Evening star., 1898-12-12


desired are distributed from the desk.
Our books in the Chinese language
mainly derived by purchase from the IL
brary of the late Caleb Gushing, the first
American envoy to China, have through the
courtesy of his excellency. WI Ting-fang,
the present Chinese ambassador to Wash
fngton. been catalogued by some of the
learned gentlemen connected with the en-
the librarian wishes public and grateful
acknowledgment. a synopsis of this unique
collection appears in the appendix.
While the daily service of the library is
continued the work of classification and
arranSemeut goes on, The larger part of
the library has so far advanced that no
further arrangement will be needed until
the consummation of the reclassification.
Duplicates are eliminated for purpose of
exchange. Uncatalogued books. law books,
periodicals, maps and music, which came
in chaos from the Capitol have been as
sorted. and thousands of volumes thus re-
ceived given place on the shelves.
autobiography.
1T has been hoped that the reorganiza-
ton of the library and its classification
would be SO far advanced as to justify the
issue of monthly bulletins Illustrative of
he growth of it's aims and its work. This
hope. it is trusted. will soon be realized
n anticipation of such a publication sew
rral buI.eIInS have been issued AS Will
ue seen, IDc4t puBllCatiOI was SONeIltu ny
he condition of pubic opinion, and IN the
belief that Congress might in current legls-
alton Ia.ue the information thus present.
ID. The debates on Cuba, the overture TO
he recent war, called for our books on
. ,uba as well as our maps and manu-
scripts The Hawaiian annexation justified
pur photography of Hawaiian history ana
literature. The commercial and mining m
lerests i'll the northwest invited our bulie-
in of maps appertaining to that region
g
ion was met with a bulletin on the Phil
ppines.
The business of the copyright depart
ment for the fifteen months from July Z,
1851, may be briefly summarized as fol
-Ows: There have been 9S,!91 entries of
.Opyright. There have been collected and
paid into the treasury s64, 4JJ fees for
Copyright business. Letters to the num-
Der of 1876. containing remittances, have
ICen received.
We have received 21 J2S orders for the
payment of money which was paid into
ne treasury. This included 1i.521 money
orders. 1852 drafts and 95S express or
erS for money.
which We're mailed TO persons to whom eX-
ess fees or unused fees were to be re-
-urned. and for each check thus drawn an
ndcx card has been made. giving a con-
Use statement of the transaction rcQuir
ng the refund.
The question of a catalogue-so vital to
he hbrary's usefulness-has been kept
,omcwhat in allegiance, because of the
.essity Of arranging the copyright depart
nent for the convenience of authors and
publishers and the reading room for the
Sc of the public. We have been in ar
ears in subject cataioguing since 1861,
ghen the copyright department became
art of cur library system and was given
he right of way. a great deal has been
zone for the practical work of the reading
Dom. AS Shown by the promptitude of the
service there could be no Improvement.
Much, however. remains to be done to
BRING the resources of the library before
he public.
The catalogue and classification are based
Ipon the BacOnian system. Bacon began
With the philosophical proposition that
earning comes from memory, Imagination
nd reason-hiStory, which comes from
memory; poetry. Imagination; and phIioso-
Jhy. the fruit of reason. From these. are
reduced three divisions, as amended by JEFF
ersOn, under the heads of history, philoSO-
ny and fine arts, which are subdivided
ntO forty chapters. Under fine arts were
mbraced poetry; fiction, logic, rhetoric ana
tnSUage,
These forty chapters of Mr. jefferson
ere III the processes of library adn1inistra-
ion increased to forty-fOur, the minor
hanges a s noted in former report being
nat tCCleSidSIlcdI history was charged 10
I division next to theology; agriculture Su-
JerSeded Tnineralogy, which was emerged
.nto geology: chemistry took the place of
urgery. which was united with medicine
while the chapter on astronomy was rele-
Cdted 10 the place of chemistry, next to
yhysicS. its place being filled by mythology
and mathematics. transferred to allied
sciences, gave place to mental and moral
science. The four chapters added We're,
/. essays; A.. ana, wit, humor and quota
init bSoDian of lea nod
a, periodicals. AS at present
ranged the chapters subdivided as follows.
ITO cover only the copyright books, then
At their present rate of increase, cOnsti-
cutting about one-fourth of the annual ac-
ceSSious. would take the time of two OF
three experts, without considering the work
Of revision.
AS soon as the government printing Of
flee delivers the cards we can place before
the public the author catalogue Of all copy
right books published after July H. lStS,
title cards. biographical and bibliosraphicai
subject entries TO be added for the -ame.
Also author and, partly, subject c. TOT
articles in certain important period ' nd
serials. This will be the beginning ,- the
new catalogue system.
To complete d full dictionary catalogue
there should be one cataloguer for every
, $50 or 5000 books. This work will ad-
force allowed by Congress will permit One
cataloguer could take care of 2,oD author
entries alone. Therefore. four could handle
our accessions at the present rate of in
crease.
THE need of binding and printing office
in connection with the library is even more
apparent than last year. The experiences
of the largest libraries show that it is absO
Iutely necessary for the proper administra
tiOn of the library to have in the same
building a well-equipped printing Office and
bindery.
ITO repeat the emphatic words of Carlyle
in his comment on the British Museum: A
library is not worth anything without
1t Is a Polyphomus without any
eye in its head, and you must front the diff
Hculties, whatever they may he, of making
proper catalogues. The worst catalogue
ever drawn up by the hand of man was
greatly preferable to no catalogue at all
The Graphic Arts.
The department of graphic arts which,
according to the last report, comprised
II 80 prints The counting and recording
of prints as soon as received did not begin
until January !. 1898. From that date until
July l. 1898. there were received and ac
cessOned 1859 prints. making the total
deposit July /, 1898, Jg,9nS.
The increase of the art library has been
small. in the fiscal year there were no
books purchased, donated or received
through the operation of the copyright law.
The number of books in the art department
f,1 TEltN set q p-