The times., 1898-11-07
The Library Of Congress Uti-
lized While Gas Burns.
SORT OF BOOKS CHOSEN
Over Ten Thousand Volumes Have
Heen Called for I'm the Last Two
Weeks-Renources for Students
Embryo Lawyers and Their Fa-
cilities-The Pavilion for the Blind

gress in December of last year. called at
tention to the desirability or opening the
library at night, pointing out the condi-
tions prevailing in Washington which
would render such opening great boon
to the thousands of persons who are em-
ployed in the service of the Government
during the day and who can only have ac-
cess to the treasures Of the library after
o'clock p. m. In accordance with Mr..
Young's recommendation Congress, at its
last session voted the necessary appropri-
alton for the night service, and October
the library began to remain open every
day, except Sunday, from a. m. to 10 p.
m.
The experience of the last fortnight,
during which the night opening expert
ment has been tried, amply justifies the
demand for this accommoda ton which
the citizens of the District had been wait
ing for for years.
In addition to the many thousands who
have availed themselves of the opportuni-
ty to visit the exhibition halls of the IL
! brary during the evening nours, the num-
ber of those using the reading room for
purposes of study has been larger than
was anticipated. The number of readers
has been from 400 to 500 each day, and the
daily call for books and periodicals has
ranged from 6l5 to 1,246 The average
daily attendance has been 400, and the
| average daily use of books mas been 500.
The whole number of readers during the
first two weeks in which the library was
open all day is $3.50. and the number of
books supplied 10,24S. A greater number
of readers come to the library during the
evening hours than the earlier hours, as
mary as 167 readers having been present
at one time.
1t Is interesting to note the character
of books selected by the night readers,
and the following list affords fair idea
of the class of books used in the reading
room during the evening hours. The IT,
ties are taken at random from the rec
ords of one evenings reading. and they
are reasonably indicative of the taste of
the readers. Take October II as an Illus
tration, and among the volumes called
for were the following: Stubbs "Consti-
tutional History" Barrass "Napoieonic
Memoirs Abbott's Napoleon Mar
loves works, Bury's -Gibbon," Keasbeys
Nicaragua Canal and the Monroe Doc
trine," Spencer's Sociology Packards S
Physiology" Thompson's Electricity
| and Magnetism Loomis's Astronomy"
Van Dykes .Old Dutch and Flemish
Masters Blanc's ''Ecole Hollandaise,"
Matthew Arnold's essays, Wright's "Celt,
Roman and Saxon" Beekets Shake
speare Himself Again. Birch's .'Philoso-
| ply and Religion of Shakespeare, Pater-
| nos Eel Regimen Municipal en- las Islas
Fiipinas.'' Mahan's Navy in the Civil
War Maclay's History of the Navy
| brakes Indians of America, Roose-
| velt's Winning of the West" and Schuy-
ler's Study of American Architecture
There is a special demand for grammars
and reading books of the Spanish lam
guage; also for treatises on Spanish gen.
eral and colonial history. The requests
for books on Cuba and the Philippines
continue with force only slightly abated
from that which ruled in the early days
of the Spanish-American controversy. A
considerable demand for books on library
science and administration has also been
observed.
1t has been noted that the demand for
| illustrated periodicals and for works of
fiction is considerable, but is in very mod
crate proportion TO that for serious work
In consequence OF the crowded space
in the law library, which remains in the
Capitol, there has been great inconve-
nience. There are more law students in
Washington than at any one point except
W
library, the finest in the United States
has been the attraction. So in the small
cockpit assigned to readers students, con-
gressmen and members of the bar in at
tendance at the Supreme Court have been
huddled together in a most uncomforta-
BILE manner.
To remove this congestion the librarian
transferred TO the new library building
several hundred volumes, duplicates of
dents reading library. In addition are
the copyright law books coming daily.
and which have been taken from the de-
posits in the basement TO the shelves
making respectable collection. BY the
operation of the tunnel between the IL
brary and the Capitol. any book the stu
dent requires from the general law libra
ry can be sent to the new library reading
room. The advantage to the student in
Mr.. Young's new plan is that the law stu
dent can read from in the morning until
10 in the evening, with every convenience.
This is an advantage to the members of
the bar, who, If they have an important
brief to prepare, can go to the new libra
ry, draw as many books as are necessary
and continue their work well into the
night.
The pavilion for the blind always at
tracts interest. In n sheltered. out of
the way section of the basement a pavil-
ion has been set apart for the blind, under
the care of Miss Giffin. There is a piano
as well as a library of books in raised
letters and tables for reading. November
last a series of daily readings for the
blind was established in an experimental
way, several ladies and gentlemen of the
city having volunteered their services
The experiment has proved TO be very
successful At the outset it was sup
posed that there would be weekly or
at least semi-weekly reading The read
ings continued daily, Sundays excepted
from November to June 80, and the
public interest was so great that engage
ments to read were sometimes tive months
ahead.
Miss Giffin's record for the readings is
interesting as showing their character
and the themes most desired by the blind.
Mrs. John Russell Young opened the
series with readings from Howells.
Lowell, Anthony Hope. and Kipling Rev.
Mr.. Mackay Smith. November 26, read
Henry Drummonds ..The Greatest Thing
in the World;' Blanche Louise Hopper.
the essay on Rachel, by George William
Curtis. and Ruskin's Seven Lamps of
Architecture" A r. Spofford delivered
on January u a lecture on books and
learning. Mary F. Blount has read "The
Tar Baby" and the Rev. H NJ Couden a
selection of such pieces as "Derzharn on
Cod and Prentice on Immortality.
October the readings were resumed by
Miss Katharine NJ. Keith, who read from
TyndaIl on Light" Morton c. Crane
October II, read "Mandalay'' and other
poems of Kipling. The 18th inst. the
Bishop of Pittsburg, DIR. Cortiandt White
head read Richard Harding Davis's ac-
count of the battle of San Juan. while on