The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-02-01
NEAR The GOLD DOME
The States Valuable Col
lection of Law and Mis-
Cellaneous Books at
Top Of the Capital.
HOW THE LIBRARY ORGANIZED
1t Contains No Fiction Yet a
Large Number of Its PATRONS
Are School Boys and Girls.
specicl to the jersey City Neacs.

- GBeCitst ~ tftt ot'rSS
TRENTON, Feb. l, 1ss5.-Away up on
the top floor of the State Capitol "here
the noise of the rafting and banging
trolley, as it rushes up and down State
street, comes with a subdued rumoie'
and the clang of the motormans gong
is heard but indistinctly; up Wnere the
winds whistle and sigh and moan as
the biting blasts of winter whirl eddy
in and about the corners OF the great
edihce, or the gentle breezes OF the
summer time play, with cooling on their
wings: up above, and comparatively OUT
of the reach of the political turmoil
strife and scheming that ebs and flows
throneb the corridors and in legislative
halls is located the State Library, an
institution Of which the State may wen
be proud. Upon its shelves and IN us
cases are arranged more than 1orty-tWo
thousand volumes, embracing nearly
every subject which the mind of man
has considered.
rFhe State Library had it's origin IN
quite a humble way, and in its growth
has again verified the truth of the Old
adagc. that 'Great oaks from small
acorns grow The first idea or hint
of a public, or even a legislative library,
found in the old records, is March Is,
1916 when. by a resolution of the Legis-
lature. Maskell Ewing, who was then
Clerk of the House, was ordered to pro-
cure a lease for the keeping and preser-
vation of such books as belonged to the
Legislature"
February IS. 1904. William Coke, OF
BurIington; Ezra Darby, Of Essex, and
John A. Scudder, of Monmouth, were ap-
pointed a committee on rules and to
make a catalogue. They reported that
there were 1863 volumes belonging to the
state, and presented a code for the gov
eminent of the library, which was adopt
ed.
FIRST LIBRARY ACT
On February 10, 1913, the first act rela-
tive to the State Library was passed.
AS nearly as can be ascertained, the
Clerk of the House had charge of the
library up to 1922, when, on November
1e an act was passed for the appointment
of a State Librarian annually, by joint
meeting. The Office was a political one
then, and the pay was nominal, but 1t
served to make a place for some pollt1-
cal friend, and frequently the office
changed hands every year, and the liDr-
airy suffered in consequence. April 10,
1916, an act was passed increasing the
term of office to three years.
Some time previous a number of lead
ing lawyers of the State, realizing the
need of a consulting library convenient
~ located, a organized a Law Library
Association, and, by purchase, loan and
contribution, was gotten together a very
- ~ 11@kt4 - q mi ina1lf6fnp
English, Scotch and Irish reports and
treatises that are standard text books to
this day. Their rules declared that sit
belongs to the members of the Law
Library Association. Members of the
association, the Chancellor and judges of
the several courts are entitled to the use
of the library, officers Of the State Gov
and members of the Legislature,
when in session. can nave access to the
library on application to the librarian
The membership fee was ten dollars FOR
counsellors and five dollars for attorneys,
with an annual fee of one dollar. The
funds were applied to the increase of the
library. The library wa In charge of
Stacy G.. Potts.
During the time the United States
courts were held at the State House an
act was passed by the Legislature appro-
priating one hundred ollar per year.
from the rental received from the United
States to the Law Library.
Law LIBRARY AT THE BEGINNING.
The Law Library was kept in the Su-
preme Court room until 1897, when the
Legislature authorized the State Librari-
an to fit up a room adjoining for the
care and reception of the books and
papers belonging to the State Library.
This was the small room adjoining the
Supreme Court room, now occupied by
the crier of the court.
The two libraries were soon after con-
solidated, the Library Association donat-
ing their books in the library to the
State on condition that the State main
tain and keep up the library. There are
many rare and priceless volumes in that
collection. Reports that have been out
of print for years and that money cannot
replace. Many of the works have ac-
quired an added value by reason of hay
ing been the property of some of the
most noted legal lights of the earlier
days Of the history of the State. Among
the names appearing are the Halst d DIS,
the Greens, the. W~hiteheads, the Ian
dolphs, the Walls, the P~enningtons, the
vrsdenburghs, and man Others Of equal
celebrity.
After a few years the room became too
small to accommodate the library, and IN
second floor of the building, overlooking
the Delaware, March 81, 1885. the front
Of the State House was greatly damaged
%tt5s SHN&S