The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-12-13
The CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY.

\
coin appointed Mr.. Spoford Ii
brarian, q position for which he
was eminentIy qualified, and the
Library of Congress has since
borne testimony to his varied
knowledge, to his untiring indus
try,aand to his never-failing cour-
tesy. The Jeffersonian system of
classification was abandoned as
unsuited to the necessities of read
ers consulting a large library, and
a new catalogue of the books, ar
ranged alphabetically under the
head of authors, was issued, fol-
lowed by another catalogue, ar
ranged according to subjects.
congressman now, finding that
the library was of practical use to
them, voted liberal appropriations
for its enlargement, and the books
which had been collected by
Smithsonian NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ing some 10000 volumes in all
found a resting-place on its
shelves, relieving the regents of
the expense of caring for them.
The library of Peter Force, pur-
chased of him for 100000, was
a more valuable acquisition, en-
bracing some $4,000 separate
titles, among which were many
valuable works on early American
history, with maps, newspapers,
pamphlets, and manuscripts, IL
lustrating the colonial revolution
airy epochs.
To accommodate these large
additions to the library two new
halls were added, extending east
ward from the north and south
ends of the main hall (already
| described), and forming three sides
of 8 square. These additional
| halls, which are also constructed
| entirely of iron, are each ninety
five feet in length, twenty-nine feet
six inches in width, and thirty
eight feet high, which are SO near
Iy the dimensions of the main hall
that the difference is not noticed,
although they have each an addi-
tional tier of galleries.
In the south wing are the treas
ures Of the Force collection, now
being catalogued and classified,
and partly piled up in stacks.
There are nearly 1000 volumes OF
American newspapers, including
245 printed prior to 1900; large
collection of the journals and
laws of the colonial Assemblies,
showing the legislative policy
which eliminated in their indie
| pendence; the highly priced publ
cations of the presses of the Brad
fords, Benjamin Franklin, and
Isaiah Thomas; forty-one differ
emit works of Increase and Cotton
Mather, printed at Cambridge and
Boston, from 1871 to 1875; per
feet copy of that rarest of Ameri-
can books, Eliot's Indian Bible;
and a large and valuable collection
of ssincunabula," illustrating the
progress Of the art of printing
from its infancy. The manuscripts
| are even more valuable than the
printed books, including two au-
tograph journals of George Wash
ington-one dated 1775, during
Braddock's expedition, and one in
1887, at Mount Vernon; two vol
umes of an original military jour
nal of Major General Greene, 1881
50; twelve folio volumes of the
papers OF Paul Jones while com
manding American cruisers il
| 1776-7s; a private journal left by
Arthur Lee while minister tt
i France in 1776-77; thirty or forty
orderly books of the Revolution
forty-eight volumes OF histories
autographs of great rarity and in
terest; and an immense mass O.
manuscript materials for thu
"American Archiyes'-a docu
mentary history of America, tn
publication of which was com
menced by order of Congress
The only cause for regret connec
ted with this wing Of the library
where the literary treasures col
lected by Peter Force are enshrin
ed, is that his life could not hav
been spared long enough to hav
seen his beloved collection SO wei
!, cared for by the republic.
In the north wing are the illus
! trated works and collections @
engravings, which always attrac
| visitors, who can sit at the table
there provided for their accommc
!, dalton and enjoy the reproduC
|. tions of the choicest art treasure
Of the Old World. In the uppe
gallery of this wing are boun
copies of the periodicals of &
nations, embracing complete sci
!. les of the leading magazines {
II Great Britain and OF the Unite
|. States. An adjacent attic hall i
devoted to the collection OF new.
+ papers-those repositories of gene
. raj information which had bee
ignored prior to the administrs
> ton of Mr.. Spoford, but
which he has paid especial after
ton. Among the unkroken file
are those of the New York Ever
ing Post from the Issue of its FIR.
number in 1901, the London G,
zette from 1865, the French Mon
teur (royal, imperial and republ
= CAM from 1889, the London Time
y and the London Illustrated New
q The prominent daily journals {
), New York are now regularly fillet
2 and Bound at the close of eac
year, and there is a complete 81
of all the newspapers which hay
. been published in the District c
. Columbus, including over one hun
dred which no longer live.
ri a rigid enforcement of that prt
i vision of the copyrights law whic
I'll makes it obligatory TO deposit |
= she library a copy of every wor
: entered according to act of Col
* gress," secures a complete cole
/ ton Of American publication
which could not be otherwise oil
tanned. These copyright bool
are of increasing Importance, e,
;: tent, and value, and viii constitur
+ . curious record OF the growth N
y style of our national Iiteratur
le There is, Of course, q compile
le collection OF all the varied PM
: LEGATIONS OF the federal COVER
= ment, and by law fifty addition
. copies of each work are printe
al for the Library OF Congress, TO
used in = well-regulated system