Excerpt from History of New Bedford, Vol. 2 In opening this building for the use of the city, everyone connected with the library feels with a deep sense of responsibility a wonderful quickening and a strong incentive for better work. The material is at hand; the surroundings are ample for many years; it has great resources for filling its shelves; it is for us who are in charge so to administer the trust that the greatest benefit shall reach the greatest number, and I feel that with a due sense of the seriousness of the words, I can thoroughly pledge the cooperation and willing labors of everyone connected with the library to further that purpose. To this end from time to time the library must expand the range of its activities so that the civilizing influence of such an institution shall be felt by everyone in the city. These words show the spirit in which Mr. Tripp approaches his task and his ambition for the institution over which he has presided as libra rian for sixteen years. This spirit in the leader has inspired the entire staff, and nowhere is a visitor extended greater courtesy and help in accomplishing the object of his visit than in the Free Public Library of the city of New Bedford. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.