Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-30
ISSUE OF COPYRIGHTS.
Business I'm Them Is Boomlng-Future
of the Library Of Congress-.


of the Library Of Congress.
I'm spite of the prolonged business de-
preston, the copyright business is steadily
increasing" said Mr.. Spofford, the librarian
Of Congress, to Star writer yesterday.
TITS growth is not so much IN literature
proper, represented in books, as in the null
tiplication of musical compositions and
works Of illustrative art. The development
in this direction is due largely to the in
crease Of the area of copyright by the law
Of 1891, which made proprietorship in such
works ir ternational. Great numbers of ap-
p1ications for copyrights are now pouring
in upon US from abroad. Many German mu-
steal compositions are securing copyrights
here as we'll as in Europe.
1.-THE revenue obtained from Uncle Sam
copyright business largely exceeds the ex-
penses involved. Our receipts are rising
rapidly, every dollar thus obtained being
paid into the treasury. During the last
year we granted 62,O00 copyrights against
~, 900 ten years ago. There Is IN immense
development Of publishing activity. One
observes that from year to year the num-
Der Of books issued on historical and bio
graphical subjects is steadily growing
Theirs is almost no branch Of literary ac-
tivity that Is not exhibiting a progressive
tendency. heavy Increase Is noticed in
works Of fiction. On the other hand, the
cheap paper libraries, SO popular a few
years ago. are dying out and have well
nigh disappeared. Their place has been
taken by better printed books at low prices.
remark also very considerable growth
Of copyrighting for syndicate newspaper
articles.
THE Library of Congress, while very
strong in some respects, and possessing the
finest collection Of Americana in the world
must acknowledge notable deficiencies
These are most obvious in books in foreign
languages and in minor English literature
that Is to say. works by British writers Of
the third and fourth grades A national
library ought to be inclusive and not ex-
clusiye-in other words, it should not be
merely an assemblage CT standard authors
In general science and literature there are
great gaps to be flied. But it may reason
ably be expected that Congress, when the
heavy expenditures on the new library
building have ceased will appropriate
money with sufficient Hberality to make the
collection worthy in all respects Of this
great nation.
II do not mean that Congress will fur
pish big sums for the purpose, but that the
regular appropriations " Ill be considerably
increased. At present we have only ST 800
per annum for the purchase of books. This
Is not nearly enough. The British Museum
receives $I0,0OO a year from parliament
$1,000 of which is for buying books. We
and gradually. What is most needed is to
acquire everything which this country has
produced in the way of science and litera-
ture. The policy of buying great collec-
tons in blocks is not good one
"Only the ether day an offer was made
to us of the library of Charles Louis Bona
parte-a superb collection made by It's orig
naI owner with assiduous care. and very
rich in linguistics. An enormous sum was
asked for it-S6G,O0o, I think. A bill has
been before Congress providing for the
purchase of the library of Hubert H. Ban
croft of San Francisco, containing some
hn
demanded is s:'a00O0. 1t IL an accunnlla-
ton Of twenty-five years, made incidentally
to the compilation Of monumental work
on the Pacific coast and Spanish America.
One objection to purchasing collections is
that many of the books thus obtained are
duni;cateS''