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Libraries for the Station Houses

About This Item

  • Title: Libraries for the Station Houses
  • Date: 28 September 1858
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.01139
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 28 September 1858: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Kaylen Michaelis Samantha Gilmore Brandi Faulkner Stefan Schöberlein Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Libraries for the Station Houses." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 17 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.01139.xml (TEI)
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LIBRARIES FOR THE STATION HOUSE.—

Some time ago the subject of libraries for the police, to be located at each station house, was talked about, but nothing definite was ever done about it. It is to be hoped that the subject will not be suffered to drop, but that an effort will be made to accomplish something towards bringing about so very worthy an object. Our Metropolitan police are, as it is, a body of men, of no small intelligence and capabilities, and perfectly capable of availing themselves of and profiting by such an advantage during their leisure time. A small, well-selected library, furnished with books of reference, &c., at each station house would soon pay for itself in the many advantages which would accrue from it—advantages so patent to all that they do not require to be pointed out.

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