Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-11
THE NEW LIBRARY BUILDING.
THE PROJECT IN A HOPEFUL CoNDTTIoN-ALTER-
ALTON IN THE PLANS-A MAGNIFICENT BUILD
ING CONTEMPLATED.

THE PROJECT IN HOPEFUL CoNDITIoN-ALTER
ALTON IN THE PLANS--A MAGNIFICENT BUILD
ING CONTEMPLATED
Under resolution of Senator voorhees, tn,
last Congress appointed joint select commit
tee to inquire into and report upon the subjec
| OF additional accommodations for the Congress
slonal library. That committee performed tn,
| work assigned to it with diligence. and it wa
not its fault that library bill was not passed
Early in the present session that Joint commit
tee was continued and reappointed consisting
| OF three Senators and five Representatives, Mr.
Voorhees, being chairman on the part of the Sen
ate and Mr.. Rice. Of Massachusetts, on the par
OF the House. The committee has had severa
business meetings. They found their labors
very much Simplified by the work of the former
committee. The present committee has takey
hold OF the veXed question of the overtiowina
library and proper accommodations for it will
energy. and there is prospect that
IN THE COMING SPRING
ground will be broken for new library build
ing. The progress made already thus far by the
| unanimous agreement Of the committee, in
their report submitted lately, gives the best
augury of successful issue of the library prob
lem at the present session of Congress. The
first question considered was the site, and the
committee taking the emphatic vote in the Sen
ate last February in favor of the squares
EAST OF THE CAPITOL.
as a practical settlement of that question
agreed, therefore, to report that bill substanti-
ally as it passed the Senate. The bill provide!
for taking the squares from north b to south
in one direction and from LIST to I'd east in the
other at an apprai Sed valuation, not to exceed
in any case. the aggregate of 81 100. 900. 1t is
SAID IN favor of this site, that it is high salu
DflOus. perfectly level. near the Capitol and
with the best surroundings On all sides; that il
furnishes not only abundant room for library
to contain
TWO MILLION BOOKS
and gallery of graphic art, with abundant
space for the addition of wings when its capacity
Is reached in the remote future. but also plent,
of ground on the other side of East Capito
street for
AJuDICIARY BUILDING,
for the U. S. Supreme Court and the Depart
ment of Justice. This building, it is claimed
will be imperatively needed before many years
as the two branches of Congress require and
must have the space now occupied in the Capt.
toll by the Supreme Court and it's offices. for
legislative purposes. including many more com.
mittee rooms than the present crowded condi-
ton OF the building can afford. 1t is found, and
the report of the committee dwes on this
fact, that while the squares proposed to be
taken embrace about 1000 square feet. the
squares and avenues connecting them, and
which it is proposed to occupy with the eXcep-
ton Of East Capitol street, measure a consid.
erably larger area. This Space now occupied
by the streets and avenues. will, Of course. be
obtained by the government free of any eX.
pense.
WHICH SHALL 1T FRONT?
AS there might arise some difference OF
opinion between the two houses as to whether
the library should be located opposite the
Senate wing or that Of the House. the matter is
left to the President of the United States, to
locate the building at his discretion upon the
ground proposed. The weight of opinion in
the committee and apparently among Congress
men, is in favor of locating the library opposite
the Senate wing. and it is believed the Presi-
dent will so direct leaving the space opposite
the House wing for the judicial building.
THE BOOM OF THE BOOKS.
The annual count of the books in the Con-
gressiOnal library, recently completed under
great obstacles from its piled and over
crowded condition in all its departments. shows
that over 10000 volumes have been added
during the calendar year of 1881, carrying the
present aggregate contents of the library up to
more than 400 600 volumes besides about 1s5 OOC
pamphlets. The business of the copyright
department has been greater than in any pre-
ceding year. In fact, the library is constantly
being enriched. without dollar of expense, by
the addition OF the product Of the American
publishing houses.
CHANGE OF PLANS.
The joint committee, after due considera-
ton of the matter, decided to alter the plan
adopted by its predecessor. or rather to adopt a
t,lo for
the fact that the existing government buildings
are all of the classic or renaissance type, afford
ing no example of Gothic architecture, the com
mittee came TO the conclusion to favor, for the
new library building, composite or
MODIFIED GOTHIC STYLE
This order ofarchtecture is especially adapted
to institutions of learning. and many of the
finest libraries, universities and art galleries OF
Europe present beautiful examples of this style
of more or less painted architecture The plan
adopted, with some light notifications, vet to
be determined by the committee is that of j. L.
Smithmeyer d Co., of this city. 1t enfbodies an
edtce of the dimensions of 40 by 800 feet, with
two central spires and corner paviliOns with
numerous arched windows in the facade
SECOND ONLY TO THE CAPITOL.
The building, as far as can be Judged by the
perspective and photographs, will be, after the
Capitol. the most stately and impressive of the
public buildings of Washington.
A WEDDING OF THE OLDEN TIME.
A Gorgeous Father-in-law.
The complaints of our moralists in regar d to
the constantly increasing demands of modern
necessities of life are, like most of these lamen-
tations over the indulgences of the present age
principally founded upon an utter want OF
knowledge of the past. What, for instance,
was done in the way of wedding extrayagancies
in former centuries, and not only amongst
princes and people of high rank but even
amongst the plain. humble citizens. almost
defies credulity report of the marriage of the
daughter of baker, which occurred in the CITY
of Augsburg, Germany. in the year of 1893,
gives the following particulars: The bride wore
blue silken dress. the single parts of which
were sown together with gold .aces and over
this skirt with seam made of broad gold
band. second heavy gold band served as a
walst-ribbOn; the bracelets were set with pre-
ciOus stones. She wore shoes with heavy silver
trimmings; the carriers were woven of solid
gold threads. After the marriage ceremonies
had taken place. the guests were dined at sixty
tables. There were invited altogether nearly 800
persons. The wedding festivities lasted more
than al entire week This festive week demanded