Che Library and the Lecture 
 
 By aoe 4 a OK SP NTT OE N 
 
 Paper prepared for the 
 Meeting of ‘Texas Library Association 
 
 at Waco May 8 and g, 1906 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Reprinted from Public Litbraries—:gob 
 

 
02\. 43 
 p zi 
 
 The Library and the Lecture* 
 
 Frank C. Patten, librarian of Rosenberg li- 
 brary, Galveston, Texas 
 
 During the last few vears there has 
 been an active and increasing interest 
 in various parts of the country in popu- 
 lar instructive lectures. Texas is show- 
 ing her interest in an energetic manner, 
 and it is a pleasure to report on the 
 progress that is being made. 
 
 Libraries have, during the last third 
 _of acentury, grown greatly in number 
 - and their field of activity has been very 
 “greatly enlarged, but hitherto public 
 ‘lectures have not become a common 
 “feature of library work. Now there is 
 “an awakening of interest and a growing 
 * sense of the splendid possibilities of 
 public usefulness in this direction. 
 -1\Where public school authorities have 
 
 not taken up the popular lecture as an 
 educational work (and this is being 
 done in many cities) the public libraries 
 have sometimes found it possible, even 
 with their extremely limited resources, 
 to do something to encourage lectures, 
 
 
 
 *Presented at meeting of Texas library association at 
 Waco, May 8-9. 1906. 
 
 3 
 
 p 10356 
 
even if there is no lecture hall in the li- 
 brary building. I anticipate that library 
 authorities will more and more see the 
 importance of this public educational 
 work as experience from year to year 
 demonstrates its great value in our com- 
 munities. 
 
 The public library is the one educa- 
 tional institution in the community that 
 is very broad and universal in its scope. 
 It is for all ages and all conditions and 
 it properly embraces in its concern, at 
 least in a general way, the higher and 
 supremely important human interests. 
 The public library is the natural center 
 in the town for those intellectual activ- 
 ities that make for scholarship, culture, 
 progress, better information and the 
 general public good. And so it is very 
 proper that educational lectures should 
 be encouraged and supported under li- 
 brary auspices as much as possible. and 
 to a growing extent. Library lectures 
 should be popular and interesting with- 
 out being merely entertaining and triv- 
 ial; they should be plain and simple 
 without attempting the ornate and the 
 oratorical. The instructive lecture, sim- 
 ple, interesting, dignified, is the one 
 that is most appropriate for the public 
 library. 
 
 The lecture that is a mere entertain- 
 ment or is largely so, such as we can 
 
 4 
 
generally obtain through the lyceum 
 bureaus, is a kind of lecture, it seems to 
 me, that had better be managed some 
 other way than under library auspices 
 or by special library encouragement. 
 The instructive lecture is a more digni- 
 fied and appropriate one for libraries to 
 interest themselvesin. Thereally good 
 oratorical lecture has a splendid place 
 to fill. The great orator of lofty aims 
 nobly inspires and persuades, and he 
 confers a high enjoyment. Such elo- 
 quence is for a large audience and a 
 fare occasion, rather than for’ the 
 smaller audience connected with the 
 every-day educational work of the pub- 
 lic library. Oratory that is other than 
 the best is liable to seem cheap, and a 
 library is in danger of cheapening itself 
 by connection with it. 
 
 I think it should be clearly borne in 
 mind that it is the instructive, popular 
 lecture that we, as librarians, are espe- 
 cially interested in. It is the lecture 
 that is informing and serves the ends of 
 culture, and so has a-true educative 
 value that is properly linked with libra- 
 ries. The lecture that broadens the 
 outlook, clarifies the vision, enlarges 
 the resources of the individual, and so 
 enriches life, is the kind of lecture that 
 is appropriate in connection with that 
 
 5 
 
dignified educational institution that we 
 name a public library. 
 
 The kind of lecture and the standard 
 of excellence that we are to attract to 
 our libraries are matters of great im- 
 portance. Allow me to make some 
 statements about the ideal of the Ro- 
 senberg library by quoting a few para- 
 graphs from a lecture circular: 
 
 ‘In establishing the Rosenberg library 
 as a free educational institution for the 
 general benefit of the public in fulfill- 
 ment of the purposes of Mr Rosenberg’s 
 bequest, the directors, besides providing 
 for the other departments of library ac- 
 tivity, have also recognized the great 
 practical and cultural benefit to be de- 
 rived from frequent, instructive, popu- 
 lar lectures. As in all the work of the 
 institution, the primary aim of the lec- 
 ture department is educational. We 
 hope it will be possible for us to provide 
 lectures equal to the best given in other 
 cities, and to establish in Galveston a 
 lectureship that shall be recognized for 
 its high value. We believe that there 
 are great possibilities of public useful- 
 ness through ‘lectures upon practical, 
 literary and scientific subjects.’ 
 
