Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-09-09
THE NATIONS LIBRARY.
A Big Concern and the Man Who Manages 1t
-0mniscient SpOffOrd.

A Big Concern and the Man Who Manages 1t
-Omniscient SpOffOrd.
Washington correspondent of The
Cincinnati Times-Star writes: One of
the busiest persons in Washington these
hot summer days is Ainsworth R. Spot
ford, the librarian of congress. While
other people are disporting themselves by
mountain or seaside, he is busy with his
plans for the new library building. And
while other people are happy in their re-
lief from work he is more happy in this
opportunity to devote himself to this
work. 1t has been the pet project of his
existence for many years. There has
been bill after bill in congress for the
erection of library building, and Mr.
Spoford has been waiting for these many
years to see the accomplishment of his
hopes. Now that the proposition has &C.
tually become fact, and the land for the
site has been purchased, he cheerfully re-
linquishes his summer vacation for the
work he has so long hoped to see accom-
plished.
Mr.. SpoffOrd is wonderful man. Talk
of walking encyclopedias, he is an ency-
clopedia of encyclopedias, and walking
one, too. No matter what you want to
know, if it is to be found out in books,
you have only to go to Mr.. Spofford and
he will put you in way to find it. He is
one of the busiest men in Washington,
but never too busy to answer question re-
lating to information to be had from
books. Approach him on any other sub
ject than the one connected with his line
of study, and his replies are brief, often if
monosyllobles, showing that he takes no
interest in the subject. Turn the CONVEX
sation to books of a kindred topic, and
he is all attention. He has studied the
library buildings of the world, and the
new building which is to be constructed
under his supervision will be a model, so
far as it may with the rather limited sum
which congress tardily and grudgingly
gave for the preservation of the splendid
library which Mr.. Spofford has had in
keeping and which has so largely accum-
ulated in the past twenty-five years.
The libary of congress, to which Mr..
Spofford was appointed librarian by Pres
ident Lincoln in 1868, then consisted of
perhaps $4,000 volumes. Now it contains
100000 volumes Of books and pamphlets.
Then its quarters were considered COM
mOdious and capacious; now they are
crowded with piles and boxes of books
that can not be used because there is not
room for their distribution, and many
dark rooms in the basement of the CAPT
tOl are filed with volumes which can not
be given accommodation in the library it.
self. Then the salary of the librarian and
his assistants was $4,000 or $1,000 year;
now their total salaries amount to nearly
$4,000 year. Then the library was sur
passed by many in different parts of the
world: now there are but four in the entire
world which outrank it. At the rate of in
crease which has been the rule for many
years past, Mr.. Spofford will have a round
million of books and pamphlets to store
away In his new library building when it
is completed. The rate of increase in the
number of works in the library in the past
year has been very rapid. By law every
person who has book copyrighted must
send two copies to the library. Besides
this congress gives from $4,000 to $4,000
year for the purchase of books for it,
and under the careful management of Mr.
Spofford this gives rapid increase in
the number of its works. The library
now is increasing at the rate of nearly
fifty thousand volumes year The col
lection is a wonderful one. 1t com prises
books in ten different languages, and on
of every work published. Many of the
works upon the shelves are especially val
liable for their antiquity, while in all new
publications, both in this country and
elsewhere, it keeps fully up to the times.
The library, while it is called the library
of congress, is really the library of the
people. Anybody who visits it may ex-
anime at his leisure any of the works up
on its shelves, and, by depositing the
value of any book, may take it to his
home and keep it for a considerable time
1t is the Mecca of the historian and care
full writer from all parts of the country.
They travel here to study the works of
reference upon its shelves, and any day
you may see within its walls men and
women of letters studying the valuable
records which it contains.
The library was founded in 1902 with
some three thousand volumes carefully
selected in London. John Randolph was
one of its earliest friends and supporters.
Jefferson was also its friend and when he
found 1t necessary to part with his fine
collection of books they were promptly
purchased by congress and added to the
library. It is said that Jefferson shed
tears on parting with his library, which
was for that time very fine one. Like
other features of the great government
1t has had Its reverses. It was DESTROYED
by fire when the British invaded Wash
ington in 1914. They took the books
from the library, which was then in the
capitol, as 1t Is nov, and, piling them on
the floor of the hall of representatives,
| set fire to them, and thus fired the great
building. Thirty-seven years later a fire
caused by defective hue DESTROYED half
| the library, which then consisted of some
| sixty thousand volumes.
| Ivy or any vine that runs perpendicular
| ly up tree does not injure it, unless
branches from the vine run up the bran
ches, and by its mass of leaves smother