Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Mission Work, Conversion And The Italian Immigrant In Turn-Of-The-Century New York City: The Story Of The Anson Phelps Stokes Italian Free Library, Alexandra Deluise
Mission Work, Conversion And The Italian Immigrant In Turn-Of-The-Century New York City: The Story Of The Anson Phelps Stokes Italian Free Library, Alexandra Deluise
Events
“Out of abundance, give to the poor.” Such was the Gospel precept of Italian Methodist minister, Rev. Antonio Arrighi in establishing the Anson Phelps Stokes Italian Free Library in 1894 in NYC. My talk will demonstrate the connection that existed between his Protestant missionary work and this immigrant library collection.
The library opened in July 1894 in a stately building on Mulberry Street. Housing more than 3,000 books and newspapers in both Italian and English, it was funded entirely by the wealthy donor’s wife, Helen Louisa Stokes. Both she and Arrighi desired to see such a library serving the Italian …