 ‘We hope that it will be found pos- 
 sible, from time to time as there is op- 
 portunity, to enlist as lecturers strong 
 and able men of university standing, 
 
 6 
 
and others of equal learning and power. 
 We expect to invite to our platform 
 eminent men of high qualifications in 
 the various walks of life whose study 
 and experience have brought to them 
 authoritative information and the power 
 to inspire. As we are ata distance from 
 the centers of education and learning 
 and industrial activity, it will be no easy 
 task to secure the high quality of public 
 service that we desire. But travelers 
 come this way on journeys to Mexico 
 and California, and business, mild cli- 
 mate or recreation brings to our city 
 leaders of thought and action. Many 
 are now being attracted to Galveston 
 through interest in the great public en- 
 gineering enterprises that are lifting 
 the city into prominence—-the making 
 by jetties and by dredging of a great 
 harbor, the protecting of the island by 
 an extensive and very costly sea wall, 
 and the perfecting of the city’s security 
 by a grade-raising enterprise of great 
 magnitude. Among those who pass our 
 way some may be induced by our invi- 
 tation to spend an extra day or two in 
 order to meet our people and favor us 
 with one or more lectures. 
 
 “While it is desired that the Rosen- 
 berg- library free lectures (and all are to 
 be free) shall be interesting and popu- 
 lar in the best sense, and frequently 1l- 
 
 7 
 
lustrated with the stereopticon, yet we 
 expect them to be of such high order as 
 to attract and instruct the thoughtful 
 and the studious. The inspiring and 
 ‘practical lectures that we aim to provide 
 are such as have become so popular in 
 a number of cities within a few years, 
 the best examples of which are prob- 
 ably the 4000 or 5000 lectures held 
 yearly in New York city under the au- 
 thority of the board of education, with 
 an attendance that has grown from 
 small beginnings, 17 years ago, until it 
 now aggregates over a million each 
 year. 
 
 “It is also desired to cover a wide 
 range of subjects of general interest. 
 Literature, education, art, travel, his- 
 tory, government, finance and econom- 
 ics will receive their share of attention. 
 The natural and physical sciences in 
 their popular aspects, the various indus- 
 tries, especially of our own state and 
 country, commerce by land and sea, 
 engineering, municipal affairs, charities, 
 important new movements and events, 
 and all timely topics of the work and 
 thought of the present-day world are 
 considered very desirable subjects for 
 our lectures, especially where these lec- 
 tures can be illustrated objectively or 
 with the stereopticon. 
 
 “The library encourages and pro- 
 8 
 
motes courses of reading and studious 
 work in connection with these instruct- 
 ive lectures. Special attention is given 
 to preparing select and annotated lists 
 of the best books published on the sub- 
 jects of our lectures and, if occasion re- 
 quires, additional copies of the most 
 important books are bought for the li- 
 brary.. Eventually, if university exten- 
 sion work can be more fully carried out 
 with its full course of lectures and its 
 regular study features, the advantages 
 of a well-selected library with free ac- 
 cess to the shelves and good reference 
 department service will be very ap- 
 parent.” 
 
 The women’s study clubs of Texas, 
 that have already done so much for 
 Texas libraries, have also done a splen- 
 did public service by bringing into the 
 state, from time to time, capable lectur- 
 ers whose good quality of work appeals 
 to those who have the burden of library 
 interests in their charge. It has been 
 recognized in Texas, as elsewhere, that 
 in order to get the best results from li- 
 brary lectures we need to make the 
 work as systematic as possible and en- 
 courage as much as possible serious 
 reading and study in connection with 
 the lectures. If in each of our towns 
 we can provide lectures that come one 
 week apart and have them given in a 
 
 9 
 
course—a connected course, not simply 
 a series—of several lectures all upon 
 the same general subject, we in the li- 
 braries can then prepare lists of books 
 upon that subject and encourage con- 
 siderable thoughtful reading every week 
 during the lecture course, as well as be- 
 fore and after it. Systematic lecture 
 work counts better towards a satisfying 
 achievement, while work of the miscel- 
 laneous, random sort seems more like 
 work that begins nowhere, has no defi- 
 nite direction and arrives nowhere, and 
 it. has comparatively little permanent 
 result. I think that I am voicing the 
 sentiment of the members of this asso- 
 ciation when I say that the kind of lec- 
 tures that we want is something that 
 approaches as near as may be to what 
 is known as the university extension 
 course of six or more weekly lectures. 
 upon ‘one subject, by one professor, with 
 syllabus, popular review, weekly class 
 exercise, etc., and with university credit 
 to those who enroll themselves as stu- 
 dents and do the required work. 
 
