Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-07
The Wonderful Growth of the Lii
brary Of Congress.
TRIBUTE TO MR.. SPOFFORD'S ABILITY
"reminiscences of Twenty-Five Years
as an Official.
VALUE OF THE CATALOGUE
John savary in the New York Times.

10000 volumes of books and half as many
pamphlets. bound and unbound. Its mus
ter roll of employees. including porters and
1aborers. did not exceed twenty, while to-
day it has 40 names of employees on its
pay roll in the new building. But of these
not all are in the library service, fully one
half being employed about the building.
In the majestic fabric built at cost Of
SGTnu.HO with book accommodation for
two centuries to come, say between 1900
Opa and 5.On0.mo0 volumes. with its new cx-
ecutIye head. and complete organization in
all departments, and under the law of in
crease established for it by the copyright
act of 1910. its future growth. progress and
expansion may be. if not forecast, in a
manner foreshadowed. In 1872 the whole
number of articles received for copyright
was II. $40 (of which J.JtG were books and
periodicals, and other articles 5.l6D. by
the end of the present year, in the estima-
tiOn Of the register of copyright, the whole
number of such articles received Will
amount TO the sum total of So600. That is,
for the last quarter OF century, putting
aside all additions by purchase, gift or
exchange, the library has just about dou-
bed its accessOns once in eight years.
while the average annual rate of increase
has of late years been about 1000.
a Glance backward.
Let us now for moment take just one
glance backward at the Library of Con-
gress in the olden time. Founded in 1890
for the sole and exclusive use of Congress,
and hence its name. Its growth for the
first half century was. indeed, slow. 1t
numbered in 1892 only 5000 volumes, of
which ali but 1000 were destroyed by fire
in December of that year. Congress inn
mediateiy apprOpriat ed $4,000 for the pur-
chase of books, and $1,000 for the restora-
ton of the building. The reconstructed
portion was of iron. and. according to Mr..
Spoford. the first instance OF the use of
that material for interior fire-proof con-
struction in any public building in America
This was the second fire which had oc
CURED In the library. the first being when
the Capitol was burned by the British in
1s14 Mr.. jefferson, then living in retire
meut at Monticello. and being financially
embarrassed. saw his opportunity. He Of
fered his entire collection Of 700 volumes
To the Library of Congress as the nucleus
of a new collection. He put his initials
r ]. COT /. tt wherever those letters
cur in the signature of every book, and
with a truly prophetic instinct and fore
sight OF what the nations library is and
should be. in the title to his catalogue ac
companying the collection he renamed 1t
the Library of the United States. II is no
longer the Library of Congress, and that
Inscription ought surely to be erased from
the facade over the entrance to the rotun-
da or reading room of the new library and
Mr.. JefferSons title put there instead be-
every citizen of this country has per-
soual stake in ii.
Under the old regime there was no
library staff organization, in the sense. that
Il. Of a division or separation into distinct
departments each with responsible head.
As was said of Napoleon, he was not
man. but system. 50 the only system in
the old library was carried in the brain of
Dne man. the librarian of Congress. He
WIS practically everything: he took not
only the knowledge of all things in the
library TO be his province. but he took all
the provinces. As librarian he was nat
urally and of course made keeper of the
printed books and custodian of all the man
uS"rtpt. hut he was also register of copy
right chief Of STAFF in oataloguing. over
Easr of the boDkhindery business letter
writer and head Of correspondence of the
library. and. above all the central bureau
Of information to all inQuiring congressman
and seekers after knowledge.
4 Remarkable Man.
With 50 many irons In the fire the won
der is where he found time for that multi
farioasness of occupation and interest, Of
Knowledge and of acquisition that disttn-
gGished him He saw every book new or
Old. that came into the library. and a
glance a the running title. head lines and
table of cOrtents in most cases satisfied
him, but he could, as was said of DR. john
soE. tear the heart out of a book In half
bN hours reading. He had a Speaking a.
hudlutance' with the leading and more i'm
fOrtdnt works in every class and division
Of the great library. But he never claimed
II others claimed for him. that he knew
tVery book in the Library of Congress-
That claim. If it was ever made, was not
true. but il is true that he knew the library
IKE book and could describe its contents
~ any doubt exists on that point the reader
is referred to the report on the condition
OF the Library of Congress March 1S9O
wherein Mr. Spofford in his testimony be-
.. the joint committee on the library
taxes up. successfully. each Of its forty
your chapters and describes in detail ex-
hdu-uVcIy and from memory the main fea-
s .uLt9, me I'm 2ortant acquisitions, the lead
ing works AMI characteristics
II appears to me as one of the most mar
Vicious fcats of memory ever achieved by
man 1t was once indiscreetly said that
1hlS man knew every book that was ever
printed This, Of course was impossihIe
nut he knew world of books and of those
in the library he could produce at any time
any book that was called for. When he
tapped the bell and gave his order IL the
attendant hesitated. he would say: Go to
Such a chapter, to such an aIcove and on
such shelf. in such a binding find and
bring me that book This was often done
10 the admiration of the caller though an
every day affair to the attendant at the
Desk His previous experience as a book
seller and newspaper correspondent gave
him a commercial knowledge OF books that
was useful in buying and ordering books
Tor the library. TO which was added in time
values and appropriations. In short he was
an authority, and second to none on All
mat relates TO the uses and administration
OF books in this country
Former Officials,
or the former assistant librarians I can
mere only speak of those who are either
dead and gone or are no longer connected
WIN the institution. Mr.. Vinton. who at
one time had charge of the catalogue. re-
signed to become librarian of the College
OF New Jersey. He is no longer living. DIR
theodore y. Gill, one Of the first natural
lists in this country or any Other
ard an authority in his own spaciaI
~ fossil fishes. was also emnIov-
ca on the Catalogues; and the tyro in
ca'ai"gulng. as well as some who We're not
tyFos, had reason to remember the ''snan
bh'ts OF the doctor in revision of their
author and title cards and the Gland
scopes he used to make of them The
noct1rr pronounced Darwinfan and evoIII-
ZIONIST. has fine philosophical intellect
shd Is sun very much absorbed in his scien-
ilhc work, but his worst enemy would hard
~ wish INN back again at a task 50 nm
congcuial and little rernunerative tn ,
man OF his ability. Able men, indeed In Ii
braries or elsewhere. are not always To he
had Ior the asking, and they were rather
fepeHed from service where they had No
province of their own, no definite duties 70
n gHf tN.,s