Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-22


that in catalogue of a collection purchased
some time ago the words 1.-TWO decov ducks"
appeared AZ the end This was mistaken for
the title OF q book. and the ducks were ordered
TO be sent to Washington with the rest.
BOOKS ARE SACRED.
Your true bibliophile regards books as sacred
above all other things. Not long ago a casual
reader in the library Of Congress became arowsy
over q volume that he was perusing ana leaning
back in his chair he fell asleep. Unfortunately
FOR him one Of the assistant librarians had oc-
casion TO go to a shelf in the gallery, hssh IN
beneath the ceiling. Having diaiculty in
reaching the volume he was after he dropped
II and il fell about thirty feet. striking the ur-
conscious sleeper below square on the nose I.
WIS quite heavy and the blow fairly knocked
the somnolent victim out of his chair. stretch
ing him senseless on the floor. Did the assistant
librarian rush thereupon TO pick him up and
restore him? Not bit of il. He descended
quickly possible and proceeded with great
anxiety to pick up the fragments Of the book
which were scattered around. not paving any
attention to the sufferer until he had collected
all OF the pieces. In truth a man must die
some time, but n classical work with rare Illus
trations is immortal and must be preserved at
any price
IN TIME OF EPIDEMIC.
Should cholera become epidemic in this coun-
try the Libraries, little and big. would be
obliged to withdraw their books temporarily
from general circulation. They afford an eN-
celent medium for conveying infection from
house TO house. When people are sick thew can
only amuse themselves with reading. and no
sooner does the average educated person fall i'll
than be or she draws upon the nearest library
for volumes of entertaining fiction. During
their perusal germs set afoat by the patient
breath or otherwise apt to lodge between
the leaves, TO be taken in by subsequent read
Bacteria or tivtta lang-
of time in books, the dryneEs and unvarying
temperature affording conditions most favor
able for their survival Thus one can never
feel sure when taking out a library volume that
he is not making a bid for a variety of ailments.
from typhoid fever to mumps The Boston
public library gives out books by cards each Of
which bears the holders name. Recently it
adopted the systent of stamping the card Of
every individual living in house where con:a-
glous or infectious disease was reported. not
allowing any books TO be taken out on that
piece OF pastebonrd until the trouble was Off
cially declared over by the police. This de-
parture was taken in the belief that it would
reduce the deaths from diphthoria aud other
complaints by an appreciable percentage an.
nually.
THE PLAN OF THE NEW LIBRARY OF CoNGREss
is copied after that of the British Museum, in
respect to having the reading room in the mid
die, with the book stacks around Il. Mr.. Spot
ford will sit at elevated desk in the center Of
the big rotunda. as to overlook everything
and keep an eve on the readers. There will be
space for 800 people. seated at desks arranged
in concentric circles. From behind a ring
shaped counter surrounding the librarian his
assistants will give out and receive books, the
endless chains of travelling trays dumping and
taking on their loads inside of this ring. The
-FOUR interior courts open to the sky, are already
completed as 10 their walls which are faced in
lp WI ul F,,- tb.
OF rejecting the greatest possible amount of
light through the windows. The book stacks
have been completed ard the sections Of the
building containing them have been rooted
over.
on TIME AND WITHIN THE APPROPRIATION.
The masonry of the rotunda is all up, and the
construction Of the dome will be begun this fall
A new kind of glass is likely to be adopted for
the skylights. Being formed on a sort of wire
net, il cannot tumble and do damage if broken
One OF the most remarkable things about this
building is that il will be finished at the ap-
pointed time, four years hence. and the cost of
il will come within the appropriation, which
was $4,000. 900. Nine busts of famous writers
VIII occupy inches in the window caps on the
west FROM. looking toward the Capitol. but
these literary celebrities have not vet been
selected. The keystones of the window arches
on the four faces of the structure bear sculp-
tured heads representing the thirty-three tvpes
of races OF mankind recognized by ethnologists.
They were made from models and pictures at
the National Museum. under the direction of
Prof. Otis L. Mason.
| THE BRITISH MUSEUM,
| though INTELLECTUALLY only an uncouth a.
semblage OF buildings. has the finest library in
the world. With one exception it is the largest.
In cosmopolitan interest it is without a rival.
possessing the best Hungarian collection out of
| that country, the best Dutch library out of
Holland. and in short the best library in any
European language outside of the TERRITORY IN
which the language Is yernacular. 1t contains
works by over 2, 400 authors named Smith
The Chinese books number % 1000. The big
gest library in existence il the Bibliotheque
Rationale at Paris. which has / 500 900 bound
volumes. The Oldest of great modern libraries
, it has had the aid of several kings and other
powerful personages since lite formation The
beginning of it was the collection OF King John
the Black Princes captive. who bequeathed it
| TO his successor. Charles V. There is no general
| catalogue for use of readers.
THE VATICAN LIBRARY
at Rome founded in the fifteenth century
by Pope Nicholas V. However, it was based on
| collections far more ancient and there is evil
dence that pontifical library existed from the
| fifth century. The present building was erected
by Sixtus ' in 1858. IL contains 220 900 printed
| TO the public only between November and June
and is always closed on sundays and feast DAYS
There is no proper catalogue. and the librarians
| rely on imperfect written lists. The third
| largest library in the world is the imperial
Public Library at st. Petersburg, which claims
| 1,000, 600 volumes.
THE MOST ANCIENT LIBRARIES
known Of were those of Assyria. Only forty wears
| ago discovery was made of the royal library at
Nineveh. Digging brought to light the cham
bers that contained il, the floors of which were
covered a foot deep with clay tablets bearing
cuneiform characters, many of which were 80
small ar to require magnifying glass for read
ing them. These were the books of that strange
and warlike people of antiquity. the tablets be-
ing inscribed with "a STYLUS while soft and after
ward baked. The library belonged 10 the luxu-
rious monarch Serdanapalus. who was a great
patron of literature. 1t included 10000 dis
tinct works. some extending over many tablets
methcdically arranged and catalogued- The
institution was open to the public. Most of the
tablets which were found whole are now in the
British Museum. In ancient Egypt were many
libraries, such collections being usually de-
posted in pies and at the tombs of kings
The books we're written on papyrus scrolls
Under the Ptolemies the biggest OF the libraries
at Alexandria had 4s0. 600 volumes or rolls. II
was destroyed accidentally by the spreading of
the flames when Caesar set fire to the feet in the
harbor.