Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-23

favor. The Philadelphia Library asso- citation did not consider the locality a suitable one and instituted legal pro- ceedings to determine whether or 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. l. 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 ire 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 lO5 feet wide. and is surrounded by acres of lawn and q high wall. It Is 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 ent site on South Broad street, be felt sure that it would soon be i'll the most fashionable part of the city, but the march of progress was toward the north instead.
 The great building, with its massive columns, broad steps and grand hall. is not only monument to Dr. Rush and his wife, but it is also their tomb, and to the fanciful mind it seems quite ap- propriate that Q 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 arc still around him. He intended them to be inspected by thousands weekly, but the unfortunate location of the library building has de- feated his philanthropio 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 ChristSana" printed in 1459 by Faust Sc Schayffer; several works from the press of Janson, the French engrav- CT, printer and type founder who set tied in Venice about 1410. produced there Q number of celebrated editions be- tween l470 and l4S0 and was the in ventor of the Roman type now used. There is a copy of Caxton's Golden Legend" and three books from the press of his famous assistant, Wynkin de worde: a ''Vulgate Bible" one of the 200 printed in Rome in 1411; a Nurem- berg Bible printed by Kaberger in 1475; a copy on vellum of Pliny's Natural History" tho only one of tho kind that came from Janson's press, and every Spanish book of note from 1900 to 1700 is to be found in the collection. Among these is 'El Condo LucaneFy" one of the rarest books in the world.
 The American department of the li- brary is rich in old time publications. There are copies of the first newspaper published in Philadelphia. files of Brad ford's American Mercury from 17l9 to l745, the Pennsylvania Gazette from l72S to 1894, and the 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 is Publications of the Enemy In Philadelphia i'll 1777 and 177S," and there are two copies of the Aitken Bible published in l1S2 under the patronage of congI, Ss Another very odd book is '"The Beschreibung von Pennsylvania" published in I7O4 by Pastorius, the founder of Germantown and the friend of William Penn.