The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-11-19

tiers for the mass of books and nam
phlet5 which were accommodating in the
national library. and at length his efforts
We're rewarded. A bill was passed ap-
propriating $685., 600 for the purchase OF
q site for the proposed new building.
Three blocks of ground on the hill, just
east of tho capitol, were purchased.
The site is almost perfect Tho firm
ness of MIR. Spofford. aided by n few
friends of the library in congress, avert
ed the threatened blunder of selection
OF site remote from tho capitol and
altogether unsuitable, tho argument in
favor of this undesirable location being
that tho government owned tho land.
The library is placed where it should
be, and its magnificent facades and
golden dome add to tho beauty of the
grand old capitol rather than detracting
therefrom.
Librarian Spofford is one of the most
interesting men in Washington. He is
the library of congress in alimself. 1t
is sad to think what Will become of
that great institution when ho dies.
He alone knows every book and pam
phlet in the collection. He alone is able
to put his finger, at any time, in light
or darkness, upon any volume in the
great mass He alone has in his mind
a catalogue of the library, the printed
catalogue being very incomplete. Day
after day MIR. Spofford is at his post,
as he has been for third of q century.
A hundred times day he is asked by
the assistants for tho whereabouts of
this book or that, and he always re-
plies, Instantly and almost automatic
ally, by naming the alcove and shelf
and in many cases the catalogue num-
Der of the book itself. If this is not
enough, he can tell you what the con-
tents of the book are, its date of publ
cation, the story of its authors life, the
particulars in which it is strong or
weak and all about it. This whole
great library and its contents are pho
tographed upon the brain of Mr.. Spof-
ford, like the interior Of room with
It's bric-a-brac, pictures, furniture and
hangings upon the sensitive plate of a
camera.
Better Than Dictionary.
Nor is this all. Mr.. Spofford is rec
ognized as the best authority in Ameri-
ca on the history Of literature. Not
day passes that some disputed point is
not submitted to him. Where the cy-
clopedias and books of reference fail,
there Mr.. Spofford is at his best. Where
dictionaries Of quotations are silent he
is able to speak. Men and women are
constantly running to Mr.. Spofford to
settle their controversies or doubts as
to the authorship of this or that quota
ton.
asked MIR. Sbofford to tell ME some
thing about the new library and the
old the other day, and he replied:
1T is IA simple story, but one that i
never tire of relating. In my report
for the year 1872 l pointed out that
new library building was an absolute
necessity We had bill introduced
and passed it through the senate four or
five times before we could induce the
house to concur. Finally we succeeded
there, and after paying 1856, 900 for
the site had an appropriation of Sc, OO0.-
600 for the library. We shall be able
to finish the work within those limits.
In two and half or three years we
shall be moving from this place, where,
as you can see, we have to pile books
and newspapers in every conceivable
corner. For IL years we have not had
an inch of spare room ON shelf. In
those 10 years we have accumulated
nearly 100000 volumes, and they have