Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-07

The library of Alexandra was the pride
and glory Of Alexandrians. They could
point the stranger TO some Of the grandest
exhibitions ofsculpture The Doric column
| threw It's shadows across the Grecian and
Ionic in the majestic temples dedicated to
the heather gods. These were all mortal
and would crumble beneath the touch Of
| the old tomb builder, Time, and in the
course of ages would be covered by the
sands of the desert, but their library was
endowed with Immortality, breathed upon
il By the spirits of those whose thoughts
we're there enshrined. There is no better
standard by which to Judge of the culture
of a people than their public library.
Public Libraries are the great educators OF
the people. They offer a pleasant and
profitable retreat for the laborer who
has an hour of leisure and wishes TO
fill his mind WITH the wisdom Of
the great and good. The ancient heather
asked wisdom of the Delphic oracle. The
polished Greciau fingered around the porch
and caught his inspiration from the lips OF
Plato. But there IL open to us every day
in our State Capitol, without money and
without price, oracles greater than tho3e of
Delphi. Grouped around on those shelves
are the sages, orators poets, and statesmen
of two thousand years. They look down
upon us with sanity benignity, and seem
with united voice TO say excelsior
There the "blind old bard of Scio's rocky
isle " still stirs the human heart to deeds
of daring, through his immortal Illiad.
There the mellow flute of Virgel still vi
brates with the fame of Trojan heroes
There stand the great literary hierarchs of
Italy, Dante, Ariosto and Bacaceio, hand
ing the fast decaying torch of letters
across the dark ages. There stands old
Chaucer ready to grasp it and TO sing
in his half-formed English, the age in which
he lived. Then comes Goethe the
Shakespeare of Germany" robed in the
deep mysticism of German trancendental-
ism, Schiller, the nations poet, blending
the philosophy and sentiment ofthe Father
land in his sOul-stirring melodies On
yonder shelf is Milton, over whose eyes
nature hung dark film, that he might see
with his spiritual eyes the vast spirit world
beyond the clouds and stars. And there
HlaHuS tJuahbpCaiFB thO NChtidi oAb dlohhu
which all genius and wisdom reVolVe, and
then there are host of other lesser lights,
all streaming down upon you till yon feel
that You are in the actual living presence
of great thinkers Of the world. 1t is con-
sidered royal privilege to stroll through
the dim aisles of Westminster Abbey and
view the sarcophagi of buried Kings, but
in this library we stand in the presence of
the spirits os the great of old, "whe still
rule us from their urns," and around whose
vestments their hangs none of the smell of
death.
To any one who loves to read, the State
library is the most Interesting spot in the
State.
There are now in our State library II, :
972 volumes, and there were from eight TO
ten thousand visitors during the past year.
DIR. Gottinger, the State Librarian, is a
German, and has collected fine assort
ment of standard German theological, lit
erary and political works. The Legisla-
ure WILL we hope, this session furnish
reading desks in the library, and then we
hope to see the State library have bound |
volume of all the leading newspapers in
the State Those wishing to visit the libra
ry will find the Librarian polite gentle |
man, aud well versed in the literature of
the age