rent events, motion pictures, illustrated lectures, services on Sunday, and a fine woman, or two or three, as the size of the division demands, to advise and sympathize."

In closing she reminded her audience. that "From this community life the boys are coming home eager to be welcomed, but confused as to the next step. For many, military life is over, and from the care-free life of the soldier they enter on the duties of citizens. In a Democracy it is the individual who counts. Every returning soldier needs. a friend."

BENEFIT ASSOCIATION.

The Secretary of the Association reports that Miss Amy M. Eaton, of the Roxbury Branch, is at Milford, N. H., recovering from an illness, and that Miss Fanny Goldstein, of the Tyler Street Reading Room, is at her home, convalescent after her recent operation.

PENSION COMMITTEE.

The Committee on Pensions has an encouraging report to submit. There have been many hearings at the State House before the Committee on Social Welfare, and several conferences between the Boston Finance Commission and representatives of the various parties interested in the bill, House No. 57, submitted by the Commission.

The elementary school teachers, through their counsel, ex-AttorneyGeneral Herbert Parker, object to the clause in the bill which includes them in its provisions; on the other hand, the men teachers, masters, principals, and practically all of the high-school teachers, wish to be included. It will thus be seen that the teachers as a whole are about evenly divided in their attitude toward the measure. The police are practically a unit in their objection to being included.

The municipal clerks have introduced a bill, House No. 967, which runs almost parallel with No. 57, but differs in one important detail and in one or two minor matters. They are represented by ex-Senator John Jackson Walsh.

It is significant that there has been no opposition whatever to the fundamental principle of the measure, which provides for a pension based upon years of service, to equal an annuity purchased by the contributions of the employee and depending in amount wholly upon the term of service. There are of course qualifications and conditions provided in addition to meet prior service, ordinary disability, accident, death, etc.

All in all, the Finance Commission has submtted an admirable bill, forward-looking and seeking to do justice to employees and taxpayers alike. The Committee hearings closed on April 4th; it is expected that the bill will soon be favorably reported to the House for action. To become a law it must receive the Governor's signature, and be accepted by the Mayor and City Council of Boston before September Ist of the current year. If accepted, it becomes operative on February 1, 1923.

In a number of the Boston papers of April 14th and 15th there was published an open letter from the Library Pension Committee, setting forth the arguments for the bill. Among other facts, it states that the city of San Francisco has recently adopted a contributory pension system for its employees, based upon the Boston plan. The bill proposed would put no compulsion upon any one; it "has to do with the future entirely, and in no way interferes with the prerogatives or privileges of present beneficiaries of other systems." The Chamber of Commerce indorses the bill and advocates its adoption. J. W. K.

NOTES.

The Women's Club of Melrose has just done a graceful act in presnting to the Library ten lantern slides of Boston subjects, in recognition of courtesies which they have received.

The engagement of Miss Santa M. Costa, of the Issue Department, to Mr. Salvatore La Badessa, has just been announced.

LIBRARY LECTURES, 1897-1922. The first public lecture in the present Library building was given in March, 1897. It seems proper therefore to give some cognizance to the 25th anniversary of what has developed into an important Library activity.

The early lectures were exclusively on subjects relating to the fine arts, and were the expansion of the numerous classes and club meetings held in the recently opened Fine Arts Department, as a means of bringing the collections of books and photographs to the attention of school teachers, architects, artists and the general public. The first illustrated lectures were given under the auspices and at the expense of the Unity Art Club and the Pallas Club. The attendance was so large at the very beginning that some of the lectures had to be repeated several times.

The present Lecture Hall was used at that period as a newspaper reading room, and all kinds of makeshifts had to be resorted to in the attempt to accommodate the public lectures. The present Exhibition Room, the Barton Room, and the room now occupied by the Statistical Department were used in succession.

The Lecture Hall was formally opened on May 17, 1899. Advantage was taken of the gift of a copy of

NEWS NOTES ON GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS, No. 25.

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Chantrey's bust of Sir Walter Scott, and the unveiling of the bust was made the occasion of the opening of the hall. President Solomon Lincoln of the Board of Trustees presided, and the principal address was delivered by President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard University; other speakers were Rev. James DeNormandie, James DeNormandie, Mayor Josiah Quincy, Professor A. Lawrence Lowell, Edward Robinson, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, and Hon. Charles Francis Adams.

Under the direct auspices of the Library Trustees, a course of lectures was given in the new Lecture Hall in March and April, 1900. The speakers were Messrs. Whitney, Swift, Ford and Fleischner of the Library Staff, Col. T. W. Higginson, Dr. William Everett, Rev. E. E. Hale, and Mr. C. W. Ernst.

A second course offered by the Trustees, on Methods of Municipal Administration, was given in March and April, 1901, the speakers being Professors A. Lawrence Lowell, E. Emerton, Kuno Francke, and F. G. Peabody of Harvard, Prof. W. T. Sedgwick, Mr. Henry Goodnough, and Mr. George L. Fox.

