In order to make his work a success, a librarian must have certain well-defined qualities. He must have not only a college education and college training, but must be open to every form of knowledge. "A little Latin and less Greek" are very well in their way, but he should be able also to read German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, Bohemian, and Russian; a smattering of Hebrew and Sanskrit would not be amiss, while a bowing acquaintance with cuneiforms would add still further to his usefulness.

Above all things, he should know books- from a bibliographical as well as a literary standpoint. He should know the publication date of every book, and how many editions it has passed through, the price when published, and its present value; he should be able to give personal details about the author, and about every man, woman, and child mentioned in the book.

An ideal librarian should have a thorough knowledge of history, of all the sciences and all the arts, fine and useful, and should be able in an instant to suggest a reading list on any subject. An ideal librarian ought to be familiar with all branches of library economy, and to be in touch with the latest library appliances. Cutter's rules should be at his fingers' ends, and Cutter's, Dewey's, and every other system of classification be as simple as the alphabet to him.

Then he should "read, read, read" all the books, all the magazines, all the newspapers. Above all, he should read the Library Journal from cover to cover, not stopping at the advertisements. He should be ready at all times to attend to the wants of anyone entering his office, and, like Justin Winsor, stop in the midst of writing a sentence to greet a visitor, prepared to finish the sentence and take up the thread of thought at the caller's departure.

Every reader's wants ought to be known to him instinctively, whether he is asked for the right book or not. For instance, if he happens to be a college librarian, and a student asks him for "Morley," he must forget that his library contains several books by John and a number by Henry Morley, and must know by some occult power that the book desired is Masson's "De Quincey," in the English Men of Letters series, the whole series edited by John Morley.

In a word, a librarian should have the learning of a Bacon, the manner of a Chesterfield, the patience of Job, the divining power of a wizard, and the temper of an angel. Besides, he must not only be born a librarian, but must continue to make himself one as long as he lives.