The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-06-06
MEMORIAL OF ALEXANDRA Waite
t4 , MARE
FEnRuAry 8, 1910.
Referred TO the Committee on the Library.

.
TO the honorable ne Senate and House of Re
presentatires Of the United States of Anne
RIGA In Congress assembled:
The memorial Of Aie.randre Tafea,are. eiec
tor Of the department Of The Seine and Disc
(Frdnce,) tN
RESPECTFULLY sHowErn: ~ tss fftffssfr ia
That, al the instance chiefly of your memo
rialist, a system Of exchanges has commenced
between the Governments and the literary in
situations Of the different nations in Europe, by
which books, natural productions, and works OF
art possessed by the one are transferred, for an
equivalent value, TO another which may need
them. This system has been urged by the fol-
lowing considerations, which form parts of the
memorials he has had the honor TO present, and
which have been acted upon by the legislative
bodies OF his native country, and have been sue
cessfu in uniting others in the joint effort to ax-
tend and difiuse knowledge beyond the limits to
which race, language, or political boundaries,
have tendency TO confine it, Tsts3 ia +
All the great establishments founded by Go
vernments 70 promote science and the arts mu-
seuuis, collections. galleries, and libraries, pos
sess, besides the riches they spread out to
dennis to actual sterility: these are duplicates,
which are necessarily, but with regret, con-
signed TO dust and oblivion.
There is not great city in Europe that does
not reckon myriads Of such valuable but useless
treasures In 1885, the library of Munich had
100000 duplicates that of Jena, l2,000 that
Of ST. Petersburg, $4,000. AT Vienna, 10000,
among which is great number of works print
ed previous to A. d. 1920, (Which, from their
rarity, are OF great yalue,) were shut up in
warehouses. The section OF entomology OF the
Brazilian museum alone, in the latter city, has
$4,000 duplicates Every where, in fact, (for
no enumeration, however long, would suffice to
exhibit the state of things, there are 10 be found
side by side with the collections open to the stu
dent and the curiosity of the public, entombed
collections, forgotten libraries, unknown mu-
seums, whose treasures are useless to science,
and lost to the world.
In this way these public establishments have
remained strangers to the great movement Of
progress and generalization which characterizes
the present epoch.
Science overeaps the boundaries which poll
teal systems interpose between nations. All
the men consecrated by its worship are breth-
rem. Among them remains no distinction of
country, no political divisions; from one end Of
the world to the other they understand each
others tongue; the discovery of one is the tri-
umph Of all and, thanks TO this fraternity Of
talent this federal union of intelligence, science
is elevated, and daily extends the empire of CT
yilizaton. In his travels throughout Europe,
his own efforts, has laid the foundation of ge-
neral system of Exchange. He has obtained
from the learned, from the directors of public
establishments, from ministers, and in some
cases, from the sovereigns themselves, the as
surance that they are anxious and willing to en-
ter INTO a well-regulated system for the ex-
change of duplicates.
Nav, the system does not remain an unpro-
ductive project; already, within four years from
the date at which il was first presented TO the
world, nearly two millions Of volumes of books
have been Withdrawn from dust and oblivion,
and placed in situations where they have
sumed their real value.
In France alone, where, although first pro-
posed, the system was last adopted, six hundred
thousand volumes have been forwarded to cen
trail depot, either for internal exchange, or TO
draw duplicates from foreign countries. The
progress Of the plan has had the effect not only
of calling into activity the buried treasures OF
former ages, but has, by very unexpected re-
suit led TO an interchange of modern produc-
tions
The enlightened publishers of the kingdom of
Saxony, where, at Leipsic, is seated the great
literary mart Of the Teutonic race, have seen
that their interests are TO be promoted by its
operation, and have pressed upon the govern
ment five copies of every work which they emit
from the press, seeing that the trifing adventure
acting as an advertisement, returns in profit
thousand fold
The same proposal has been made in France
The publishers of Paris have offered TO place five
copies of every new work at the disposal OF go-
vernment, on condition that three of them shall
be exchanged for literary or scientific produc-
tons of other countries.
In the United States the law already requires
the deposite Of two copies Of every new work,
condition of copyright which is considered a
hardship, and but i'll observed, because no be-
neft is derived to the propretors from the act.
The volumes thus deposited rot in dust, or
are consumed by the worm. But should an adj
ditiona number b, distributed at the cost of the
Government, cost well repaid in valuable re-
turn to the enlightened countries Of the old
world, a demand would nfallib!y arise for Anne
rican books now unknown, except within mar
row limits, or confined IN circulation III the
United States alone.
OF all the countries in the world, America
will have the most TO gain in entering into this
plan. The Libraries of Europe, splendid, copi-
Gus, and rich, have been the slow accumulation
of nearly four centuries. Few in the United
States can date back half a century. If our
best endowed public institutions possess works
which show the present state OF science, and
the triumphs of modern literature they are
wanting in all that can be called the history of
art, of science, and of the gradual progress Of
the human mind, from the time that Faust and
Guttemburg first called into action the mighty
engine which has established the future liberty
of the human race, upon the basis Of intelligence
universally dfiused and every where accessible.
II may be said that the United States, where
literary collections are but Of modern origin, and
duplicates of books have been rarely accumu-
lated, has but little to offer in the way of ex-
change. This is, however far from being the
case. Wanting printed books, the natural pro-
ductions of the country, specimens of he animal,
the vegetable, and the mineral kingdoms, more
particularly the fossil remains Of more early