Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-12-05
OHIO SCHOOL LIBRARY.

OHIO SCHOOL LIBRARY.
IT will be seen that Mr.. TERRY. the
Gaunly Auditor, adverlises that the iirsl
series Of the Ono School LIBRARY has
been received in this county, and is now
ready for distribution. We have exam.
insd the entire catalogue OF book, con.
asined in the Library, which will mum.
Der $40 volumes when they shall all be
received. and will make fine com.
mencemsnt. The appropriation was not
su&cisnt 10 make District Libraries.-
Ys, ~ hope in the course Of FIVE years
10 SEQ Library Of from 500 70 i,UO0
volumes ia every district in the S,ate.-
But We must confess that our hopes OF
assing the lap of knowledge so amply
spread out before the people faller when
we consider the dark influences Of Know
No.hingism, so busily a, work. Hon.
HiRAn H. BARNEY. the enlightened State
Superintendent Of Common Schools, has
made most excellent selection OF books
30 fas as they go. Among them, we no,
lice good supply ofListores. Tytler's
Unirersal History, from the Creation Of
tha World to the Death Of George Ill,
in six volumes Smiths History OF
Greece; Plutarch's Lives, four volumes;
Gibbons Decline and Fall Of the Ro,
man Empire; Guizot's History Of Civ.
ilizs,ion ; Hume's History Of England.
IN six volumes; PICTORIAL History of
England; Taylor's History Of Ireland !;
Robertson's America Prescotl's Mex.
icoi Bancroft's History Of the United
States, besides many other Of the ablest
standard historical works. The depart.
ment of Biography is very full. The
Library contains Lives OF Franklin, Co.
lumbus, the brothers Humboldt, Nelson,
Sir Isaac Newton; Patrick Henry, by
WiH the Queens Of England, the
Chief Justices Of the United States, and
many Others that we cannot mentlon.-
The departments Of Natural and Moral
Philosophy, Natural History, Travels,
and Poetry are well provided for in
selection Of this kind. Bancroft's His.
tory is a perfect museum Of truth and
true philosophy, found nowhere else a.
mong the writer's Of modern times. in
vigor it is equaled only perhaps by Thu.
cydides. The Westminster Review char.
sctefize> the work as one grand epic OF
Freedom, regarding the formation Of the
Anglo American colonies, their wars and
'riumPhs, their subsequen. growth into a
great confedera,ed Republic rs but 50
many steps in the progress Of the grea,
truths Of democratic liberty, which in the
seventeenth century beamed upon the
minds Of Algeruon Sydney, Roger vii.
liams, George Fox. William Penn and
many others. who were manys for the
sake Of that great truth.
The future historian OF these times 10
Ohio will mark the present period, the
establishment Of Public Libraries,
throughout the State, thus stripping
lesrning, from the proud aris,ocracy OF
Colleges. and spreading out its ample
lap 10 the peoPLE, as the most impor.
tsnt event that ever constituted an epoch
in the annals Of the State. There are
but few favored ones in any commu.
pi,y that can afford the time and money
10 acquire a Collegiate Education.-
And. indeed it is. an impor.an, inquiry
whsihes the kind Of learning which the
American Colleges teach is worth the
labor Of striving 10 attain. The best pa IT
Of from eix 10 seven years is spent in
study Of the dead languages, while the
language Of Shakespeare, Milton and
Shelly is living language, that our
mothers teach us. After the lsborious
effort Of The best days Of life in acguir.
ing only partial and limited knowl.
slse Of tho dead Languages, unless the
text books are continually employed,
the knowledge, we do thus acquire pas
ses holn the mind like dream. How
many Of tho college graduates are able
10 even translate, . page OF Latin or
Greek without the help Of Lexicon.
Our own strong language is capable
Of expressing an! idea that fnd4is way
iato tho mind
When the Latin was the only Ian.
gusgs Of an universal character. there
w0 Ee-i reason for studying il, but the
EnSIish LANGUAGE 10 now more widely
spoken than ever tho Ls,in was.
Experience proves that the tendency
Of ~ study Of vsnaus dead lsneusgesI
10 10 cFsmp The gsnius and nature in
asn. 4 knolsdgs Of Language, ., most
u saly On stiainmsnt Of sounds, not OF
nbsgsstial things anL ideas. The great