sbjects. Too much money was spent on this apparatus and in engaging foreign teachers to explain its use, while too little money was expended in the purchase of Chinese books and in providing facilities for natives to read and make use of them. To such an extent has this Institution been diverted from its original intention of a library and reading rooms that it may safely be said this most important feature still remains to be carried into effect, The present building is well suited for the purpose, being in the Chinese style of architecture, while the valuable land and dwelling houses adjacent, from the rent of which its income is derived, would, if well managed, yield an ample amount to add new books from time to time and to cover working expenses, Why. the Committee, consisting of sixteen practical intelligent gentlemen, should pene ntly overlook this important feature of the work of the Institution and devote their attention to the teaching of English to a few Ohinese youths, when there are so many good schools in Shanghai and the vicinity, seems impossible to explain. The most satisfactory feature of the work now carried on is the excellent popular weekly series of lectures on Political Economy and kindred. subjects conducted by the Rev. Gilbert Reid and generally very well attended. This, it is needless to point out, is not what the funds were primarily subscribed for.
It is easy to give advice and sometimes the best advice is the least palatable. What ought to be done with this Institution is to revert to the point from which it set out and use' all the available funds for the gradual purchase of a great Chinese library worthy of our Model Settlement, Besides containing all the books of purely native origin it should include all the up-to-date works of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge in China, of the Educational Association of China, of the. Kiangnan Arsenal publications, and, in short, every book or periodical in the Chinese language that is calculated to benefit the native portion of the community, as well as visitors from other places in China. The utmost facilities should be offered to the readers, who would soon begin to flock in crowds to the Institution and every attention should be paid to their comfort and convenience. Plenty of energy displayed in this Creston, would lead to rewalls, thet assistance from the Masteinn Goucel would perhaps justify an appeal for
and certainly from the wealthy officials and gentry of Shanghai as well as those of other localities,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.