Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-11
Aa1lcaster fntellige1lcer.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEB. IL, 1880.
The Congressional Library.

The library was founded April oath,
1900. Then no library in the country
exceeded fifteen thousand volums. Yet
when the proposition was made, the fol-
lowing year, to allow a thousand dollars
for the purchase of books, Senator Bayard
said it was claimed "we were the most
enlightened people on the face op the
earth" But he wisely added, elf that
was not altogether true, let us be SO as
much as possible" A Massachusetts,
Congressman advised the appropriation of
ten thousand dallars annually for library
purposes. The thousand dollars year
was agreed upon for ten years; then for
nine years two Thousand year then five
thousand, and in 1854 ten thousand dollars
were appropriated to enlarge the Library.
Twice it has been burned-in 1914, when
the Capitol was burned by the British !;
and in 1851 by fire arising from defec-
tive flue.
In 1915 the Thomas Jefferson Library,
of seven thousand volumes, was bought at
the cost of s23, $50, long credit for pay
ment making it a good purchase. MIR.
these books, and many of them related to
American history.
Mr.. Spofford, the accomplished libra
rian, divides the library into five epochs.
beginning with this purchase. Next after
the fire in 1851, $85, 600 were appropriated
for books and $72, 500 to repair the room.
and that was the first time in America OF
using cast iron for the interior of any edl-
flee. Before the fire of 1851, the collec-
ton numbered fifty-five thousand vol
umes; the fire reduced them to twenty
Thousand, so that we might call the Il
brary not much more than a century old.
Again. the third epoch, when the Smith
sonia Scientific library was added in 1866
The fourth epoch, 1867, when the fire-proof
wings were added and the Peter Force Ii
brary purchased for 100000. The fifth
epoch was in 1870, the introduce
ton of the copyright system,
which makes the library the
recipient of all publications protected by
law this immense source for obtaining
books and publications costing the govern
ment nothing. The Smithsonian collection
is owned Oh the responsibility OF making
its stores contribute to the diffusion OF
knowledge among men; thus it seems OBJ
ligatory that the library be accessible to
the people. 1t should be open evenings
which it is not now-for those who cannot
come by day.
If the Royal society of London had not
rejected Mr.. James SmithsOn's contrbu
ton to scientific research, it would have
received his fortune instead of the United
States. 1t amounted to S651 900, and O.
this, 5000 year are devoted to procur
ing, publishing, and distributing original
contributions to human knowledge; thi:
contains the transaction of learned societies
all over the globe.
The library-and it's recovery from TIVE
fires, from 1900 to 1S7S-had cost s64O, 900
Now the country has ,, 700 libraries, con
tanning 12,OOO,OOO volumes. The Ii
brary has doubled the number of volume
twice in fifteen years. 1t has now 352, Ga
volumes and 100, 900 pamphlets, and will
no doubt have 9, ,OOO, 900 before the close o
the century Unless we wish to be at tn
expense of two buildings for this purpose
it is necessary that this shall be twO-third
the size of the capitol. Only twelve Euro
pean libraries outnumber this. The Brit
ish1 Museum library, numbers. !, 100, 90
volumes, cost So, ,O0O,OO The English ar
proud of it and spare no expense the
have maps of our little counties, historic
and careful records of our affairs whic
they say we cannot find in our own coun
try.