Griggs courier., 1893-06-23


FINEST STUDY IN THE WoRLo.
Tho British Museum In London, Whose
Treasures 1nclpde Two Million Books.
There is no place where the student
can SO easily and comfortably avail
himself of the worlds best literature
as in the British museum library. He
sits down at q well furnished writing
desk and, without saying a word. sum-
mons tones and treasures from the vast
stores of books with which that insti-
tuition is filed. The temple of the in
tellect is large circular room lined
from floor to roof with books. The
central space is filled with desks for
the accommodation of readers, and
shelves ON which the catalogues Of the
museum are placed. On entering this
room the student is entitled to take
possession of any vacant seat he may
find except the two rows of seats al
lotted to ladies. The seats radiate from
the center of the room in double rows.
A comfortable, stuff -bottomed chair, q
hat rack and foot bars are provided for
each reader, together with two pens,
an ink bottle and wiper. On the thick,
patent leather covered desk is q blot
ting book, and close at hand q paper
knife for the readers use. On his right
hand q shelf falls down for the purpose
of holding his surplus volumes, and on
his left an ingenious bookholder opens
out at any angle most convenient to his
posture in the chair. The floor of the
room is carpeted with noiseless mater
ial, and as conversation is not allowed
it would be difficult to study under
more favorable conditions. When the
student requires a new book he consults
the catalogue, writes the name of the
book required on slip, deposits the
slip in basket and resumes his seat.
Ten or fifteen minutes afterward an
attendant pla ces the book on his desk.
And what a vast store of books are
at his disposal! People often ask how
many books there are in the British
museum, but nobody seems to know.
In fact, there are SO many that it is
impossible to count them. Some years
ago it was estimated by measurement
that there were two million books
there. Since that estimate was made
the number has considerably increased.
Under the copyright acts publishers
are bound to send to the museum every
book, pamphlet, periodical or news
paper that is offered for sale in the
British isles. Every week an enor-
nous shoal of literature is poured into
the vaults of the museum and, strange
to say, it never comes out again.
Books good and bad, newspapers
worthy and worthless, pamphlets poor
and paltry, all hurry along in a cease
less stream to the museum, to be most
religiously preserved in its cavernous
depths. In addition large number of
books are added each year. Parlia-
ment grants sum of money each year
for the purchase of desirable books
that are not already in stock. Then,
extensive gifts of books are often made
by cnterprising collectors. The Gren-
vile library, containing upward of
twenty Thousand volumes, is a notable
example. 1t was built up by the Rt.
Hon. Thomas Grenville and consisted
chiefly of the rarest editions and the
finest examples of binding which
money could buy. The magnificent
library of George III. is another
ms Ance of the way in which the
museum library has been stocked by
generous donors. The library contains
upward of sixty-five thousand volumes
and eight thousand pamphlets, and is
placed in fine gallery known as the
kings library. If all the books in the
museum were closely placed side by
side on one long shelf the shelf would
require to be no less than thirty miles
in length.
The catalogue of this stupendous
library is an equally colossal affair. 1t
is library in itself. Until it's contents
were compressed by printing, the cata-
logue consisted of two thousand two
hundred folio volumes, each volume
seventeen inches by twelve inches in
size and about two inches thick. Al
together the catalogue weighed five
tons. The gigantic task of re-editing
and printing this manuscript cata-
logue is now in progress, and it is con-
puted that the work will not be COM
pleted for another five or eight years.
No less than nine volumes are filled
with the list of books VIII ich have been
written by the Smiths of the world.
The word ''Bible' is another import
ant heading, occupying no less than
twenty-one volumes. This will give
faint idea of the large collection of
Bibles and portions of the Scriptures
which the British museum possesses.
The museum is rich in works of beauty
and rarity. The first book printed by
William Caxton is to be seen there;
also the cele brated Mazarin Bible,
which was printed by Gutenberg and
Faust in 1855. There is also the ia
nous Magma Charta of King John,
dated 1915, and the bull of Pope Leo X.
comforting on King Henry the title of
defender of the faith. In one of the
collections is the manual of prayer
which was used by Lady Jane Grey on
tho Sca fold IT, ia hound in uo11u,,,