A third course, on the Aesthetic Development of Cities, was given in March, April and May, 1902.

The Unity Art Club lectures continued until 1904. In that year what may be called the "Thursday evening

courses" were properly inaugurated. Regular courses were provided by the Boston Architectural Club, the Society of Printers, and other organizations.

The Field and Forest Club arranged its first course of lectures on outdoor life on Monday evenings in 1910; the course was combined with the Thursday evening course in 1915, and still continues with great success.

The first lecture under the auspices of the Boston Ruskin Club was given in 1907; since 1914 the Club has held bi-weekly open meetings in the Lecture Hall, with occasional lectures on general topics.

The Sunday afternoon lectures were begun in 1912; since that year the Boston Drama League has provided four lectures annually on the drama and the stage, with growing popularity.

The first music lecture was given by the late Louis C. Elson in 1906. At least four lectures on music, with instrumental or vocal illustrations, are now regularly included in the Sunday

courses.

Since 1908 the programmes for the entire course have been printed in the Bulletin for October I.

In 1900 a stereopticon was purchased, and in 1920 a Steinway grand piano was added; it is hoped that a moving picture equipment will be installed in the near future.

In all, nine hundred and sixty lectures have been given by five hundred lecturers, of whom four hundred were men and one hundred women. Of this number, about thirty were architects, thirty-two professors and instructors in Harvard University, twelve from the Museum of Fine Arts, five from the Massachusetts Normal Art School, and four each from the Public Schools of Boston, Boston College, Boston University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts College; ten lectures were given by members of the Library staff. Yale, Brown, Princeton, Wellesley, Simmons, and the New England Conservatory of Music also provided one or more lectures each. The remainder of the lecturers have been professional men and women, many of national reputation, travellers, scholars, and other public-spirited citizens.

Space does not permit giving even a partial list of the lecturers. The following list of speakers who gave four or more lectures will give some idea of the readiness of busy men to give their services for the public good: H. T. Bailey, 4; C. H. Bayley, 4; E. H. Baynes, 7; E. C. Black, 9; J. C. Bowker, 8; F. C. Brown, 10; C. T. Carruth, 10; F. H. Chase, 6; A. S. Cooley, 19; J. R. Coolidge, Jr., 7; R. A. Cram, 6; 0. Downes, 10; H. Elliott, 5; L. C. Elson, 4; T. A. Fox, 4; C. W. Furlong, 4; T. I. Gasson, 8; H. L. Gideon, 12; A. H. Gilmer, 6; F. M. Greene, 13; F. W. Hersey, 31; L. Jeffers, 4; A. M. Keyes, 4; W. H. Kilham, 6; J. K. Lacock, 4: G. W. Lee, 5; L. R. Lewis, 5; D. G. Lyon, 4; L. C. Newhall, 5; C. S. Olcott, 4; A. K. Peck, 4; M. E. Peck, 10; H. W. Poor, 8; H. H. Powers, 13; G. Richardson, 4; R. E. Rogers, 5; A. D. Ropes, 7; L. M. Rossi, 4; A. S. Schmidt, 5; M. A. S. Shannon, 14; R. C. Sturgis, 4; H. Taylor, 4; W. L. Underwood, 16; F. H. Wade, 16; H. G. Wadlin, 7; C. H. Walker, 12; L. Whiting, 4.

These bald figures give no idea of the sacrifices in time and energy and even outlay of money of the unselfish men and women who without hesitation have repeatedly responded to the appeals of the writer for advice and help; this is especially true of the days of the inception and early growth of the Fine Arts Department. The members of the Boston Architectural Club and the Society of Printers will well remember the consultations and meetings held to arrange suitable lectures and exhibitions and to devise an attractive bait to draw an audience.

The writer thankfully looks back on the almost uninterrupted, prosperous career of the course; with the exception of four or five cases of severe weather or sickness, all the lectures were given as announced in the programmes.

The writer is also thankful that with the exception of three dates when he was prevented by illness, and the entire season of 1906-7, when he was sentenced to the City Hospital on account of a serious accident, he has been permitted to arrange, supervise and attend all the public lectures in these twentyfive years.

O. F.

DEDICATION OF NEW BUILDING OF WEST ROXBURY

BRANCH LIBRARY.

(Condensed by permission from West Rox

bury News of April 22.)

The formal dedication of the new building of the West Roxbury Branch Library took place on Monday, April 17. There were present over 300 citizens, besides visitors and school children. The hall was beautifully decorated with palms and Easter lilies.

Council appropriated money for the site and for the erection of the building. Mr. Thayer was selected as architect by the Mayor and the Trustees, plans were matured under the direction of Mr. Belden, the Librarian, and Mr. Ward, Chief of the Branch Department; and Mr. Joseph Rugo, the contractor, began his work. The corner stone was laid September 10, 1921, and the building was accepted by the city March 31, 1922.

