Mr. Choate, the American Ambassador, made a short speech at
the opening of a new public free library at Acton on Wednesday. He described the operation of the travelling libraries in the State of New York—as a means of bringing home knowledge to people in remote districts—dwelt on the necessity for local libraries in London, where busy men could not afford time to get to the British Museum, and suggested for the motto of the new library, " Medicine for the Soul." We are sorry to see that in his advice as to the best method of using a library Mr. Choate advocated a recourse to the tit-bit system. "A man could not read everything ; let him then select a few of the best books, and read the best parts of these." If he is only to read a few books, why not read all of them ? Later on, in replying to a vote of thanks, Mr. Choate made a good point at the expense of a previous speaker who, in regard to Ambassadors' duties, had exhumed the old phrase about diplomacy b-ing the art of concealing thoughts. The author of that phrase, said Mr. Choate, was not acquainted with the rules of the new diplomacy. But he immediately and adroitly added: " The new method was to say what you mean and mean what you say, so that there should be no misunderstanding."
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