The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-09-15

10" ""1 y oihOO; tVoh occaSlOn. Wnllc IN
that town, to visit the STATE LIBRARY.
Through the kindness of Mr. + T. How
ey, Assistant Librarian / was permitted
to look through the apartment, assigned
to the Library, and examine the books
upon the shelves and tables. The first
impression, made upon one entering the
Library Room, is, that the space appro-
priated to the Library is quite too small,
and on a more particular examination of
the Library, that impression is deepen
ed. The Maps are suspended in front
of the books, so far as to hide the latter
from the eye of the observer, and must
therefore be raised by the hand, in order
to relieve them from their obscurity. A
large number of works, (and some Of the
most interesting in the whole collection)
have no room upon the shelves and are
piled in a miscellaneous manner upon
the tables. Were your own Editorial
sanctum in such confined and com
paratively confused state, one would
be inclined to think, that you had lost
The election.
But there is more painful impfcs-
sion made upon the mind, in examining
our State Library. namely, that the Ii
brary itself is such n meagre collection
ofbooks. In the department of History,
there is no ancient or modern bistorycx-
cept that of the United States, and there
is only one complete work on the Histo-
ry of the United States In the de-
partment of Education there is scarcely
any thing the Librarian said. they had
no educational department There arc,
however, few pamphlets and some
twenty bound volumes, composed most.
ly of reports of Educational Boards and
commissioners of Schools OfLexicons
there are only two different kinds; Tom
Inns Law Dictionary, and Weistcr's
English. or judicial Reports and Di.
gests of Separate States, it takes much
more space in the Catalogue "a peculiar
ity in its Way to show what is,eanting,
than what is present in the Library Di-
gcsts of Kentucky, Massachusetts,, New
York. South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio
and Virginia. are almost wholly wanting;
aud those of Louisiana aud Pennsylva-
mia are entirely wanting The works of
most of our great statesmen, as well as
their Biographies, are wanting The
Philosophical and Industrial depart
ments are not well represented | do
not recollcct seeing work on Chemis-
try, Natural Philosophy. or Astronomy
in the Library.
1t may be said Mr.. Editor that it is
easier to Indicate the DEFICIENCIES in tho
Library, than to show how it may be
enriched When Vermont needed a
State HorsF. she foHnd ,acqns of bull
ding u very beautiful and sohd clifce
and, withal very costly one 81 far as
means are concerned We suppose, that
there are mare where those came from"
The only question. therefore. seems to he,
is it desirable to enrich the State Lii
brary? To that enquiry 10 intelligent
man can give but one answer. Every
legislator and executive officer at the
capital must feel the need of a suitable
Library, without which, important work
must be comparatively but poorly done.
a good State Library would remind the
legislator, and every citizen, who looks
upon it, of the Importance of doing some
thing for all the people especially for
the children of the commonwealth. This
monitor would direct attention to the
educational department of our State in
terests When once attention is direc-
ted to this interest. and the mind en-
lightened on the subject, the expense
will not prevent enriching our State Lii
brary and furnishing it with ample a.
partments in the capitol. 1t can not be
the expense that deprcciatcs our educa-
tonal interests The expense of the
Superintendent Office, in the depart
ment of Education, for the year 1851,
including orders, Salary, Printing,
Freight, Postage, &c., was less than
$4,000; while the cost of the Militia for
the same year was only little less than
$1,000. Which department was proba-
bly, most benefcial2 The expense of the
Judiciary and Prosecuting Crime in 1851
was more than $4,000 AS the cause
of education declines, the expense of
prosecuting crime increases Which is
preferable, which is more economical, to
educate the people, or to punish and
support them as criminals 1t does seem
more rational to make appropriations to
promote enlightened legislation and the
cause of popular education, than to neg
lect those interests, and sustain the cost
ofvices, which are the legitimate effects
of this neglect
Cornwall, Sept. 1852.
JAPAN AND The JAPANESE, by Tai.
bot Watts, NJ. d., late in the service
of the Hon, British East India Com
Ha-u Na.- Vol / u Naala 100