The Village Library

During the same period, another library, called the Village Library, was formed. A group of young men met on Saturdays under the church horse sheds (built for those who traveled some distance to services). Each boy contributed 10 cents. Their first purchase was The World Displayed, two of a twenty-volume set. Soon they addedRobinson Crusoe. Capt. Selah Porter was the librarian. Their bookplate bore a motto underneath an etching of a proper young lady reading at home. Below the etching were the lines: “Beauties in vain their pretty eyes roll: Charms strike the senses, but merit wins the soul.” (Julius Gay in his history added, “Thus early did the Village Library recognize the value of female education.”)