The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-02-02

Inside are the grand hail. reading room
and long arcades, whore the books are ar
ranged on what is called tho stack" sys-
tem-that is, on shelves so low that nc
ladder is needed, and there is barely room
TO walk between. Tho patron, seated at
the desk In the main room, consults the
catalogue Of the subject he wishes to read
on selects the needed volume and sends
the title in ON IA card. The book comes
back on "a little railway somewhat like
that used In some large stores for cash and
return Of purchases. This in the first en-
ployment of this system, and Boston
thinks It brilliant success, as it is rarely
more than n minute after the card is sent
in till the book is returned.
There were heroes before Agamem-
non, and so there were wonderful libraries
long before Boston was founded. 1t was
long believed that the first library col
lected was that at Thebes, Egypt, by Ram
eses ii, but we now know that that was
comparatively modern affair for Egypt.
Everybody has heard Of the great libra
ry at Alexandria and how its 600, 600 vol
umes were burned by the Mohammedan
conquerors. Constantinople had library
of 1870, 600 volumes, which were destroyed
In the last wars of the eastern empire.
The Mohammedans at the height Of their
power and learning had library in Cairo
which their writers asserted to contain
1000, 600 volumes, but those oriental peo-
pie are careless about figures The largest
library OF today is in Paris and contains
about 2,3fO, 600 volumes.
Next In their order are the British Mu-
scum library, with l, 600, 600 volumes; the
Imperial at st. Petersburg, with over
1000, 600; the Royal at Munich, with near
ly 900 600; the Royal at Berlin, with some
500 900; the Imperial at Vienna, with
about GOO, GOO, and scores OF others ranging
from 100, 600 to 400, 600.
In l776 tho united colonies had but 20
public libraries containing 40, 628 vol.
umcs. In 1885, by official count, the ma
ton had 5,33S largo libraries containing
90 622, O76 volumes, and the subsequent
growth has been rapid. New Hampshiro
stands first, with little moro than one
public volume to each inhabitant and
Texas last, with one to % inhabitants.
Scholars have mourncd much over the
loss OF ancient libraries. There have been
three memorable distinctions When tho
great inquisition Of witchcraft was made
I'm the latter days OF the Roman empire.
hundreds OF scholars burned all their
books, lest the discovery Of single work
OF a herctical nature should endangor their
lives, and the priests followed this by de.
stroying all the works In Egypt and Asia
Minor which contained any praise Of the
hcathen gods. The sack Of Rome and
other cities by the northern invaders was
the occasion OF the second great loss and
the destruction OF the Alexandrian libra.
ry In A. ID. Gao.
This has ever been esteemed the great.
est loss because the Greek rulers Of Fevpt
had diligently collected tho religious books
OF all nations, and the first Greek copy OF
the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuapint.
was made for that library about $40 b. q
Yet Gibbon has pretty clearly shown that
tho loss was not SO very great, and that
we probably have all OF any real value IN
ancient literature, because copies OF the
bcss books were multiplied, and some EN-.
lnent scholars have maintained that In oil
the world there have been only 20 really
original and valuable books produced. 81
which we have every one.
j. II. BKAD1K.