The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-01-23
Number "a!
A Wonderful Library.

and his monument will -be of interest
seems to have been the life long ambition
OF the bibliomanical Peter to gather an en-.
ormous library of "rare and curious works,
and to that object he has bent the energie
OF fifty years of his life The result is ,
collection of 10000 volumes, embracing
publications of four centuries, and contain.
| lug probably the greatest number of rar,
aud Anticipated books of any library in tn,
world. With Napoleonic idea of immor
tally he has spent his life in rearing mon
ument of books which he hoped would per
petuate his name in future generations A
few months ago feeling that he had accom-
plished his work he sold this ennense lib
rary to tho government for one hundred
thousand dollars with the hope and under.
standing that it would be kept intact. auc
DO known as the Force Library" He de
c'ared that this was the only reason which
had induced him to sell it to the goverRmen
AZ he had been offered much larger sun
by private parties, but would not consent
to have his library divided. His books
were to bin as a family of children, for
which he felt fraternaI love and care, anC
TO separate them seemed ike sundering off
fraterpal ties But the government regard
less OF Individual desires and ambitions, no
sooner got possession of the library than it's
books were swallowed up in the greedy
NAV Of the Congressional library, and its
identity thus destroyed. '
Mr Force is remarkable man, and IL
Illustrates how a single passion may absorb
whole life time. His avarice for books,
is not unlike that of the missr for gold.
neither accommodating the objects of his de.
sire, that they may convert them into real
comforts and rational enjoyments of Iife
but simply to crafty morbid passion for
boarding.
But Mr.. Forcewas not alone distinguish
ed as book collector. AS a compiler and
statisticiau his library contains many vol
umes, the fruits of his own iabors in that
branch of authorship. His books were to
him altogether mute, unspeaking things,
but sources whence he CLEANED much use
full historical information, which in his com
piled works he has embodied in more avail
able forms. So if he is not entitled to rank
as an original geuins he has no doubt done
much TO preserve the sceuce and literature
Of former times His will seem an ilspent
life TO those who measure the value of ex-
istence by the sensuous enjoyments it af
fords, and they will regard Mr. Force, deny
ing himself all the iuxuries of life, and
spending his time like ghostly ascetic in
his dusty and dingy library rooms, with
no companions from his antique tones,
and the spirit of ancient genius breathing
in silent elcqueuce through them, as an OBJ.
ject rather of pity than envy. But to us
there is something grand i'll such q life.
1t is to live sort of spiritual communion
with the greatness of the dead past, and to
feel immortality OF mind, and it's triumph
over the destroying waves of time
Mr.. Force was printer and journalist in
early life, but after he had set his ambition
upon gathering great library, he allowed
himself bat little intercourse with the world
He said to friend of his who called upon
him it his S1nctuRt SGRct0rUm. II have
worked hard, and | have been hopeful.
Whatever nave done | have done with
great self denial, for have been very poor
0U my ute. If had known the world more
| should have accomplished less.
Thus he seems 10 have regarded the col
lection Of this library as the mission OF his
life and whether motives of selfish ambition
or desire to benefit the public were fore
but we can but feel that the results of his
self-denial are far more useful to the world
and honorable to his memory than those of
the miser who devotes life of self-sncritice
to amassing gold.
A Washington letter writer, during the
holiday recess of Congress- and iu absence
of the usual sensational topics Of correspond
ence from the national capital, gives Some
account Of this man and his wonderful lib
rary, from which we extract the following
called on him in his library-a most
place with its dust, and age and
barreunes. He met US while passing out of
one of the roorns. If the library is dusty
aud aged aud barren, we thought, then
the library and the man are counterparts
The winds Of near eighty winters had
bleached his hair to snowy Wilderness, but
t dust Of as many summers had made III
gray and dingy. His eyes had faded in
III their color, but the sight is good, so
and are his other senses. He leans heavily
on his cane, and his memory-well that
could hardly be expected to survive its
heavy acquisitions
edo you read much now, Mr.. Force p
we asked, observing the thickness OF dust
upon his old table,
mo" he answered, 'Read very little,
and rarely ever write. Sometimes | read
the InteiIigeucer little, but it has lost it's
interest for me-.
We thought, what need is there of writ
ing now ? Half ton Of manuscript i'll his
own hand, wrapped up, labeled and slowed
away on his shelves, and 90 900 volumes
of books reaching all the way back to 1857,
the date of his oldest book Has he not
done enough. we thought, even though his
earlier works ars blotted out
His library filled four or five large rooms
on the second floor of his house. The rooms
were without carpet ornament or furniture,
save an occasional decayed chair or sickly
desk, aud the dusty backs Of these old
books stared at us forbiddiDgly like 80
many dead faces, and dared us to a nearer
approach. The rooms were cold and dark
and eXclusEa and yet-what an expires
sion they were classically grand and IN
vting. Que feels ia such place like build
ing fire, lighting the gas, locking the
doors and giving to those books the balance
of his life
Peter Force came to Washington journey
man printer in I8l5-having served his
apprenticeship IN new lOrk WIN Wiiiaii
A Davis. 1t is next to impossible to esti-
mate the immense labor he has performed
since he arrived here One can only get a
comparative idea by spending days among
his books, bis manuscripts and his publish
ed works He commenced his life as a
journalist in writing for the National Intel
ligeucer Of this city In 1920 he comnenc
ed the uuual publication aof national Cal
endar This was continued until 1886
lie also published during the years from
1923 % 1890 the offi4 Journal during The
aaui tratiop of john Quincy Adams. In
1888 he commenced the publication, under
the pg .6nage of the government. OF a doc
unls AIRY history Of the American CoIonles'
Of which nine large folio volumes were pub
Iished, bringing the history from l774 down
to 1779 The plan of American Archives
was TO publish all the important state pa
pers. letters narratives and other documents
ralat,ng to the settlement and history Of
! the limited States from the discovery OF