The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-12
Written for the Standards Library

spirit OF a oma who clearly believes
with DIR. johnson that the chief glory
of every people arises from their au-
thors. The splendid gift of Mrs. Hearst
to the growing city OF the mines and
mountains is known to those who
dwell near the Atlantic shore where
her many acts for public and private
good have made her well beloved. We
all rejoice with the woman and the
far of Western town, for she is hap
py in q noble deed, and the city glories
in a beautiful s~torehouse of knowl-
edge, whose treasures are forever free
and ennobling.
more than a library; she has founded
. school for higher education. for as
Carlyle says, 1.-The rue university OF
these days Is a collection Of books"
This is n of the Inscriptions along
the walls of the magnificent new build
ing erected in Washington for the liz
brary of congress. This is truly a uni
versity, for while not a circulating Ii
brary. it is more freely open to the
public than is the British Museum, the
Bibliotheque Rationale. the Imperial
Library or any national library on
earth. At present it may be inferior
to them in certain branches Of learn
ing. but in scope 1t is greater than
they and in time it's collections will be
larger and more perfect than they can
be. Uncle Sam does not do things by
halves. He has beer a long time pro-
viding a proper repository for his
books. his art collections, his manu-
scripts. his maps and charts. and his
various other products of time, wis
dom and civilization, but he has now
the most magnificent library building
in the world, and he is working night
and day to make it the most complete
in all other respects.
There is nothing to be desired in the
new library of congress from the stand
point of architecture and art. Perfec-
ton of design and detail, and the
height of artistic decoration have been
attained. What the new building in
Anaconda will be to its citizens, the IL
brary Of congress will be to the people
of the United States. No greater aid
to education than a library can be pro-
vided by a wise government which,
when of the people, thus defends itself
against the future far more securely
tina If it's 10000. 900 of people were en-
gagged in turning out and using can
non and ammunition.
In a proportionate degree will the
new library of Anaconda serve to i'm
prove it's sons and daughters and to
make their city forge ahead of other
centers not similarly blessed.
washington under the influence of
it's greatest library is rapidly becom-
ingt the educational center of the new
world. This, III the library Anacon-
da accepts to-day, was once small and
it's development vas slow. 1t was
founded in the year 1900. and as is not
generally known. began with a few
books originally deposited In the city
hall In the city of New York. In the
year mentioned congress made the first
appropriation for library purposes
while sitting in Philadelphia. 1t was
IS, 200, and the democratic congressman
thought that the constitution had thus
been violated and popular government
made a failure. Their leader, Thomas
Jefferson. thodght differently. He so
warmly favored the establishment of
a library of congress that he may well
be called the father Of the institution.
The library then occupied a portion of
the capitol building n was a very
small concern. 1t had only 2l2 folios:
1874 auartos; 5s1 octavos; Z duodecimos.
and Q maps. To-day 1t has over 740. 900
volumes. its maps number thousands
upon thousands, its engravings I'M
other productions of the graphic arts
All rooms of great space, and its news
papers and periodicals weigh tons
uuon tons. Between the old time and
the new, ac~cumulations of the library
have been wiped out by fire and de-
stroyed by war.
In August. 1914. the British burned
the capitol, and the books were ruined.
Thomas Jefferson then sold a large
part of his private library to the gov
eminent, and when in 1851 fire de-
stroyed about three-ffths Of the COL
lection it had 5000 volumes. 1t con-
tinued to grow. mostly through the
operation Of the copyright law. which
requires that two copies entered for
copyright must be filed with the IL
brarian. This source. as American
genius developed and It's literary ca
pacty increased. grew from q small
stream to a food of books and publ
cations Of all kinds that poured into
the library. filling its quarters In the
capitol and overlooking into the crypts
and garrets Of that great building un-
til they were too congested- This
overcrowding-the keeping Of 100000
volumes in space hardly suficient for
n noo .,.rtad an agitation for a new