The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-27

Sherman will have no more books
nlaced on this floor, on account Of their
weicht. Those already in the mansard
will weigh many tons, and the floors.
though strong, might give way under the
pressure. The library on the ground floor
Is twenty-five feet square and the books
here are of all kinds. from science to nc
fion. Two large cases are taken up with
volumes relating to the war. One is de-
voted to modern science, and Mill and
Spencer here stand side by side with OAR
win and Huxley. Another large section
of the library is devoted 20 financial au-
thorities and another TO American biog-
raphies. In looking over the books no.
ticed that Brvant's Iliad is well thumbed,
and. finding the complete works of all the
great novelists in another section, asked
Senator Sherman who was his fayorlte au-
thor in fiction, and he told me 1t was
Walter Scott. These books are IN walnut
cases, which run within, / judge, about
four feet of the ceiling. There
are no doors in front of them and
the books are so arranged that the
senator can get what he wants on short
notice Throughout the whole library /
noticed a methodical and systematic ar
rang.ment, and among the most valuable
books of his whole collection are bound
pamphlets, dozen or so being put to-
gether in each volume. and complete in
dex of contents made to it.
VALUABLE AUTOGRAPHS.
In one corner of the library I saw the
great fireproof vault in which the senator
keeps his private papers. This vault is as
big as a hall bedroom. 1t is filed with
shelves. and it contains tens of thousands
of private letters and documents which
would make the fortune of a literateur.
Here there is large collection of scrap
Aoa 10 yraa Uh ha
entered public life, nearly fifty years
ago, and all the important let
ters which he has received dur
ing his long public career are here.
Senator Sherman has been noted for
knowing how to keep his mouth shut, and
nuhIic men have opened their minds to
him without restraint. There are vol
urnes of unwritten history in these letters,
and the names signed 10 them are those OF
the great men and women in nearly every
branch of life, public and private. for the
last generation and a half. There are
about fifteen volumes, each as big as die
tionary, which contain letters put aside
principally for their autographs, and in
looking over one of these, devoted TO men
who are not politicians, | opened at ran
dom to letters from Jay Gould,
Cyrus w. Field, noted Sisters of Charity,
great preachers and others. AS / looked,
Senator Sherman told me he thought he
could show me an autograph letter from
any noted man | should select who had,
during the past forty years, been promi-
nent in either this country or in Europe.
! ransacked my brain and finally asked
him to show me letter from Francis Lie
her. the noted German scholar. al think
| have several" replied Senator Sherman.
and with that he turned to the index of
another volume. and then turned over the
leaves until he came to half dozen letters
which Lieher had written him concerning
the most famous of his books.
JOHN AND TEcUMsEH.
Among the most interesting letters
which Senator Sherman has ever written
are those which he penned to his brother,
General Sherman, and the correspondence
of these two brothers will, when it is pub
lished, be one of the most valuable and in
teresting books of American history. Sem
ator Sherman has preserved carefully all
the letters of his brother from the time he
went to West Point to the day of his death,
and these letters were very full and they
gave picture of General Sherman's in
teliectual and material life Many of
them are written in camp, sometimes be-
fore battle and sometimes on drum
head afterward. Ali of them are vivid
with the life and surroundings of the gem
eral at the time, and they deal with public
men and matters of more than fifty
years of our history. One of them
tells of the first discovery of
gold in California and many of them
detail the inside history of army move
ments which have never gotten inio print
Senator Sherman wrote quite as freely as
bis brother and, during his whole career,
he has written several letters week to
him. These letters General Sherman be-
gan to save in 1860 and his papers include
the letters of Senator Sherman from that
time to this. Senator Sherman has handed
over all of the generals letters to the
children OF General Sherman. and it may
he that both sets will be published. 1t is
hard to realize the love that existed be-
tween John and William Tecumseh Sher-
man. During my talk with the senator L
noticed that his voice dropped whenever
he spoke of the general and, upon my ask
ing whether any of this correspondence
between him and his brother was dictated,
he replied that it was not. and that he
never wrote letters to his family or his
brother except with his own hand.