WORKINGMEN'S READING ROOM.

During last winter some members of the St. Paul's Society of the University, discussed the possibility of opening a reading room for workingmen, but were deterred from carrying out the project through the difficulty in finding a suitable room for the purpose, at a moderate rental. Recently the basement of the building, 1066 Washington street, occupied by the Church Army, has become vacant. This basement contains two rooms which are in every way suitable for a reading room and a smoking room, and the Church Army has offered to take the place under its general management, if it is started, and to provide a care taker.

The building is situated in the midst of a lodging house district, where a large number of the workingmen who have no homes, spend the night. Here also gather the unfortunates who are out of employment, and the destitute; and as but few of the lodging houses offer an attractive place for resort in stormy weather or during the evenings, the barrooms are resorted to for shelter and for companionship. It is to offer these men a pleasanter and more wholesome resort that the present project has been started; but the promotors hope that it will do more than this, for it is proposed to form a committee of students, who will visit the rooms at stated periods, and who will endeavor to help the men, as opportunity occurs, with advice and sympathy and encouragement.

It has been stated frequently by those who have studied the matter carefully, that what the workingman of today needs most is a sympathetic friend, and a number of our students have proven by experience that these men readily respond to kindly proffered help of this sort.

These students have learned also that they receive a good equivalent for what they give that the workingman can add to their store of knowledge and to the breadth of their horizon. To hear the topics of the day discussed by a group of intelligent workingmen is of itself no slight privilege.

Already a number of Harvard men have offered to go into this work and it is hoped to secure so much assistance that the burden upon any one individual will be exceedingly slight.

But money is needed to pay the rent and to furnish the room, and though the sum required is about one thousand dollars, it should not be difficult te raise that sum for such a purpose. If five hundred only of our students subscribe two dollars each, the difficulty will be overcome.

The subscriptions may be sent to Mr. Montague Chamberlain, 16 University Hall, who has consented to act as treasurer. The amount subscribed need not be sent at once, but those intending to subscribe are requested to send Mr. Chamberlain their name and amount, as it is intended to call a meeting of the subscribers at an early day to form a standing committee to carry out the project.