The times., 1898-12-04

comprising about 200. 600 pieces. nearly
two-thirds of the copyrights are foreign
There is music in the collection for every
style of instrument aginable, from pia-
no TO wind instrument, and the combina-
tions range from duos TO orchestra, ard.
in military music, from four trumpets to
a full band Among the treasures of the
music room are an old opera score pub
lished in 1851, entitled Albion and AL
banius;'' an old hymn book. published
In America in 1898. and a mimlograph of
the late John C. Fillmore, who notated
American INDIAN music with such sue
cess The department is endeavoring 10
obtain manuscript music of our promi-
nent musicians. Several donations have
already been made, one OF the most i'm
portant of which is the manuscript of
the latest song composed by Mr.. II. A.
Beach, the only woman in this country
who has composed symphony for an or
chestra. These manuscripts will form the
nucleus of collection which Will one day
be of untold value as an exhibition of
the works of American composers.
Mannscripts.
In one of the most retired portions O,
the Library building is a commodious
apartment where the manuscripts have
hied themselves, to take, in one sense OF
the word. the black veil" The room
was selected on account of its being be-
yond the ken of the average sightseer
for whose benefit a number of rare man.
uscripts are on exhibition in glass cases
in another part of the building. As man.
uscripts are not given out in the general
reading room, this department has also a
room for the use of those who may be
interested in making study of the man.
uscripts, or who wish to consult any one
of them. a law was passed by Congress
TO prevent manuscripts from going be-
yond the confines of the Library, so that
all work, even TO bind them, must be done
in accordance with this law. Dr. Fried
enwald, chief of the department, togeth-
er with three or four assistants is busi-
ly engaged in classifying old manuscripts
and arranging them on temporary shelves
Permanent cases or iron and glass are
now in process of construction for their
better preservation. Later on all man.
uscripts will be bound in volumes. but 1t
will first be necessary for most of them
to be repaired. There are 1850 volumes of
these treasures. and enough unbound to
make as many more. Cataloguing man.
uscripts is peculiarly difficult, as each in
dividual one must be carefully studied in
order that the card catalogue may be in
telligible. The cards are prepared by the
assistants and reviewed by DIR. Frieden-
wald. who hopes in time to complete
perfectly arranged card catalogue of the
whole collection. Efforts are being made
to obtain the first manuscripts of promi-
nent writers of today. Such collection
would be a most valuable legacy for fu-
ture generations. The great care taken
of manuscripts, and the fact that they
will be kept together and preserved for
all time, ought to be an inducement to
those in possession of collections or sim
gle copies of rare manuscripts, to donate
them to the nations storehouse of knowl-
edge.
For the same reason. and because this
Is the only branch of the Government
with a special fire-proof attachment for
the safe keeping of manuscripts, Mr.
Young is urging the necessity of trans
ferring archives Except those of an adj
ministrative character of the Govern
ment departments to the Library. The
Toner, Force and Washington collections
constitute some of the chief treasures of
the departments. and the glass cases in
the northwest section of the library are
filled with letters, and perhaps bearing
the signatures of Presidents of the Re-
public. A most interesting manuscript is
the Narrative of Events in the Early
History of Virginia. written in Jcffer
sons small cramped, but perfectly legi-
BILE handwriting. The richest deposits of
these treasures relate to colonial times.
Maps.
The Map Department, under the direc-
ton of Mr.. P. L. Philips. has undertaken
a work in which no other library has en-
gagged. 1t is not only making cata-
logue of separate maps. but is examining
every book In the Library to find all
printed maps. This is being done to make
a card catalogue showing where every
thing in the shape of map may ts
found.
When call is made for maps not in
the collection in the map room, but in
some book. cards are produced giving the
title of books and numbers of the pages
on which said maps may be found. The
magnitude of such work, as the making
of this catalogue involves, is fully justi-
fed by It's utility. 1t has already been of
great service in several important affairs
of the Government. One of note was the