Durivg the first halt of the year 1904 the work of the Institute was kept up dong tne same lines ne ave been heretofore reported. Dr. Gilbert Reid carried on affousishing school in the Polytechni buildings up to the end of June.
Subjects for prigs astays were published' monthly and responses in considerable numbers were received from various parts of the country. The subjects covered the two general lines of Current Aff Mathema'ics. Prizes ranging 1101 $4) per month wore given for a of the hest essays. This depart mer the work seems t" have been of considerable interest xnd par-fit to the Chin Soon of er Dr. Fever's return to China in June, 19:4, a meeting of the General Committee was convened to consider the subject of ® combination of the Inter-.alionsl and Polytechnic Institutes.
A joi t meeting with the Committee of the International Institue was he'd subsequently, when, rifier much discussion it was agreed that such a c"mbnation wan impracticable, and the Committee decided to proceed! with the establishment of a Pat library and reading room. The Honorary Director was authorised to have the needed repairs made on the buiidinge, and 8 is] committee, consisting of Dr.
dand Messrs. Hsu and Wong, wxs appointed 10 assist in the purchase of books avd periodicals for the proposed library. to illness, which made it necess sary for me to be absent. frm Shanghai ouring the fol owing July and August, and which con-inued far mie the Autuwn, I fount it imp sible to proceed at once the op. mpg wf the library. [found fu ther Unit the repairs on the bullings required a much longer time than I had anticipated. It wa impo sible ther ture, get the lib.iry opened -o the publi befure the last Chinese New Year. repairs were fini-e 1 in January of xtn cost of about $800. Including previous purchases, books and periodicals to the value of about $1,200 have been secured, and further additions to the library are being made from time to time. Adver ments wore inserted in ti ye papd to the effect that the reading rooms would be upon to visitors on the let of the 2ud Chinese month. Since that time the library has been opend daily from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., closing for a. vacation for parts of July and August. The uumbor o! 0 far has not been very large, ranging from 10 or 16 to 40 or 50 daily, but the namber is incrousing and the indications are that, as the library become better known, the number of visitors will be groatly augmented. The number coming. it from 7 to 10 o'slook, those coming in the wuraber of books so far purchased very small and oan only be regarded bare beginning. The work of selecting
somewhat difficult one. Our funds bei bool table for such " library limited we are not at liberty to purohu large quantities of all kinds of books. It iecessury, therefore, to exercise oonjoruble care in making purchases in order that we may use our funds to the best advantage. In the meantime, we getting a regular supply of ti Chinese periodicals published in Shanghai, daily, weekly, and mouthly, In addition to this a number of Aiperican and English monthly magazines have been purchased from time to time for the 0 of English-speukivg Chinese visitors, Thope luter on to secure a nunbor of standard English books for the library. The number of English-speaking Chinese in Shanghai who may be expected to visit the library regularly will, I think, justify " moderate outlay for books and periodicals in English.
The financial statement for the year ended Jane 30th, 1905, is appended herewith. It will be soon by those acquainted with the Inetitnte chat the ground rents have been considerably inc.eu-ed.. Io fact, they have been about doubled since I authority of the General Committes, I have made new lasso agreements with those renters whoxe terms of lease had expire The new agreements are to run for twenty years and the rents in ovey caxe have been incrossed to about double the former xmovnts, There is one more leave that has two years to run. A new agreement will be made with the holder of that lo se when his time will be seen further from ment that I now have a balance in hand of about $2,4°0 which, toge her with the mi come for the next year, will be aypliop to thw further purchase of books and the expense running the litnary.
The libr asian and his assistant are pre ring a classified catalogue of the books Which will be printed shortly for the use of the friends and visitors to the library. subjects for prise witiuued last fall, and essays Was instead of that, application was male to the Taotsis of Shiangbai, Ningp", and Tientain, and to the Viceroyat Nanking to issue subjects quarterly for prize essays, a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.