Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-03-06
WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE.
THEIR LIBRARIES. THE PREVIOUS DUES
TON N OTHER MATTERS.
BALTIMORE, Md. Feb. 10, 1891.

BALTIMORE, Md, Fen. ~, 1871.
1t is now a trifle over two months
since l left Vermont. A part of this
time has been spent at New York, but
more of 1t at Washington. New York
in winter Is not especially agreeable.
Washington Is more so. The climate at
Washington is much milder. There is
far less wind, and then, with the asphalt
pavement, the city is cleaner and drier.
Whilst at New York | made two trips
to Long Island, one to Jamaica and the
other to Flushing. Both places take on
the air of country life, and Flushing
adds to this that of the sea.
For the last month | have been at
Mrs. Rines' boarding house at Wash
ington. This is the same that | stopped
old guests, among them Gov. Boutwell,
and Congressman Snyder and family,
including Ethel, II years old, as pretty
as ever. But Senator Ingalls, family,
who added so much of grace and beauty
to the place last winter, are gone. 1t
would require a good deal of eXertion,
certainly, of those remaining to make
good this gap. OF the new guests, a
young lady from New Orleans gave
perhaps the most pleasure from her fine
singing. Her manners. too were as per-
feet as those of the water lily. Her
singing was always followed by APP
plause, and | never heard a song sung
so well as the last one that she sung for
us on Sunday night, ASHAMED of Jesus
Among the other new guests of the
house were Gen. Grant, the assistant
secretary of war, and his family. The
general is Il Nermonter to the manor
born q use this word deliberately, for
| mean manor and not manner), and is
an excellent representative of the sturdy
character that belongs to the hills of
our State. His wife, too, is very lovely.
Whilst at Washington | was mostly
engaged in researches in the agriculture
al and congressional libraries. The ag-
ricultural is noted as being the most
Incomplete one that the world has ever
known. The agricultural journals and
papers of the country it doesn't seem to
have taken but a short time, and nom
dies and stored away. The lady who
has charge informed me that in Presi-
dent Hayes administration the garnet,
having gotten very full of these files
anI nihor an,in,ltnrn p,nttar .ollontal
from over the world. the secretary of
agriculture had the whole taken out and
3 burnt. OF course this vas much cheap
err and easier than to have them bound,
The agricultural department building,
the second floor of which is used for the
3 library, is near the Smithsonian institu.
, ton and not very far from the monu
! ment. 1t is very pleasantly situated il
the large grounds that belong to the
T. government. 1t is a plain brick build
ing and not very large, but if the prin-
: ciple of burning up all accumulation'
, of printed matter is well established, i
will probably answer the purposes o
; the department for a long time. Some
days the library is open from 8 to
o'clock other days it is not open at all
! and still others it will be open parts o
the day, closing at different hours tt
suit the convenience of the employees
i The congressional library opens at . ant
f keeps open until dark such days as Con
gress sits. 1t is, we suppose, one of thu
- great libraries of the word, and whel
t the magnificent new library building
t near the capitol, that is now being built
{ is finished, it ought certainly to offer t.
historians the greatest facilities. Nov
e one has to wait quite a long time for
c book, and then very frequently the re
e port is that it canno be found.
Y 1t is hardly to be supposed that thes
S libraries will ever be kept open for tn
| convenience of the public. They will
n of course, continue to be run for tn
Ii convenience of the ~office-holders, includ
ing the librarians, but it is to be hope,
that when the new building is complct
n ed books can be found, and found quick
ly. Another thing very much needle,
now is a catalogue of newspapers
There would seem to be no excuse TO
n its absence, as it could be made in a fey
S days, but at present there is none, :
that it is almost impossible to get inteI
a ligently at the 5000 volumes that the,
it claim to have. Although thus %critici7
ing the libraries, | am under obligation
for much excellent assistance rendere
" me at the congressional and to the cour
tesy of the very estimable lady who pre-
n sides at the agricultural. And yet tn
difficulties and a%nnoyances in the mat
ter became so great that although Their
n were many works in the catalogue lef
that should like to have examined,
"a was finally compelled to leave Washing
ton to seek elsewhere some better OF
n, portunity to see these.
I, Here at Baltimore are two fine 1ibrni