The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-14


There is a peculiar notion extant among
certain folks that a newspaper lives but a
day; that it fourishes like a green bay
tree for twenty-four hours or less, and
then is relocated to the odium of waste
baskets and bundle-wrappings But that
is libel on the product of the press.
While individual specimens of the great
family of journals may wander off into
strange fields and reflect no credit upon
their ancestry, the paper itself lives on to
good old age, beyond the limits of human
existence, in fact.
Nearly twenty thousand proofs of this
fact are contained in the mysterious
vaults that range about under the surface
Of the earth beneath the graceful dome
Of the capitol. Huge piles of dull yellow
books rear to the arched ceilings and
seem to support the magnificent pile ever
head.
Indeed, these volumes, in a certain
sense, represent one of the great props of
the nation, and therefore of its chief TO-
rum. Here are the newspaper files of
congress; thousands of proofs that news
papers are not ephemeral. They extend
away back, not only into the dusk of the
catacombs that honeycomb the cellar of
the building but into the dim beginnings
of the republic, when newsletters were
giving way to newspapers, when mouth
to-mouth gossip was being discounted by
printed facts, and when the printer was
growing to be a power in the land.
Some of these old files are interesting,
and the collection forms, in a rather ex-
pansive and bulky form, a splendid his
tory of the United States.
TWO OLD WASHINGTON PAPERS.
The habit of keeping files was con-
tracted by the Senate in its early days,
when journals first began to print reports
of legislative proceedings. The govern
ment became a subscriber for the Ma
tional Intelligencer a daily paper printed
in the city of Washington. This historic
sheet was started in the year 1900, and
continued for many years to be the only
paper in the country that gave quick re-
ports of congressional doings. This was
in the days before the telegraph, and the
newspapers published away from here
were dependent for their legislative news
upon this paper. In 1915 the Union was
established and continued for eleven
years.
Files of these two old papers, with
some others of the north and south, were
carefully kept in the Senate, and were
the source of constant information for
both senators and Representatives who
depended upon them in many cases far
more confidently than upon the Globe
About eight years ago these files, which
had been moved from place to place and
were in danger of being destroyed, were
transferred by resolution of congress to
the care of the librarian of congress, who
had them placed with the files that he
had been keeping and stored away under
the crypt. Over LOO volumes were
transferred.
Just to the north of the curious circu-
lar chamber under the rotunda floor a
small door leads to the east. A tap upon
it gives a quaint echo that tells of dusty
depths beyond. In moment there is a
rustllng Of papers and the door is opened.
A man past the meridian of life, rather
portly with strong gray mustache and i'm
perial, and keen eyes covered by specta-
CleS, appears. He is in working caro-. An
apron of tough material covers him from
souing and his cuffs are turned back. A
word IS passed and the custodian of the
files, Mr.. Van Ness, ushers the way into
his den.
MR.. VkN NESS DEN.
A Pickering gas jet affords the only IL
Elimination. There is confusion, confu-
sion, confusion everywhere near the door
Beyond this gives place instantly to or
der and system. But the confusion itself
is orderly, for the trained fingers of the
custodian can pick their way to any de-
sired paper or object at a moments no.
tee. large table is covered with pam
phlets and papers. A great clothes bas-
ket stands on top filled to overlooking
with the latest issues of the press. A
copy of The Star peeps over the rim.
That is my morning mall remarks
Mr.. Van Ness, as he lays his hand atfec-
tlOnately upon the mass of reading mat
Ter. 1T is rather poor morning, too.
sometimes there are two baskets. [ take
these papers as soon as | can each day
ana sort them out You may see these
shelves and big pigeon holes behind you.
Wen, each one is for certain paper.
Some OF the boxes, you notice, are filed.
Inc lilies in those are nearly ready to be
sent to the government bindery to be put
between covers. Some of the papers
Dlnd up at two months and others a four.
Then every two months" he went on,
lumbhng through a drawer in the table,
they send me their current files from the
senate, which | have to collate very care
iQHy l take them from their temporary
olnders and go through them particularly
70 See what numbers are missing. Then
papers and try to supply the deficiencies.
Nnen the volumes are as complete as l
can make them they go to the binder"
4, a splendid white and black cat just
then awoke from her nap among the
efeWn papers under the table and
stretched herself with delightful feline
yawn
us that your assistant" was asked.
HIS ONE ASSISTANT.
Yes. pussie is all the help have. She
uoeS good work in keeping the rats and
Alle down. They would be pretty bad
nere II 1t were not for her, and l might
oSe some valuable old volumes on account
VI 1nelr meddleSome teeth. She, somehow
VI oJher, got lost about month ago and
was smut up in one of the rooms down
sIalts mere for nearly a week. She was as
t'Jt as a rail when / found her, but she is
..e-Innlng 10 pick up "a little now and
f Sae custodian patted the cats head
~, hou can see from this list the number
Vi papers we get here, - as he handed out
carefully kept book that contained the
r ro. OF upwards of a hundred of the
SgssI journals published in the country. 1t
SSHo"ed the date of subscription and the
o"Se OF sending the volumes TO the binder,
=, "eil as that tot their return. The Senate
~ uhlrty-one papers now in addition
w. iuese. II keeps me pretty busy at
Ting 10 them all. Let US walk through
w., N1ults and you can see what a guam
~ Vi material we have here"
IL ~ an Ness carefully locked the door
1A4 leu the WnV from tho ,.aoion Of chaos