Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-11-28
THE Congressional Library.

The Congressional Library.
In December, 1854, DR.. Stephenson
resigned, and President Lincoln APP
pointed Mr.. Spofford librarian, posi-
ton for which he was eminently quail
fed, and the Library of Congress has
since borne testimony to his varied
knowledge, to his untiring industry,
and to his never-failing courtesy. The
Jeffersonian systenaof classification was
abandoned as unsuited to the necessities
of readers consulting large library,
and new catalogue of the books, ar
ranged alphabetically under the head
of authors, was issued, followed by an
other catalogue, arranged according to
subjects. Congressman now, finding
that the library was of practical use 10
them. voted liberal appropriations for
its enlargement, and the books which
had been collected by the Smithsonian
Institution-numbering some 10000
volumes in all-found resting place
on its shelves, relieving the regents of
tie expense of caring for them. The
hbrary of Peter Force, purchased OF
him for $10a, 1000, was a more valuable
acquisition, embracing some 45 900
separate titles, among which were
inany valuable works on only Ameri-
can history, with maps, newspapers,
pamphlets, and manuscripts, illustra-
ting the colonial and revolutionary
epocfls. -
To accommodate these large addi-
tions to the library two new halls were
added, extending eastward from the
north and south ends of the main hall
h, Ir<<,xlr, 1asor;ho1Nr opd forp,ipnx ~, VOC.
bsideS of a square. These additional
halls, which are also constructed entire
ly of iron, are each ninety-fye feet in
length, twenty-nine feet six inches In
width and thirty-eight feet high, which
are so nearly the dimensions OF the
main hall that the difference is not
noticed, although they have each an
additional tier of galleries. t'
In the south wing are the treasures of
the Force collection, now being cata-
llogued and classified, and partly piled
up in stacks. There are nearly 1000
volumes of American newspapers, in
Guiding 245 printed prior to 1900; a
large collection of the journals anu laws
of the colonial Assemblies, showing
the legislative policy which eliminated
in their independence; the highly priz-
J. ed publications of the presses OF the
Bradfords, Benjamin Franklin, and
| Isaiah Thomas; fOrty-one different
! works of Increase and Cotton Mather,
printed at Cambridge and Boston, from
| 1871 to 1875; a perfect copy of that
| raresti6f American books, Eiiots In
4 dian Bible; and a large and valuable
collection of sincunabula," illustrating
| the progress os the art of printing from
Fits infancy, phe.mauuscripts are even
more valuable than the printed books,
including two autograph journals ol
George Washington Lone dated ITS,
during Bfaddock's k's expedition, and one
in l7s7, at Mount Vernon; two vol.
umes of an original military journal oi
| Major Gen. Greene, 17S1-82; twelve
folio volume of the papers of Paul Jones
while commanding American cruisers
in 1776-78; a. private journal Lett by
| Arthur Lee while minister 10 France in
! 1776-77: thirty or forty orderly books oil
| the Revelation; forty-eight volumes Of
| historical autographs of great rarity
and interest; and an, i'm menSe mass Of
manuscript materials for the "Ameri.
can Archives" documentary history
| of America the publication Of which
was seommenced by order eff Congress.
The only cause for regret connected
with this wing of the library, where
the literary treasures collected by Peter
Force are enshrined, is that his life
could not have been spared long enough
to have seen his beloved collection So
well cared for by the republic.
In the north wing are the illustrated
works and collections of engrayings,
nj
sit at the tables there provided for their
accommodation and enjoy the reproduc-
tions of the choicest art treasures of the
Old World. In the upper gallery OF
this wing are. bound copies of the peri
odicals of all nations, embracing COM
plete series of the leading magazines OF
Great Britain and of the United States.
An adjacent attic hall is devoted to the
collection of newspapers-those repos-
itories of general information which
had been ignored prior to the admins
tration of Mr.. Spoford, but to. which
he has paid especial attention. Among
! the unbroken files are those of the New
York EUe1iag Post from the issue of its
first number in 1901, the London Ga
zette from 1865, the French Moniteur
| (royal, imperias and republican,. from
| 1889, the London Times, and the Lon
don illustrated Neaos. The prominent
daily journals of New York are now
regularly filed, and bound at the close
of each year, and there is a complete
set of all the newspapers which have
been published in the District of Co
lumbia, including over one hundred
which no longer live. s3gl
A rigid enforcement of that provision
of the copyright law which makes ii
obligatory to deposit in the library a
copy of every work 'sentered according
to act of Congress-" secures complete
collection of American publications,
which could not be otherwise obtained.
These copyright books are OF increas-
| ing importance, extent, and value, and
will constitute a curious record of the
growth and style of our national litera-
ture. There is, of course, q complete
collection of all the varied publications
of the Federal Government, and by
law fifty additional copies of each work
are printed for the Libraryof Congress,
to be used in a well-regulated system
of International exchanges, (which
brings in return the valuable public
documents of other nations. ~ Liberal
appropriations are annually made by
Congress, for the purchase of books and
! newspapers, while the large amount OF
binding required is executed at the
government printing-ofice without
taxing the funds of the library. The
annual appropriations--after provision
has been made for the foreign and do
mestic serials, and for the most iinpor-
tant issues of the press abroad in juris-
, nrudauca nOlifical economy history
! and allied topics-are distributed in the
purchase of books in all departments
| of literature and science, no general
topic being neglected, although as yet
none can be assumed as being complete
To that end auction lists and trade c,ita.
flogues are assiduously read and profited
4 Ir.tk Ai<>., L. 1.