Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-03-06
LIB IL RANIE:S.

!
LIBRARIES.
AS far back into the misty past as
we can trace from the records of his
i tory, we find the enlightened of each
age making costly efforts to collect
and preserve the history of their own
and previous ages To this end some
of the grandest structures in the
world have been dedicated, and from
| these. rich with the records Of ancient
lore, there sprang up, centuries ago,
several celebrated schools of learning
and philosophy, whose influences have
not died out to the present day, and
never will.
The first library we have an authen-
tic account of, was founded at Athens,
| that seat of intellectual culture, by
Pisistratus. This library was doubt
less the reason Plato, Aristotle and
several other most distinguished phil
osophers founded their academies and
schools of learning in that city, and
which has done far more to glorify
! and immortalize Athens, thar the
grandeur and magnifcence of its tenn
pies. They are crumbling away, and
in time will mingle with the dust, and
| be no more forever while the learn
ing of her schools is immortal, en-
balmed Oh the shelves of every cele-
brated library since the days of Plato,
and enriching the shelves OF our own
collections, in q measure, beyond cal
culation.
The most celebrated library of an
city of Aexandrias ff6s capif9. IL the Sa
Lower Egypt. 1t was first formed by
the Ptolemies, Softer, Lagides and
Philadelphus. To add to this library,
to say the least, arbitrary and question
able measures were resorted to by the
government, when books imported
from Greece were served by the royal
officers, and placed on the shelves of
the library, copies only Of which were
given to the owners. There were two
of thee libraries in Alexandria-one
was in the magnificent ediice belong
ing to the academy and museum and
numbered 400, coo Volumes. The other
WAS in the Serapion, the temple of
Jupiter Serapis and contained 800, ,0O0
volumes. The first was burned dur
ing the serge OF the city by julius
Cirzar The other WAS preserved until
the t!,u, If I'heodosius the Great, who
caused all the hcathen temples,
throughout the Roman Empire, to be
destroyed, not even sparing the beau
tiful temple Of Jupiter Scraps, and
the invaluable collection within its
walls. Tie loss OF this library has
been the regret of scholars of every
age of the world, from that day, to
the present. If that library could be
restored to the world, what EerpleNing
questions respecting the arts, sciences
and history Of the apcients would 1t
uuravel, and who can tell what lost
arts wuIII be restored, and what i'm
portant results would follow i'll the
srain. In all probability when those
manuscripts weie destroyed, the key
was turned which locked secrets of
greatest import to the world, which
will never be brought to light again.
But the ancients were not the only
people who have highly estimated the
importance Of libraries. In our day
we have only to consider that the great
library at Munich contains 100000
volumes. That of Paris, he Royal,
has 100000 volumes and $4,000
manuscripts. The British Museum
has 100000 volumes, and $4,000
manuscripts. Neither of these val
liable and costly collections could
be purchased with the whole State
of North Carolina.
In our own new country the most
laudab!e efforts are being made all the
while, to enrich our libraries, and al
ready we have several of which we
may justly feel proud. The impor-
tance of libraries, not only for places
of reference and scientific research, but
as great storehouses where we may
preserve the records of our own histo-
nv. and advancement in the arts and
sciences, for the benefit of posterity,
cannot be questioned. Whatnewdiscov-
cries we make in our own day and gen.
Grafton, through libraries, we transmit
to our descendants, the same as former
generations have transmitted theirs to
us. It may be humiliating reflection.
but it is true, that our knowledge, apart
from what we have learned from those
who have gone before us, is SO insig-
nifcant, that it if could be separated
and put in a pile by itself, we would
be ashamed to own it. When we step
into one of these great mental reser-
voirs, the works of man for twenty
centuries, with misty prospect far
beyond, stand before us. The estab-
lishment of these storehouses of learn
ing and records of the past, has proved
to be of the greatest blessing to man
kind. No nation, no people, no city,
can afford to be without q library.
It is an indispensable requisite, and