The news & observer., 1897-11-07

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The new National Library is the
eighth wonder of the world-to Ameri-
cans at least. They come a thousand or
more day; and they will be sure to
repeat the visit. Every one says it sur
passes in grandeur and beauty whatever
they had though of as possible. They
come in troops, from North and South,
| from East and West, and this will go
| ON for generations; for there are now
seventy millions of people in the Union,
and they are duplicated every twenty
| five or thirty years.
The house is magnificent in proper
tions, covering, as it does, more than
| three acres of ground. 1t is the largest
and the most splendid structure of the
kind in the world, and two of the greatest
| libraries in Europe would not fill it.
Libraries grow from small beginnings,
and in the Old World they have been
| stored away in some convenient old
| building, which has been enlarged, from
time to time, to make room for the grow
ing collection of books. But here in this,
| the wealthiest country Of the world
| Mr.. Gladstone says so-Congress made
an appropriation of six million dollars to
begin with for the purpose of erecting
| magnificent edifice devoted to litera-
| ture and art.
The Library building is Of the Corin-
THAN order. The walls are of granite,
and are ornamented all around with hu-
man faces representing every race Of
men, Caucasian, Mongolan, Chinese, Ja-
paneses, American aborigines, Negro, and
the rest with their varieties
| The interior is hned from bottom to
! top with polished marbles, which have
been brought from every part Of the
world, where fine marbles are found.
American marbles, thus far, are not
equal to European. The halls on the
first floor. which run around the four
sides of the house, should not be over
looked by visitors. Anywhere else in
any other building they would be thought
a marvel of beauty. They cannot be less
than twelve or fourteen hundred feet in
/ length, aud are lined on each side to
the height of perhaps seven feet with
some of the most beautiful marbles to
| be found in this county. The arched
ceiling overhead being the granite sup
| port of the floor above, is beautifully
ornamented with painted figures. These
| halls, which extend around the building,
open out at the west entrance into a
great square space studded with square
| pillars, of enormous thickness, which
/ support the grand entrance above,
/ like the array of columns in
the crypt Of the Capitol. They, like
everything else, are of polished marble.
But of the grand hall which the visi-
tor enters, from the outer door! What
shall l say of its SURPRISING magniti-
cence? 1t is vast in extent. 1t contains
two grand stairways, one on each side;
| and it reaches from the second floor to
the roof of the building The stairways
lead up to floors which run all around
the great hall, like gallery, with exits
into other great apartments. The gal
lery. if l may so call it. supports a
colonade of beautiful white, Italian mar
Bile, Corinthian, of course, and consti-
| tutes one of the most attractive features
of the edifice, to me at least. The col
onade supports the roof in this part.
/ There are four courts, each about a
hundred feet in length by fifty in
breadth. They give light to the inner
rooms, and at the same time to the inn
mense stacks of books. These stacks are
iron frames nine stories high-enclosed
in granite walls, of course-with shelving
all the way up, and passage ways on
each floor to enable the attendants to
reach the shelves. There are four OF
these stacks between the courts, any one
of which will hold more than all the
books, several hundred thousand now In
the Library. There is also shelving in
the great reading room for many thous-
and volumes. / suppose that the books
which are most read will occupy these
shelves, such as novels, poems, travels
history, and magazines, with dictiona'
ries, encyclopedias and other books OF
reference.
The reading room occupies the rOtunda
so to speak, which, however, is Octagon
shaped. 1t is larger than the rotunda OF
the Capitol. In the center, one of the prin
ciple librarians, with numerous attend
ants,) will sit, to give out books to read
ers, and receive them when returned.
Electric wires reach out from this high
central seat to every part of the Library;
and when book is called for, the man at
the center, Mr.. Hutchinson, probably,
will telegraph the man in the quarter
where the book is to be found, and he
will send it down, or up, as the case may
be, through a pneumatic tube, so that
little time will be lost in waiting. Other.
} wise, owing to the great size of the build
ing, the busines of delivering books to
the readers would be a slow and tedious
operation. The plan is different from
the modern custom in the fashionable
retail stores, Of sending packages by
!. machinery overhead. Books viii be de-
livered to Congressman, at the capitol
!, which is two hundred yards away,
through pneumatic tubes.
The rotunda or octagonal space is one
: Of the finest parts of the building. The
walls are of marble much Of it from
: Egypt. Whether the beautiful darl
|. yellow, variegated columns which now
. ornament this modern temple of learn
, ing were taken from the ruins of ancient
. thebes or Memphis is more than can
, undertake to say. This great reading
room is furnished with admirable accom-
; modations for readers and writers. II
| will furnish two or more hundred read
ers, with seats, and desk to write
! upon. 1t is lighted from above, not
; by sky-lights through the roof of the