The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-23
ENTRANCE TO RIpGwAY LIBRARY.

EALhANCE ~ 1SIDT LlbhA1x.
favor. The Philadelphia Library asso-
citation did not consider the locality a
suitable one and instituted legal pro-
ceedings to determine whether Of not it
should abide by the executors decision.
The court ruled in favor of the executor,
and the present stately library building
was erected ''far from the madding
crowd" It was accepted by the Phila-
delphia Library association. In 1878
the Lagonian library and the books OF
the Philadelphia library were removed
to it, and it has since been about as fire.
quently visited as it would have been
had the executor located it In West Fair
mount park
The building is an imposing copy in
granite of the Parthenon, 220 feet long
by 105 feet wide. and is surrounded by
acres of lawn and q high wall. It il
not at all unusual for but two or three
people to visit the library in a day, and
there have been many days when the
only people who entered the building
were the librarian and his assistants.
When the executor stood firm in his de-
termination to give the library its pres
emit site ON South Broad street, he felt
sure that it would SOON be in the most
fashionable part Of the city, but the
march of progress was toward the north
instead. ~. $3.50,
The great building, with it's massive
columns, broad steps and grand hall, 10
not only q monument to DR.. Rush and
his wife, but it is also their tomb, and
to the fanciful mind il seems quite APP
propriate that a silence like that of
death itself should SO often fold the lit
tie visited structure in its embrace. DR..
Rush loved his rare old books and man
uscripts, and they are still around him.
He intended them to be inspected by
thousands weekly, but the unfortunate
location of the library building has de-
feated his philanthropic intent.
Among the treasures of the library
are numerous books that were printed
in the earliest days of the art preserv-
ative of arts" There is an "Augustinus
de Vita Christiana'' printed in 1859 by
Faust 81 Schayffer; several works from
the press of Janson, the French engrav-
or, printer and type founder who set
tied in Venice about 1470, produced
there a number of celebrated editions be-
tween 147O and 1880 and was the in
ventor of the Roman type now used.
There is a copy of Cations Golden
Legend" and three books from the press
of his famous assistant, Wynkin de
Worde; a ''vulgate Bible. one of the
900 printed in Rome in 1471; a Nurem-
berg Bible printed by Kaberger i'm 1875;
. copy ON vellum of Pliny's Natural
History thu only one Of the kind that
came from .Janson's press, and every
Spanish book of note from 1900 to I7OO
10 TO be found in the collection. Among
these is stEl Conde Lucanor," one Of
the rarest books in the world.
The American department of the IL
brary Ia rich in old time publications.
There are copies Of the first newspaper
published I'm Philadelphia, files Of Brad
ford's American Mercury from ITO to
l745, the Pennsylvania Gazette from
l728 to 1904, and tho library owns the
magnificent collection OF early Ameri-
can magazines, books. pamphlets, broad
sides and manuscripts made by Pierre
du Sunthiere before, during and after
the Revolution. One of the rarest vol
umes Id Publications of the Enemy I'm
Philadelphia in TIT and lT78,n and
there are two copies of the Aiken Bible
published in 1882 under the patronage
OF congress. Another very odd book ia
THE Beschreibung Won Pennsylvania. Z
published In 1704 by Pastorius, the
founder Of Germantown and the friend
OF William Penn.