The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-06-08
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY.
The Origin and Growth of n Great
Public Work-A Description OF

luDiic "OrR-h description Ofthe
Building.
The Atlanta Journal prints the fol.
lowing paper by Mrs. Burton Smith,
Of that city, winch was read before the
Woman's Club a few days ago:
While the distant rumb.ings Of war
reach our "a ,sSAmericans may look
with unlimited pride on what is the
greatest siugle monument OF peace the
world has yet produced. Surely moth
ing could more effectively typify that
liberty OF thought and c~onscience, and
that Joy in the retinements of life,
which follow in the wake OF peace, tina
this great library building, with it's
stores stimulating to investigation and
It's constant expression Of beauty and
harmony. a nations greatness ana Il
nations glory could be no more titll
voiced than by thus providing u store
house for the learning Of ages-iree to
all, and inspiring all, by its practical
and artistic completeness.
The first modest appropriation of
So,OOO made by Congress in 1900, for the
purchase OF books, was accompanied by
the stipulation that they should be
such books as may be necessary for
the use Of Congress, at the said city of
Washington :" and this spirit Of llmi-
tation seemed even TO survive the de-
ooi uSploh VI Vic cucIly . ldIltS vi 1OlL,
when the books were burned, ana TO
cling still to the new collection formed
by the purchases made with $75, 600
then voted by Congress, and increased
by the Jefferson library in 1918. the
Force Historical library in 1895, the
Smithsonian library in 1867, and the
Toner collection in 1882. Though JEFF
ferson with his true Democratic spirit,
called it the library of the United
| StntnA IN luN,ll SnN,, flnt ~ N-,,ls..
character OF a national library was only
Infused into it by the copyright lag o.
1870, and the international copyright
law of 1891, which provides that there
shall be deposited in this library two
copies OF all books, periodicals and
other publications, claiming the pro-
lection of copyright in the United
States"
Passing through various vicissitudes,
the library ut present numbers 7i0, 900
volumes, besides $50, 600 pamphlets.
Its greatest strength" writes the Ii.
brarian, lies in the fields Of jurispru-
dence, political science, American and
British history, and what are known rs
Americana. Its DIT deficiencies are most
marked in books in foreign languages,
and there are notably great editions Of
the classics, in philology, in Oriental
literature, and in many of the sciences"
For years, the old quarters have been
inadequate, and to my own vision the
picture of old Congressional library
rooms would seem nat without
pamphlets and books piled in apparent
indiscriminate disorder, along the
aisles, and around the desks.
When the general library is moved
TO the new building these rooms will
be reserved FOR u most complete refer
ence library for the especial'use Of Sen
ators and Representatives.
In his report of 1872, Mr.. a. II. Spot
ford, The veteran librarian, made an
appeal to Congress for more space, but
the matter lay in the acknowledgements of
) legislative red-tape for II years, and it
} was not until April, 1886, that any def
mite action was taken, and not until
March, 1889, that final legislation was
enacted.
5 1t was hen decided that the cost
, limit should be So, 245, 567. "a, and the
l time limit 8 years. To the original
!, architects, Messrs. Smithmeyer g. Pelz,
5 the country owes the excellence aud
l Appropriateness OF the design, and when
Congress put the superintendent OF
5 construction into the hands OF General
I Casey, our chief OF engineers, he was
' wise enough to recognize hat his best
abilities could be expended in adapting
these same plans % the limit Of cost,
and carrying them out with prompt
: ness and thOrOughneSs.
3 1t is by no leans the least among the
y glories OF this great public work that
3 1T was completed a month within the
I time limit, and for $40, 600 less than
the stipulated cost-in striking and
honorable distinction to many other
public enterprises. Its situation on
, the broad plaza OF the capitnl and eon.
1 eral appearance has probably grown
/ familiar to those OF you who have not
{ seen the building, from the excellent
4 photographs and prints at command,
Z but a lew figures may give a more def.
, mite idea of its size and capacity. The
building covers about 81 acres OF
ground. The walls are 50 feet high
and the apex of tue dome is 1913 feet
floor OF the building is Ill, 900 :uuare
D feet, while that of the British museum
Is a little over 80, 900 square feet. The
diameter OF the great central reading
( room Is lOO lcet and above the student
y or reader there rises the great ornate
, dome, with such space and airiness and
: beauty about. such perfection or archi-
tectural as we'll as decorative effect rs
> TO inspire the most common. place, to
l imaginative lights. There are already
. forty-iour miles OF shelves Ia position,
sufficient to accommodate |, 900, 900 Vol
, umes, besides unused space in the
{ building and the courts together where
! posteriCy may store 6 or 7 million vol
= umes more
! 1t is impossible in a paper of this
) length to give an adequate idea Of the
mechanical details Of this building, the
perfectly lighted and dust-proof book
stacks, the pneumatic tube and tcie.
phone communication between the
reading rooms and the book-stacks and
the capitol, the under ground tunnel to
the capitol with its book and package
carrier, the electric appliance, which
ike u genius of service and selection,
brings at command the book you want
from he distant bookstacks. Indeed
all the wonderful devices OF human IN
genuity which go to make this home of
books the largest and most perfect in
the world. The appropriations act of
last February provides for tho more
perfect administration of the affairs of
the new library under ~well.salaried
and competent officers and assistants
and with the most improved methods.
There are two officers 1.-THE librarian
and the superintendent at salaries OF
$o,OOO each, u number at from 81, 900 to
Sl,5OO, and numerous assistants besides.
For the purchase of books 81 900 Ia al
lowed yearly.
1t Is granted hat the artistic excel.
- n al -