Mr. Morse explained that besides the beautiful hall for the library, in

Mr. George H. Nutting, chairman of the general committee, presided, and after music by the Highland Male Quartet, he introduced Francis A. Morse, Master Emeritus of the Robert Gould Shaw School, as the representative of the community and as the one person best qualified to give the history of the new library building.

Mr. Morse spoke of the success of the architect, Oscar A. Thayer, in achieving architectural beauty while meeting the requirements of expert library service, and then explained the formation of the general committee, in 1919, from representatives of the six churches, the clubs and organizations and the Legion Post. The committee finally voted unanimously to request the city government to acquire the present site at the corner of Centre and Bellevue Streets. The site was approved by every church and organization, by the Trustees of the Public Library and His Honor Mayor Peters, and the City

which the exercises were being held, there was, below, a hall with seating capacity for 200 persons, retiring room for the librarian and her assistants, supply rooms, etc.

Mr. Morse closed his address with an earnest plea for a public opinion that would help to teach the young to appreciate this beautiful building and the library, to be careful of them and the grounds that surround them, and to enter the building with the idea of study and not of sociability.

In the absence of His Honor the Mayor, Mr. Belden, in a few appropriate words, in the name of the city, delivered the keys of the building to Dr. Alexander Mann, the president of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Mann, on receiving the keys, delivered an eloquent address, expressing his delight and satisfaction at the completion of this beautiful and practical building, and the privilege of participating in its dedication. He paid a

glowing tribute to the community that had shown such a unanimous spirit and appointed a committee that could obtain unanimous results. Such an exhibition of feeling was an excellent example to other parts of the city, for often when an attempt was made to secure some desirable and necessary improvement, there developed dissensions that resulted in obtaining nothing, for the city cannot grant requests to communities that do not know their own mind. He asked for the assistance of this community in obtaining books, so much needed throughout the city. This expense was second to none in its importance for the public welfare.

The Rev. Arthur T. Connolly of the Board of Trustees was the next speaker. He spoke with much feeling of his appreciation of the work that West Roxbury citizens had accomplished in securing the new building and working so unanimously for the public good. He also emphasized the good example thus shown to the rest of the city and the very great assistance given to improvement generally. There was only one sure way to obtain desired improvements and that was to follow this example. He dwelt upon the influence the Library should have on the minds of the people to uplift them and help them to live on a higher plane of thought and action.

The Rev. Edward H. Byington delivered a touchingly beautiful dedicatory prayer, and the exercises closed with the singing of "America."

The West Roxbury Free Library, organized in 1863, owned 3000 volumes in 1876, in that year became a delivery station of the Boston Public Library, and a branch in 1896. The collection now numbers 11,000 volumes, with an annual circulation of 68,000.

THE RED CAVALIER.

In the new book by Miss Gladys Edson Locke of the Catalogue Room, entitled "The Red Cavalier," an old English castle with a ghost, two mysterious murders, a Hindu prince seeking to avenge a wrong to Brahma, and the theft of a priceless ruby, com

bine to make a tale of intrigue which is ingeniously worked out.

The story opens with a race between two taxi-cabs to a house agent's office in London, one cab occupied by Miss Egerton, an elderly and obstinate but courageous English lady accompanied by her young friend, Lord Borrowdean, the other by Prince Kassim Bardai and a Brahmin priest.

Both Miss Egerton and the Prince ardently desired to secure the occupancy of a famous castle, "Twin Turrets," in which the late owner, a collector of Indian curios, had been mysteriously murdered two years before. Miss Egerton wanted that particular castle in order to enable her to arrange a marriage between her scapegrace nephew and a nearby heiress, and the Prince wanted it for reasons known only to himself, which were disclosed later. Miss Egerton won out by a few seconds, secured the lease, and rushed off to take possession in spite of anonymous warnings, gloomy tales and strange forebodings. Then the trouble began. Robberies alarmed the neighborhood, idols crashed midnight, and the Red Cavalier, a sad rake and dead three hundred years, was seen fleeing across the moors in the darkness, clad in the scarlet costume of his portrait, which hung in the castle dining hall. But Miss Egerton was undismayed. She assembled a house-party, scoffed at spooks, and allowed her nephew to arrange costume ball to which Prince Bardai was bidden. He came, arrayed in great splendor, wearing a wonderful ruby on his breast. Later in the evening his dead body was found in the library with a stained dagger by his side. The ruby was missing. Miss Egerton immediately cleared the house of guests and notified Scotland Yard. Many clues wind in and out and suspicion fastens on a number of persons, but the mystery of who really killed the Prince and got the ruby is only unraveled in a dramatic scene at the end. Incidentally, a love affair works out hopefully.

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