Wichita eagle., 1889-01-24
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
We havereceived from Hon. F.

We have received from Hon. F. G..
Adams, secretary, the sixth biennial re-
port or the Kansas State Historical so
ciety. The report covers the period from
January 1s, 1887, to November 10, 1888.
During this time there have been added
to the library of the society, of bound
volumes, 1873; unbound volumes and
pamphlets, $3.50; volumes of newspa-
pers and periodicals., 1895; single news
papers, 1,754; maps, aliases and charts,
116; manuscripts, 662; pictures and
works of art, 275; scrip, currency, coins
and medals, 80; war relics, II; miscel-
laneous contributions, 229.
The library additions of books, PAM
phlets and newspaper files. not includ-
ing duplicates, number 1854 volumes.
Of these, 1901 have been procured by
gift, and 1888 by purchase.
The whole number sof volumes in the
library at the present time is as follows.
namely: 9,971 bound volumes: 80, 353 un-
bound volumes; 1881 bound newspaper
files and volumes of periodicals.; in all,
As. 305 volumes. Of the newspaper
NOiohiCos -, tt5 die VI 1AdlL0dSs
The report contains a list of Kansas
newspapers and periodicals now pub
lished, from which it appears that they
now number 1927 in ALL Of these 10 are
dailies; 733 are weeklies: semi-weekly;
40 monthlies; / semi-monthly; 2 BIZ
monthhes, quarterlies and one occa-
sional. They are nearly all being re-
ceived by the society, and are bound
and placed on the library shelves for
reference. They come from all of the
100 counties of Kansas, and record the
history of the people in all the commu-
mites.
The list and tables which the report
contains show that there is being made
up by this society for the use of the peo-
pie of Kansas library of history and
reference, remarkable in its growth,
and still more remarkable in the charac-
ter and value of the materials which it
contains. They show that the growth
of the library and collections has steadily
continued from year to year during the
thirteen years of the society's existence,
and that in that time there have been
placed on the library shelves more
than forty-eight thousand volumes of
books, newspaper files and pamphlets;
and in addition to these, this and former
reports show collection of manuscripts.
pictures, statuary, relicts and objects of
historical illustration of every kind and
description. almost countless in mum Der.
The character of these materials is
such as was contemplated in the organi-
.Zation of the society, and such as the
law directs the society to bring into its
library and collections. They are chiefly
the printed and written records of the
people of Kansas. The history of the
struggles and triumphs of the people of
Kansas, from the earliest day to the
present, have been and are being more
fully recorded by pen and printing press
than ever before was that of any people,
and our historical society is very fully
gathering in and placing accessibly On
its shelves the record as thus being made
up. The published statistics of
the libraries of the country
show that the library of the Kansas
historical society is the largest historical
library west of the Mississippi river, and
the largest but one west of the Allegheny
mountains. When it is considered that
this library is not composed of evanes-
cent books of the literature of the day,
written and printed for the amusement
of the hour, but that 1t chiefly contains
the original records of the facts in the
history of our own pioneer people, of the
first generation of the founders and
builders of the state, it may be well said
that when we speak of its remarkable
growth in the number ..of its volumes,
we present feature of but slight con-
sideration compared with that of the
character of the volumes which it con-
tains as original materials of history.
The Legislature should make ample APP
preparations to carry on this work.