T is obviously important to maintain

educational institutions which are designed for students whose minds are somewhat mature.

A wise college professor encourages and stimulates learners to look at subjects from many points of view, to examine processes by which scholars reach conclusions, and to make investigations themselves. Such methods only are requisite when a period of history is to be studied, opinions regarding questions in political economy or natural history to be considered, an English or classical author to be interpreted, or controverted questions in philosophy or theology to be discussed.

Students in advanced educational institutions should therefore have free access to the best books in all departments of knowledge. They need instructors who, however positive their own opinions may be in regard to controverted questions, and however earnest they may be in uttering these convictions, nevertheless are animated by a broad, unsectarian spirit in teaching. They need, also, books to enable them to pursue their studies in accordance with the views and spirit of such instructors.

At Brown University it is considered practicable to allow students to go into the alcoves without permission, and take from the shelves such books as they wish to use.

VOL. 5, No. 9-10.

While inspecting, three years ago, the library in the building especially devoted to the study of Natural History at Oxford University, I noticed that much space was given to collections of books needed by students in their daily work. These books were kept by themselves, and old books were withdrawn from the shelves and new ones added as occasion required. Students had free access to these collections, and were thus kept from the discouragement which young inquirers (may I not say nearly all inquirers ?) feel in selecting, with no aid but that afforded by the catalogue of a large library, such books as are needed in somewhat limited researches.

In Harvard College library, a large number of the professors designate works to be set aside, on shelves prepared for the purpose, for the use of students in pursuing courses of instruction given by them, and I learn from its distinguished librarian that it is his purpose to select from the great collection of books under his charge 30,000 or 40,000 volumes, to be used by students as a working library.

They are to have the privilege of roaming at pleasure through the shelving devoted to this collection, and of rummaging at will among the books. As works become antiquated they will be removed from these shelves, and new ones will be constantly placed upon them.

Additional advantages are within reach,

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where, as in Rochester University, it is the practice of several of the professors to meet students at the library during specified hours, to talk over with them subjects that they are interested in and assist in the selection of books needed in their investigation and treatment. Where, as in the largest colleges of the country, it is not customary for the professors to meet many of the students excepting in the class or lecture-room, there should be a librarian or competent assistant, whose duty it is to give whatever time is needed in rendering assistance to persons engaged in investigation. Such an officer should be careful not to render the inquirer dependent, and only to remove obstacles enough to make investigation attractive.

The librarian of a college can easily supplement his general knowledge of books with the special bibliographical information had by the professors of the institution.

The student often needs to be referred to sources of information. If, for example, he has to consider one of the applications of science to the arts, arrangements at the library should be such that he will have standard works and monographs pointed out to him, and his attention called to the sets of proceedings and transactions of learned societies and periodicals which should be consulted by him, with the aid of indices, in seeking for the information he desires.

It is not enough to set aside in a college library collections of books illustrative of the various branches of knowledge. Students need, also, the assistance of accomplished professors or a well-informed librarian in making researches. This assistance leads to a more thorough performance of work in hand.

habit of making investigations and in the acquisition of facility in their conduct.

It may be mentioned incidentally that where higher educational institutions depend upon public libraries for books, and these are situated at a distance from their buildings, it has proved useful, in one instance, at least, to enlist students in the work of making an index of some of the principal sets of transactions which they and the professors have oftenest to consult, to be kept where its use will be convenient to them.

Academies and high schools need access to well-furnished libraries. Worcester, Massachusetts, is a small city of about 60,000 inhabitants. It has many educational institutions besides its public schools. In addition to the Free Institute of Industrial Science and the College of the Holy Cross, institutions which make a constant use of the Public Library, but which for our present purpose should be classed with colleges, it has a State Normal School, an endowed academy, a military school, and several smaller schools for young ladies and boys. It has, also, a large high school. Teachers and pupils from all of these schools make a large use of the Public Library every day. Thus the students at the Normal School use it for a variety of purposes. They are required, for example, to choose subjects which they will talk about before the school for a few minutes. They come to the library with subjects selected on which they wish for information. This they get when they can from reference books which they are allowed to consult without asking permission. They call, too, for such books as they desire. When, however, as is frequently the case, they do not know what the sources of information are, or which of several books it is well to read or study, they go to the librarian for assistance, and he points out to them books, pamphlets, and articles which contain the material