New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-12

q afespe1tehy ibraT Sefq3 Woe
once popular volumes like Les AtserG
bles are in most naiseroNe condition,
I "A so0mhf1eee -
Al Edmund Kirke, that would-be peacemaker,
who visited the authorities at Richmond
with Rev. Colonel James +. Jacques, during
the rebellion, in the vain hope of patching
up peace. The marginal notes. on the
i volumes kirke wrote about being Among
the Pines" in Tennessee, and drifting gen.
ferally in DixieHlzile attemptmft al
Yankees. by their sareasms, things, inyecl
Hyes and foul Ian gllage generally are Only
damnatory Of the brainless, defiiing, blot
ting scribblers that have so shamefully and
vilely misised these and other volumes.
| 1t is only by looking through each volume
| that the full damage done the library by
malignant, or at beast nlischieyous and de-
stru6tive miitilators, is ascertained. Thus
YOU are inclined to sing a song, unless you
are ''it for treasons, stratagems and spOlls,
like these book destrOyers. You take up
| Samuel Lover, and search for that song of
| good Omens, 'ROry O'More," and find it
| cut, out bodily from the book. Looking
further, dozens of leaves are found similarly
| treated. Verify, she who steals" such
books steals trash.D - p cy. q o. o.
| An observable loss to the library is seen
| in missing volumes of cyclopedias-works
the walls of a library. Volumes SIX and
nine of that excellent work, the new Ameri-
| can CyclOpedia, are missing. Only three
| volumes of the "Annual Cyclopedia are
seen, none having been obtained, possibly,
| since 1868. t...-..-t sl IL ....4.
| ,,mes Of the Smithsonian Contributions to
Knewletlge,'' which have been donated to
the Library by that institution. The last
number of this series of publications which
seems to have been received-for there is
little record of anything in this Library-is
volume thirteen, published in 1863. The
succeeding volumes could OF course he had
on application to the able and eminent
secretary of that institution. Your wishes,
however, in this respect, are requested, as
they are alsO IN relation TO the continuation
Of the "AnnuaI Cyclopedia," by the Apple
TONS '---
Thus far of negligence only. It is dis
tasteful to speak of matters of fraud. One
matter may be mentioned in this line, how
ever 1t may or may not have before at
tracted the attention Of an interested, out
ragged public. Reference is had to the pur-
chase, eighteen to twenty months ago, by
those in control of this library, of ab0nt
dozen bills of books in the space of less
than three months, for which over $1,000
cash seems to have been paid. From
glance at the duplicate bills on file in the
library, and at the books then purchased,
it is apparent that a more worthless mass of
rubbish was never palmed off upon pub
lie institution of this kind. OF what was
this library guilty, that such a mass
Of obsolete, forgotten, stale, time
worn, moth eaten, faded, decayed,
effete matter should be thrust upon it; and
cash, good greenbacks, taken out Of the
treasury to pay for the same, instead of be-
ing devoted to the purchase Of something
uovr o,,I f,,os1, ov,1 vor%b <ba IN u,licb
we live. Had this trumpery been be9ueathed
or donated to the library by some dealer in
second hand, antiguated books as gracious
gift, no such stuff should have been received.
Your finance, library, or other committee il |
respectfully requested to look into these
purchases, and see ifthere is not remedy
for the wrong done. The eleven bills are
dated from September to December q,
lS66.s~ q ~ To zs3sfT.9-,s-e liz n4---f'
There is urgent want, of a catalogue of |
the ibrarys books. Without this indispen-
sable assistant, and a .systematic arrange |
ment of the books in the cases, and in the |
manner Of their being taken out, the library |
must remain almost valueless. A small |
sum will print a catalogue that will suffice |
for the immediate wants of the library's |
thousand patrons. With your consent, this |
being favorable season therefor, the library |
shall be closed the last two weeks of this |
month, before school vacation, in order to |
arrange inventory, and catalogue il, after |
having advertised and taken such other |
steps as may be deemed necessary to cause
the return of as many as possible of the |
thousands of volumes now scattered |
throughout the city.
The records show that over one thousand |
persons are now taking books from the IL |
brary, according to such regulations as have
been heretofore established. OF these, four |
hundred and forty are life members, three
hundred and nineteen pupils, two hundred
and forty teachers, and twenty-One irregu-
lar or yearly subscribers. As the books
also show the names OF about eight hundred
and seventy-five life members, the number
who are entitled to the privilege of taking
out books is much greater than one thou
sand-a number quite sufficient to keep |.
your librarian busy attending to their calls
for books.
! The chaste and elegant room in the City
Hall, devoted to the library, has been shame
fully sighted and neglected by those in au-
tho1ity for many years; and it has been
treated with equal indignity by the present
city administration, while fully attending to
the restoration or rejuvenescence of all other
departments in the building. The shabby
oil cloth on its floor throughout the war, and
as long as the siege of Troy is in an irretriev-
able condition. No physic will resuscitate
the ragged green baize which once covered
the two octogonal tables that are
ss o together by ,,t leaning ing against
paintless pillars, which support the dirty,
1nwhitewashed ceiling. Do, messieurs, the
school Directors, if you have jurisdiction
ver this hall, do something to redeem and
-efresh this resort of the wives, and
daughters, and sons of the proud Crescent
City. A new, bright, clean, lively cOlored
Ill cloth on the floor, would have ten
lency to make even TOpsy of child |
aspect the books obtained from such a /.
roper hall. "Cleanliness is akin to god
mess" and with such dirty looking hall
contempt for our books is not surprising
All that can be has been done
Dy your Librarian. The floor Mas
been scrubbed until a scarcity of water and
|. rise in the price of brOoIns are complained
#. The marble busts Of Peters and Of the /
% me unknown gentleman with the Roman
leck and curled hair, to his right, have been
washed regularly. But the bust of Ger
nanys great poet, christian and scholar,
an only be made spOtless, like the character
# the original, by a coat Of white paint, as
t is composed Of plaster and will not wash
] II the management and renting Of Lycellm
Hall is within your jurisdiction and that of
the Librarian, and IN that of the Mayor, as
claimed it is, hoped that there will be a
"reminiscences Of everything connected with
that lecture and, concert hall-a renewal Of
the drapery, curtains, etc. and full direc-
ions gwen the librarian as to the 4
character OF entertainments, lectures, etc,
for which it is to be rented, and the scale Of
prices he shall exact, and the destination of
the proceeds Defined For the account thus
far kept of the small financial matters of tbe
Library anu Lyceul Hall YOU are referred