The law making function as important as the judicial. Now, creative work the world over has always been recognized as requiring greater intelligence, better training, keener initiative than the purely critical. Yet, in legal matters this principle has been entirely ignored. In every way we exalt the interpretive, critical, even destructive, judicial process. We neglect and belittle the constructive creative process of law making.
The conclusion of the whole matter is that the making of the law is in principle as important,—in fact, more important, than the interpretation of it.
The legislative function must be as carefully performed as is the judicial. Men should be prepared for law making as are men for the judicial bench. They must be men of the same calibre, of good ability, of high intelligence, of absolute integrity, of broad sympathies, and of big vision. Not until we have an agency of this type assisting in law making, not until the making of laws is recognized as a distinct and important governmental function, co-ordinate with, if not superior to the judicial function, not until each state has a bureau which will, as the Honorable James Bryce says, supply the legislators with the amplest material and enable them to apply the best methods, can we hope to have laws which in the highest sense "stand the test."
The PRESIDENT: We go now from the legislature to the business man, the man who makes the wheels turn around. Those of you who had the opportunity to hear the striking address, at a meeting of the Special Libraries Association the other day, from a business man of Boston need not be reminded of the tremendous possibilities that lie in this extension of the library service. Mr. S. H. RANCK, of the Grand Rapids public library, will discuss
MAKING A LIBRARY USEFUL TO BUSINESS MEN
On first giving consideration to this paper I was inclined to believe that the story of the personal use of the library (the public library) by business men would be almost as brief as the traditional story of snakes in Ireland. Few librarians have the means of knowing how many business men use their institutions, but where statistics of registration indicate the occupation of card holders it would appear that the library gets almost as many bartenders as bankers.
To get some definite data on this subject I had the library records investigated of the 198 officers and committees of the Grand Rapids Association of Commerce, the leading business organization of our city, with a membership of 1,300. These 198 men (and a few women) represent our most active business concerns, as well as a few professions. Of this number only 53, or 27 per cent, have live library cards. In looking over the names I recognized 38 of those without cards as persons who either individually or through their employees in the interest of the house, have used the library more or less for reference purposes. There are of course others who use the library in this way without my knowledge.
These figures indicate that the library is serving directly only about 50 per cent of the livest business men of the town. The specific questions I propose to discuss are, Why do business men use the library relatively little? What can the library do to get business men to use it more?
Progressive business men use the library because they recognize the enormous value of new ideas and of new knowledge to their business, no matter where they get them. The trouble is that public libraries can't always furnish them the knowledge they need. And furthermore not all business men are progressive. There are standpatters in the business, as well as in the political world. However, there is no class of men who have a better idea of the potential power of print, rightly used, than the business men who advertise. Such men are always ready to meet the library more than half way.