Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/371

 Free Lectures in Connection with Free Public Libraries. 359 subjects during the first course being : " General Reading for Busy Men," " Popular Religious Literature," " Books, Ancient and Modern," " Modern Fiction," " Ballad Literature," and "Books as Friends." In the second course the lecturers diverged somewhat from the original plan, the subjects being : " The Story of Manchester," " Reasoning," " The Ancient History of the Earth," " The Making of Geography," " George Eliot," and " Books for the Pocket." I have no doubt that these, although for the most part not ostensibly dealing with the books in the library, had the same result of sending their audiences to the library for books on the subjects treated of, as those which were specially designed for that purpose. In con- nection with these and subsequent lectures, the chief librarian issued brief lists of books bearing on the subjects chosen by the lecturers. I should like to be able to say something about the Gilchrist Trust Lectures, but as I have had no personal experience as to these, the librarians of Wolverhampton and Norwich may, per- haps, add somewhat on this subject. In the last named place 'a course of lectures under .the Gilchrist Trust was arranged in 1889, an d out of this appears to have grown a course of lectures by local gentlemen in 1890 and 1891. As at Wolverhampton, a small charge is made on these occasions when there are extra expenses in connection with the lectures. The librarian says : " When the lectures admitted of illustrations they were most successful, which shows that there is a great future in store for the lantern." That is my own belief, and accords with my own experience. There are various ways of " gilding the philosophic pill," but I believe the best is that of the optical lantern. If it be urged by objectors to the establishment of free lectures in connection with free libraries that this means providing a magic lantern entertainment merely, I would submit that a book which is adequately i'lustrated need not necessarily be a mere picture book, and that a book which is capable of illustration, and is not illustrated, is more or less an imperfect book. Many methods have been tried for illustrating the lecturer's subject without recourse to the lantern. Diagrams can only be seen by those near the platform. Photographs or engravings handed round among the audience not only disturb the proceedings, but leave the majority of the audience in the same position as in a. lantern lecture wherein the operator is three or four slides behind the lecturer. But the position of the limelight lantern to-day is 26