Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-08-28

floor beneath the apartments occupied
by the supreme court.
The departure Of the congressional
library from the capitol building marks
az epoch in the history of that struc
ture, and it is an epoch which should
stand forth in future history. 1t is an
epoch which marks the s.owth of this
great republic.
Mark you. The capitol building is
the greatest and most magnificent leg.
i%slatiye building in the world. There is
no congress, nor parliament, nor reich
stag, nor other parliamentary body iD
the whole world which has such a
palace. The congress of the United
States sits in the most roomy as well
as the most beautiful building of its
kind in the whole world.
But the congressional library has
grown SC that il must be taken out OF
tie capitol building, and housed in q
splendid edifice erected for that pur.
pose alone. There is a lesson of pa
triotism in this fact.
The proper place for the COMPRESSION
al library is in the capitol building
where the congress conyenes and as
sembles. The congressional library
should naturally be placed in the samt
building with the congress. Anybody
even those who have never been in tn,
national capital, will see that this state
ment is correct. For concreteness ant
homogeneity the congressional library
ought to be close to the congress, fol
the use Of congressman; and therefor,
ii ought TO be under the same roof will
the congress.
Well, that was thought Of. by tn
original architect Of the capitol; ant
he set apart spacious quarters for tn
congressional library. As a matter o
fact, in that early day, the architec
was criticised for having devoted s
much space TO the library. But he wa
a man of travel and Of learning, as wei
as one skilled in his profession, and h
foresaw the literary growth of this ma
| ton. He also knew that the library @
congress would necessarily contain a
( of the great works of the world; and s
, he set aside ample space for the library
I But the world Of letters grew nor
rapidly than even that astute architet
\ could foresee. Moreover, Abraham Lii
coin appointed a librarian who was
| veritable book worm. He has read an
4 digested more books than any other |
8 brarian in the world. Therefore L
I brarian Spofford has omnivorousl
culled from the worlds literature II
best and most valuable children of II
brains of the greatest thinkers an
+ writers of all generations. Cons,
quently, the congressional library gre
and waxed strong, until it was final
hampered for elbow room. Libraria
s. Spofford, for ten long years, begged Il
a congress to give him q new buildin
1t At last, with the aid of two great me
ID Senator Morrill,, Of Vermont, and Sc
T. ator Voorhees,, of Indiana, he succeed,
in securing the new building for Il
q congressional library. The congress
like the people Of this country, may
+. slow; but the congress, like the peopI
IA does nothing by fractions. When a MT
e, library building was finally projecte
g Tie congress was liberal and prodigl
% The congressional library Is now bell
moved into the most beautiful buildil
ever erected by mortal man. Not ev
q the hitherto peerless Taj-Mahal, Of I
Upper Ganges, can vie with this nj
! building IN magniAcsnce and beauty,