The morning times., 1896-06-21
THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
1t Is the Pride OF Every True-bOrn
Engiishman.
Boston Trdueier.

The library of the British Museum Is
the pride OF every Eoglishman and with
good reason, too. The great Congressional
Library at Washington, the celebrated one
at Paris, and the famous public library at
Boston are close competitors, it Is true,
but The value OF the reference books accu-
mulated in the British Museum library
probably exceeds any or them. -as
Students flock to II from the four quar-
tiers OF the world. il is regarded as the
court of appeal in all literary matters
II a book is not TO be found in the library
OF the British Museum, it is almost safe
| to reckon that IL is not to he found any
where. A staiistician once computed that
the books on the Museum shelves would
.iil the interior OF -. PaUi's Cathedral
three times over
And the prodigious multitude OF books
is receiving accessions at The rate OF 900
per week. The catalogue Itself runs into
hundreds OF huge volumes. Originally
this catalogue was written, it is now
being printed, and SO vast is the work,
that alt though the printers have been
engaged upon it for years, their task
will not be finished before the next
century.
True. it cannot be sail that every book
of the three millions on uje library shelves
is of Importance to the student. or even
py the thousand in the library which might
be used as fuel. But your true librarian
is essentially a reverent Conservative, and
So these mouldering tomes-some Of them
from two To three hundred years old
stand erect on their shelves, cheek by
lowl with the latest volume of London
newspapers 1t is figured that in leo
years the library will contain 100000
volumes.
I'm fc Of t.n
heart of the whole library. This is where
the vast majority OF readers pursue their
stadies and researches. It is vast circu-
lar room, with a mighty dome-neXt in
size to the dome of St-Reter' sat Rome
rising overhead. In the center of this
great circle is the libraffa NJ desk, a1s6fn
circular form, with causeway running
off tD the inner iibrary-outside this cir
cular desk run other desks. in which the
catalogues are kept -ETfeu= =er,r,e-si,e-read--
ers' seats, radiating like spokes of wheel
from the hub.
The reading room affcrds seating ac-
comm odation to over 400 people, but its
resources are often taxed to the uttermost.
There are some forty or nifty thousand
works lining the shelves which eiscifcie'
the room. and readers are at hberty 10
take any of these TO their seats. Other
hooks. however, have TO be appiied Tor on
a printed form. So marvellous is the sys-
TEN OF classification employed. that-apy
book Of the millions on the shelves can be
found and delivered to tie reader IN
quarter of an hour or SO. There are, OF
course, other rooms. in which the more
valua BILE books are to- be consulted. Old
manuscripts have u room to themselves;
mans have also special locale; while
London newspapers have habitation OF
their own.
The reading room is microcosm OF the
literary world. Here you can see, day py
day, some OF the most eminent figures III
contemporary science and literature, his
torians, economists and novellsts But OF
tile four or five hundred people who daily
use the reading room, tie vast ma iority,
of course belong to the great masses.