The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-04-04
ENTRANCE TO R1DGwAY LIBRARY


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 III 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 a high wall. 1t is
not at all unusual for but two or three
people to visit the library in 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.
The great building, with its massive
columns. broad steps and grand hall, is
not only a monument to DR.. Rush and
his wife, but it is also their tomb, and
TO the fanoiful mind it seems quite ap-
propriate that silence like that of
death itself should so often fold the lit
tie visited structure liz it's 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 & 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 number of celebrated editions be-
tween 1870 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; "Vulgate Bible, - one of the
200 printed in Rome in 1471; Nurem-
berg Bible printed by Kaberger in 1875;
a copy on vellum of Pliny's Natural
History" the only one of the kind that
came from Janson's press, and every
Spanish book Of note from 1900 to 1900
is to be found in the collection. Among
these is sci Condo Lucanor," one of /
the rareSt books in the world.
The American department of the IL
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 1919 to |
1745. the Pennsylvania Gazette from |
1928 to 1904. and the library owns the |
collection of early Ameri- |
can magazines, books, pamphlets, broad |
sides and manuscripts made by Pi ere |
du Sunthiere before, during and after
the Revolution. One of the rarest vol
umes is Publications of the Enemy In
in 1777 and ITS" and
there are two copies Of the Aitken Bible
published in 1882 under the patronage
OF congress. Another very odd book is
The Beschreibung Won Pennsylvania,
published in 1904 by Pastorius, the
founder of Germantown and the friend
Of William Penn.