Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-18

ag&E .T before him a set of
NV plans, showing the
floors and just how
each part of this great book palace is to be
arranged. Mr.. Young's home is now on
New Jersey avenue, within few blocks
of the library. In going to see him
walked by the front of the National Capt.
toll, down the central stairs of which a
wooden trough chute has been built to
carry the boxes of books from the old
library down into the wagons in which
they are to be carried to the new. 1 saw
scores of workmen bringing these boxes on
their shoulders out of the Capitol and put
ting them into the chute. Men stood at the
bottom to catch the boxes they came
flying down, and as soon one wagon
was loaded 1 noticed that there was an
other there to take it's place. Already sew
eral hundred thousand books have been
moved, and it is expected that long before
Congress meets this vast collection of vol
umes and pamphlets will be stored away
in its new home.
The New Librarian of Congress.
Before 1 give my interview with Mr..
Young, let me tell you something about
the man. Some of the papers seem to look
upon him as politician rather than as a
Young is almost born literateur. He be-
gan to write for the newspapers long be-
fore he was out of his teens. He has been
a student all his life, and today he has one
of the largest private libraries IN the
United States. His collection of Americana
at Philadelphia numbers several thousand
volumes, and he has rare editions OF nearly
all the greater authors. His literary work
has been carried on all over the world For
years he was the head of the New York
Herald bureau in London, and as such
spent much time in the British Museum
Library. He has also worked for months
in the National Library OF France he mas
had access to the collections of Spain at
Madrid and there is hardly a great library
of the world which he does not know. As
writer he IS noted for the purity >of his
English. and when he talks ms iangaage
is the purest Anglo-Saxon, so worded that
it could be published without revision. He
has always received high salaries. L am
told he got $4,000 year from MIR. Bennett
paid when he was vice president of the
Reading railroad. and l imagine his work
today is done more for the love of 1t than
for the 5000 salary which he gets from
the government.
MIR. Young's Appointment.
1t has been stated that Mr.. Youngs ap-
pointment was a severe blow to Ainsworth
r. Spofford, the old librarian of Con-
gress This is a mistake. Mr.. Spofford
himself wrote the President that he did
not wish to be continued as chief,
and in his letter he himself suggest
ed that Mr. Young be chosen as libra
rian. When President Mckinley oHereu
John Russell Young the position, Mr. Young
said he could not accept 1t on account 81
his friendship for Mr.. Spofford. Said he:
Mr. President Mr. Spofford and l have
been friends for over thirty years. we
like each other and 1 would not for the
world do anything that would affect our
relations"
IJpon this President Mckinley showed
Mr Young Mr.. Spofford's letter, and some
weeks after that Mr.. Young accepted the
appointment. The relations of the two
men ere of the best nature. They are
working together, Spofford acting as liter
airy assistant and Young as administration
head, executive manager and in short as
librarian-in-chief.
Uncle Sans Books.
1 asked Mr.. Young to tell me some
thing of the size of Uncle Sans book col
lection. He replied:
ut is hard to say as yet just what it is.
For years thousands of pamphlets and
volumes have been stored away in boxes,
packed up in bundles and piled up in all
sorts of shapes in the basement of the
Capitol We know that we have altogether
about $780, 900 books and 250,o00 pamphlets,
making million in ALL We have, L judge,
something like 800. 900 unbound periodicals,
.HW OuU pieces or music ana at least
maps In addition to these there are manu-
scripts, pictures and a vast amount of
material, the value of which can only be
known when it is properly arranged ans
classified
But there must be a great deal of trash
in such staff, Mr.. Young said /.
mo, l think not" was the reply. AL
most every bit of it is valuable in one
sense or another. You know the trash of
one century becomes the classics of the
next. Old pamphlets which are thought
worthless often become very valuable.
The American ones are especially so. The
library is the copyright record of what
the great American brain is doing. 1t Is
the great brain reservoir of the United
States, and it should contain everything
published
But does it do this asked
YES l think so as far as the United
States is concerned. The law requires that
two copies of each book copyrighted must
be deposited in the National Library. We
also get every foreign book registered I'M
der the International copyright law, and
cur additions to the library from copy
rights alone amount to tens Of thousands
year. Last year there were over 10000
books. pictures and other things copyright
ed, and the increase of copyrights seems
to be steady from year to year"
Enough Room for the Next Century.
"Win not the library soon become full ut
this rate of increase?" 1 asked.
mo, 1 think not" replied the librarian.
'We can put all the books in one wing or
stack of the new building. We have shelv-
ing for years to come. The library covers
about three acres There are three Stories
which gives nine acres for books, ma
chinery, offices and reading rooms. Nine
acres is a great deal of space. There are
already miles OF shelving. and, II necessary
room could be made for more than 1000, GOO
books. 1 doubt whether We will fill the
library building within the next one hun
dred years. The greatest library of the
world today is that of Paris. 1t has 1000
GOO volumes, but the books are badly
housed. The British Museum Library Is
next. with more than two millions, and
think that st. Petersburg follows. As for
us. we stand about eleventh in number:
but II Congress is as liberal in providing
books as it has been in putting up this book
palace. we will soon become third In rank,
and We may eventually be first"
Our Specialties.
"In what features Is the library especially
strong, Mr. Young?" asked.
at has fine collection OF American
pamphlets and books published in America.
It is very strong in law, political enconomy
and history. There. are. however. many
gaps In our collection of French, German