1. =The Library of the Past.= Until quite recent times the Sunday-school library was understood to be a collection of books, mainly of an entertaining character, kept in the school, distributed at its sessions, and read by the scholars, for enjoyment rather than for instruction. Such a library was regarded as an essential of the Sunday school. However small or however poor the school, it must have a library. Books were scarce, and desirable books were high in price. There were no free public libraries, and few circulating libraries. The library was regarded as the principal attraction of the school, and it drew the scholars. Many children attended two Sunday schools in order to obtain each week two library books. The books were read by all the family; and in many homes the Sunday-school library furnished most of the reading matter. The literature may not have been of the highest grade, but, with all its defects, the Sunday-school library of the past was a useful and valuable institution. 2. =Its Decline in the Present.= In recent times, and especially in well-settled and cultured communities, the Sunday-school library has lost much of its importance. Very many schools have closed their libraries; and in the schools continuing their use only a small proportion of the scholars obtain books. Inquiry has shown that in cities and suburban towns a school of two hundred members will include not more than thirty who make use of the library. When the library is closed scarcely any complaints from the scholars are heard; nor is the closing of the library followed by a loss of scholars. Publishing houses which formerly issued fifty new books each year, especially for Sunday-school libraries, have entirely abandoned this branch of business. It cannot be maintained that the Sunday-school library for the entertainment of the scholars now holds a prominent place, or is a factor of success, in the best American Sunday schools.