 After a great deal of effort by corre- 
 spondence, in the state and elsewhere, 
 extending over two years’ time and 
 more, it was found possible to get the 
 University of Chicago to send one of 
 their very best university extension lec- 
 turers, Prof. J. G. Carter Troop, into 
 
 10 
 
Texas for a course of six university ex- 
 tension lectures upon the Great novel- 
 ists of the nineteenth century It was 
 exceedingly fortunate that we were able 
 to secure the services of. Professor 
 Troop, who has had a long and very 
 successful experience in just the kind of 
 work that we in Texas desire. A circuit 
 of Texas cities was formed and at 
 weekly intervals the course of six lec- 
 tures was given by Professor Troop in 
 Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Gal- 
 veston. Three weekly lectures were 
 given at Nacogdoches and single lec- 
 tures were given at other places. The 
 time of the lecturer was fully occupied 
 for the whole six weeks and he was 
 obliged to leave the state to fill other 
 engagements without meeting all of the 
 calls upon him for single lectures. 
 
 At Galveston the lectures were held 
 under the auspices of the board of di- 
 rectors of the Rosenberg library. The 
 lectures were free, the capacity of the 
 library lecture hall (600 seats) was over- 
 taxed, and there was a growing interest 
 and satisfaction to the very end. In 
 the other cities I understand that the 
 attendance was good, and that it was 
 easy to sell enough tickets to more than 
 pay the $250 to the University of Chi- 
 cago for the lectures, a price that is very 
 moderate for a course of such high 
 
 11 
 
merit. In all of the cities where the 
 full course was given there was more or 
 less of the regular features of univer- 
 sity extension—review, class exercise, 
 paper writing, required reading and 
 preparation for examination in order to 
 obtain credit from the University of 
 Chicago for the work done. 
 
 For the first year of the more syste- 
 maticlecture work of the instructive kind 
 it seems to me that the achievement is | 
 very considerable. The Texas library 
 association may feel a pride in the fact 
 that the Texas libraries have entered 
 this important field of library effort and 
 that already there are excellent results. 
 There is now a good prospect, I under- 
 stand, that the University of Chicago 
 will send Professor Troop into Texas 
 again next winter for another six weeks, 
 perhaps to begin early in January. In 
 Galveston we have chosen a course in 
 Shakespeare for our next winter’s work, 
 provided we are able to obtain the ser- 
 vices of Professor Troop. I think that 
 it is along the line of effort that I have 
 been describing that we are most likely 
 to secure for Texas the best available 
 public lectures—instructive, systematic, 
 of a high order of merit, and at a price 
 that it is possible to pay—lectures that 
 are really worthy of our efforts. Such 
 lectures can only be obtained, however, 
 
 12 
 
and towns in order to form a lecture 
 circuit. 1 should like to see the codp- 
 eration of this year continued, so that 
 -we Can have at least one course of six 
 university extension lectures every year. 
 
 The Rosenberg {library found it pos- 
 sible this year to get professors of the 
 University of Texas to come to Galves- 
 ton to deliver single lectures. During 
 February we had with us Dean Mezes, 
 ipeeeneaicy Dr Battle and Dr Keas- 
 bey. We appreciate most sincerely this 
 cooperation on the part of the State 
 university with our efforts to benefit the 
 public. These lectures were highly ap- 
 preciated by large audiences, and we 
 hope to get more lectures by the State 
 university professors next year. I un- 
 derstand that other towns have sent tn- 
 vitations to professors at Austin and so 
 have had the privilege of good lectures, 
 some of them illustrated by stereopti- 
 con views. I should like to see our own 
 State university do more and more of 
 .this kind of work and so bring the unt- 
 versity into close touch with the public 
 libraries and the public schools all over 
 the state. 
 
 It thus appears that the lecture out- 
 look in Texas is very encouraging. In 
 the larger towns of the state it seems 
 quite possible to obtain at least one 
 good course of six university extension 
 
 13 
 
good course of six university extension 
 lectures each year, and in the smaller 
 towns a less number may, to a limited 
 extent, be secured in accordance with 
 the local wishes and financial possibil- 
 ities. And I hope that the University 
 of Texas, and perhaps other Texas in- 
 stitutions, may find it possible to re- 
 spond to many, if not all, the invita- 
 tions that may be sent in from Texas 
 library and school authorities. 
 
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