National Republican., 1881-02-05

with proper space and offices for the multifarioui
business of the copyright department.
EXTENDING ITS usefulness.
This building when erected, should be freely
opened every evening to all who choose to resor
to it for information thereby increasing the pub
lie intelligence and giving everybody a chance tC
these rich stores of the worlds literature and
science. They have been gathered by Congress
primarily for the use and reference of the legis
! lative and judicial branches of the Government;
but now they are grown utterly beyond the wants
or possible use of Congress- and it is not fair that
so enormous a collection oflearning, with such ca
pacities for usefulness, should be confined 10 SC
very narrow circle of readers. While it would
not be proper to make the Library of the Govern
ment circulating library ii would be step il the
direction of progress to throw open its doors at
hours when all could enter and avail themselves
of these mediums of enlightenment.
The Senate and House have separate libraries,
convenient to their respective chambers, contain
ing many thousand volumes and this separation
of the Congressional Library from the Capitol
building would work no hardship to them, while
the transfer of its benefits TO the public, under
wholesome rules and restrictions, would elevate its
chamcter and operate to change the name TO that
of the United States Library, as it should be.
The present law library, formerly the old Su-
preme Court room, contains 5 legal authorities,
and should be moved up in the present library
when the time comes The respectability Of such
change is apparent and its capacity is sufficient
for some time.
LIBRARIES OF EUROPE
The largest library in the world is that of the
French, at Paris, which contains to-day upward OF
100000 printed books and $4,000 manuscripts.
Between the Imperial Library at ST. Petersburg
and the British Museum tits difficult to say which
is the larger. Neither will vary much from no.,
600 volumes. The Royal Library of Munich has
now something over 100000, but this includes
100000 pamphlets; the Royal Library at Berlin
tains 100000; the library at Copenhagen, $4,000;
the library at Dresden, 100000; the Imperial
Library at Vienna, 10000: University Library at
GottingeD, Germany. 100000. The Vatican Lii
brary at Rome has about 10000 printed books, and
commenced in 1873. There are about sixty other
libraries i'll Europe larger than the Vatican Ii
brary.
The National Library of Paris is one of the very
oldest i'll Europe, having been founded i'll 1850, al
though the University Library Prague is reported
founded the same year. The British Museum dates
its commencement about four hundred years later
-I7J3
COMPARISONS WITH MODERN LIBRARIES.
The Congressional Library $50 called to-day num-
bcFS S90001 volumes: the Boston Public Library
comes next, with about 300,O00 Including the du-
picates in its seven branchcSt the Harvard nj
versity collection comes next, with about 8t5, 900;
the Astor and Mercantile, of New York, have each
about 10000 Yale College has about lii 500; Dart
mouth about n 900; Cornell University with II 900;
the University of Virginia. 1000; BowdOn. with
5000; the University ofSouth Carolina with 0010;
Michigan State, 5000; Amherst, $500; Princeton,
u flg
lumbia University, South Carolina, $1,000.
1t will thus be seen that our National Library, as
it should be called, exceeds in numbers all but
eight, and possibly nne of the ancient libraries Of
Europe, and all in America
THE REVENUES.
The fee for every publication copyrighted is fifty
cents for the record and similar amount for the
certificate. making an aggregate OF 81 for each
article presented. This is paid over monthly TO
the Secretary of the Treasury and enters in no way
into the Library fund. The annual revenues vary
from $1,000 to $1,000, leaving net profit to the
Government of from 81 900 to 5000 and increasing
yearly.
The joint committee of Congress have selected
Judiciary Square as the site OF the new National
Library building. They have asked for pTelimi-
nary appropriation of SI0O),0O0. The building,
when finished, is estimated az S3009,0O0 i'll round
plated.
LIBRARY ACCoMNoDATION.
The Secretary of the Interior, Architect Of the
Capitol, and Tie Congressional Librarian are the
commissioners proposed to overlook the work.
There are 100000 volumes on hand to-day. 1t
will require about three years to finish the new
building, which, at the rate of20GG0 new additions
every year, aggregate collection of $4,000 vol
umes to find room for immediate accommodation
when the removal takes place. To calculate for
the collections to come during the next century we
respectfully refer the commissioners TO Byrnes
tables of of logaTithms as the easiest method of
ascertaining the result.
Now that President is elected, and there will
be four wears of rest from sham reform and peliti-
cal economy, it is to be hoped that Congress will
promptly pass appropriations commensurate with
the present usefulness and future immensity of
this growing adjunct to national fame Fur
ther delay under any pretenSe whatever, will de-
crease the market value of each book equal to the
time delayed and necessitate substitution of new
ones after all at market prices. This idea is thrown
out gratuitOusly i'll order to catch the eye of the
average economist.