American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-04-15
AM HOUR AT THE SMITHSONIAN.

There is, perhaps, no place in this city, Cum
less it be home where one can pass away an
hour so pleasantly as at the Smithsonian lnsti-
tuition We walked over yesterday afternoon
and found our way into the reading-hall, where
we sat for some time. Upon the table we found
large number of home and foreign publca-
tons, reviews, magazines, newspapers, essays,
&c., with which we were amused, and from
which we derived no little information. Among
others, we saw some books which had been sent
here from England, France, and Germany,
under the operations of Mr.. Vattemare's system
of National Interchange. We are glad to see
that the exertions of this gentleman are to be
crowned with the success the enterprise so well
deserves. There are in this country some ten
thousand libraries, great and small, which,
though they contain many valuable works, are
rarely resorted to by scholars who are in search
of authentic information. Old books, and man
ton which, from the costliness of procuring the
matter and of printing it, have been issued only
in small and limited editions, are chiefly con-
fined to the institutions of the old world, or
when sent here are, to all practical purposes
chained, like those ponderous tones belonging
to the ancient monasteries, to the desks and
shelves of their owners. But we shall soon see
the day when our men of learning will not have
to go to the old countries in pursuit Of the valu
able contents of such works. The awakened
liberality of foreign governments and societies
will afford us sufficient means and opportunities
at home; and we will cheerfully reciprocate the
bounty as far as lies within our power.
Not only will this good result be attained, but
another will arise, which, though of minor
benefit, will be felt throughout this country at
least. The mutual exchange of the periodicals
of the day, and with them the exchange of the
thoughts and opinions of literary men, will
have the tendency to raise America to the
rank which her attainments and ambition de-
serve Foreigners, when they shall have be-
come satisfied that there is genius on this side
of the Atlantic, will be disposed to treat our
productions and ourselves with more consdera-
ton than in times past. Such personages as
Madame Trollope, Capt. Basil Hall, and-we
grieve to say it!-Charles Dickens, will prefer
the simple truth to the now more marketable
product of scandal and calumny. National pre-
JUDGES are always deep-rooted and difficult of
eradication; but when people are made to I'M
derstand that their dislikes are built upon sandy
foundations, they will abandon them
Our own countrymen are not altogether free
from the habit of encouraging false opinions of
their neighbors. There is among us great
deal of this disposition to undertake. but we
believe there is still greater willingness to
give up erroneous notions. Willing or not,
however, both parties must Danish them. Do
not our Websters, Calhouns, Longfellows, and
Bryants, freely barter their ideas and conclu-
sions for those of the Macaulays, Tennysons,
Goethes, and Lamartines of Europef
We may never hear one country acknowledge
another as its superior, but we may hear the
general recognition of national equality. Intel
lectual power, with the might of the plough, is
soon to sink in its depths the long maintained
supremacy Of the sword