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Page 68
Leaving the typographical treasures of the library, we ascend the broad
marble stairway to the floor above, for a brief glance at the paintings
and statuary. In the hall devoted to sculpture are many noble and
beautiful works of art in marble, the most noticeable perhaps being
Powers's "Il Penseroso," the bust of Washington and the "Babes in the
Wood" by Crawford, and the statue of Lincoln by Ball. In the
picture-gallery on the east are a hundred and fifty subjects. On the
south wall hangs a canvas which is at once recognized as the
masterpiece. It is Munk�csy's "Blind Milton dictating 'Paradise Lost' to
his Daughters." This painting is fitly supported on one side by a
portrait of Milton owned for many years by Charles Lamb, and on the
other by a copy of Lely's fine portrait of Cromwell.
The Mercantile is the popular library of the city; in no sense a public
library, however, for the student or stranger must advance a pretty
liberal entrance-fee before he can avail himself of its benefits. This
institution is a pleasing example of what can be done by many hands,
even though there be little in them: it has reached its present
proportions without endowment or State aid, chiefly through the steady,
continuous efforts of the merchants' clerks of the city. They have
always managed it, one generation succeeding another, and they have in
it to-day the largest circulating library in America. Mr. William Wood,
a benevolent gentleman who devoted many of his later years to improving
the condition of clerks, apprentices, and sailors, is regarded as the
founder. Mr. Wood was a native of Boston, and in business there during
early life, but later removed to London. After distributing much dole to
the poor of that city, he founded a library for clerks in Liverpool, and
subsequently one in Boston, the latter being the first of its kind in
this country. The various mercantile libraries at Albany, Philadelphia,
New Orleans, and other places are said to have been founded on the plan
of this. In 1820 Mr. Wood began interesting the merchants' clerks of New
York in the project of a library for themselves. The first meeting to
consider it was held at the Tontine Coffee-House, in Wall Street, on
November 9 of that year; and at an adjourned meeting on the 27th of the
same month a constitution was formed and officers elected. The young men
contributed a little money for the purchase of books, the merchants
more, many books were begged or purchased by Mr. Wood, and on the 12th
of February, 1821, the library was formally opened, with seven hundred
volumes, in an upper room at No. 49 Fulton Street. The first librarian
was Mr. John Thompson, who received, it is remembered, one hundred and
fifty dollars a year as salary. It was not long before the library, like
its fellows, began its migrations up town, Harpers' Building, on Cliff
Street, being its second abode. This removal occurred in 1826, and the
association had then become so strong that it was able to open a
reading-room in connection with its library. Old readers remember that
there were four weekly newspapers and seven magazines in this first
reading-room. Its membership at that time numbered twelve hundred, there
were four thousand four hundred volumes on its shelves, and its annual
income amounted to seventeen hundred and fifty dollars.
In 1828 the library was desirous of building: many of the merchants and
substantial men of the city were willing to aid it, but doubted the
wisdom of trusting such large property interests to the management of
young men. They formed, therefore, the Clinton Hall Association, to hold
and control real estate for the benefit of the library, with fund shares
of one hundred dollars each. The first year thirty-three thousand five
hundred dollars had been subscribed, and the corporation began erecting
the first Clinton Hall, at the corner of Nassau and Beekman Streets.
Here the library remained for nearly a score of years, or until 1853,
when a brisk agitation was begun for its removal up-town. A small but
determined party favored its removal. The more conservative objected. At
length, in January, 1853, the question was put to the vote, and lost by
a large majority. But while the excitement was still at its height it
was learned that the association had sold Clinton Hall and had purchased
the old Italian Opera-House in Astor Place. Here, in May, 1855, the
library opened, and here it has since remained, although for several
years past the question of a farther removal up-town has been agitated.
The constitution of this excellent institution provides that it shall be
composed of three classes of members,--active, subscribing, and
honorary. Any person engaged on a salary as clerk may become an active
member, if approved by the board of directors, on subscribing to the
constitution and paying an initiation-fee of one dollar, and two dollars
for the first six months, his regular dues thereafter being two dollars
semi-annually, in advance. Active members only may vote or hold office.
Subscribing members may become such by a payment of five dollars
annually or three dollars semi-annually. Persons of distinction may be
elected honorary members by a vote of three-fourths of the members of
the board of direction. The board of direction is composed of a
president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and eight directors,
the former elected annually, the directors four for one year and four
for two years. There is also a book committee, which reports one month
previous to each annual meeting. From the last annual report of the
board it appears that in April, 1883, there were 198,858 books in the
library. The total number of members at the same time was 3136, and the
honorary members (71), the editors using the library (54), and the
Clinton Hall stockholders (1701) swelled the total number of those
availing themselves of its privileges to 4962. The total circulation for
the year was 112,375 volumes, of which 27,549 were distributed from the
branch office, No. 2 Liberty Place, and 1695 books were delivered by
messengers at members' residences. In 1870 the circulation was 234,120,
the large falling off--over one-half--being due to the era of cheap
books. The department of fiction, of course, suffers most. This in 1870
formed about seventy per cent. of the circulation. In 1883 the number of
works of fiction circulated was 53,937,--not quite fifty per cent.
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