Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
Rare Works of Robert Burns to
Go to Pittsburg.
WIN. R. SMITHS VALUABLE COLLECTION
Mr. Carnegie Names Place in
Which Books Will Be Kept.
GENERAL FEELING OF REGRET

| MI w III. SiIillIi, VI tie
Botanic Garden, sailed this morning from
New York on the State of Nebraska for
Glasgow. Scotland He was accompanied
by Mr.. VIM. F. GUIDE, the florist. He will
be gone from this country about five weeks
Mr.. Smith will, on arriving in Scotland, al
once go to the great library OF Glasgow
| where is to be found the best collection of
| Burnsiana in Great Britain, the purpose OF
his trip abroad being to make additions to
his collection of the works of Burns, which
is now reputed to be the most complete in
| America. He will also visit Mr.. Andrew
| Carnegie at Skibo Castle.
Just previous to his departure 1t was
| learned that Mr.. Smiths magnificent col
| lection of Burnsiana, which has been the
J work of his lifetime, will be removed from
| this city to find a permanent home in the
! great Carnegie library at Pittsburg. The
| collection comprises 1000 volumes, relat-
| ing to the writings of the great Scotch
poet including $50 separate editions of
| Burns poems. The news that this rare
| library would leave this city was received
| with great regret by many lovers of books
| and of the works of the sweet singer of
| Scotland, who were well acquainted with
| the collection, and who thought it would
| in time find its way TO either the Congress
| sional or the Washington Public Library.
| His Admiration for Burns.
The story of this rare collection and of
the way in which it was lost to this city
| is extremely interesting. Mr.. Smith was
born in Scotland, where his young man
| hood was spent He suffered great diff
Guilty in getting books during the days when
he was struggling for an education, and
| among the few volumes he was able to
| possess at that time was one containing the
| poems of Burns.
This soon became his greatest treasure
10 haC n1yx-s,S dad t1or
| as the worlds greatest messenger of true
| liberty and upholder of the natural rights
| of man. When he came to this country
| this book of poems was brought with him.
| and he still treasures it in the collection
| of which it the inspiration and the
| nucleus. Between 1865 and 1870 Mr.. Smith
| began in earnest, and with determined
| purpose to make his collection as complete
as possible. OF the go editions of the
| poems of Burns 90 are American, Mr.. Smith
| always contending that Scotland's poet is
| more appreciated in America than in Scot
| land There are ten scrap books filled with
| clippings from various publications on the
| poet and his works. These include articles
| from the National Intelligencer and the
Edinburgh Review. among the latter being
| the famous comments by Thomas Carlyle,
| which have been reproduced in various
| forms.
| Great Value of the Collection.
| Many of the editions of Burns poems
in Mr.. Smiths collection are very valua-
bic. For instance the second American edi-
| ton, small volume, sells for 1925
[ 1t was printed in 17SS in Philadelphia,
the first American edition published just
| two months previous to the issuance of the
! volume above referred to being worth, be-
| cause of that seniority, $500 The colec-
| ton also includes one French and four or
| five German editions of the works of Burns
| Andrew Carnegie's essay on Burns, pub
| iished in the Liber Scriptorum, in 1885, and
l 80 II
! ton. being presented by Mr. Carnegie. This
| essay is regarded of sufficient merit to
| alone establish a literary reputation on the
part of Mr.. Carnegie. and gives evidence
| of his thorough understanding and great
| appreciation of the Scotch poet. The whole
| collection is regarded as priceless, but were
| any one to attempt to place a valuation
| upon it according to the prices at which
| the books are sold in cases in which they
| are obtainable, the total would be very
| many thousands of dollars. Many of the
| books in the collection cannot now be pur
| chased at all. Speaking of the fact that
| this rare collection was to leave this city,
| a lover of books remarked today that the
| loss of this treasure was so great as to
almost counterbalance the munifcent gift
| of public library building which the city
had gained as result of Mr.. Carnegies
| generosity.
A Possible Disadvantage.
| II fear" he said, "the accessions to our
| library may be somewhat limited for time
| at least by the fact that this library, popu-
| larly referred to as the Carnegie library,
| and viewed as monument to Mr.. Carne-
| gie's benefcence, will lose other valuable
collections because of the thouroughness
with which 1t is identified with Mr.. Carne-
| gle and because of a prevalent impression
| that Mr.. Carnegie himself WILL as he has
done in the case of other libraries built up
| by him, make some liberal provision for in
| creasing its supplies of books
| Mr. Smith had not disposed of his collec-
| ton when he was taken i'll last summer.
| The physicians attending him had given up
| thought was for the result of his lifes
| labor his beloved collection. and his great
desire was to so dispose of it that it might
| not get scattered, as he had known to be
| the case with some other collections Then
he recalled q conversation he had had with
| Mr.. Carnegie ten years previously when
the latter was visiting him in his home at
the Botanic Garden. Mr.. Smith was talk
| ing of his collection and remarked jokingiy
that his riches gave him as much trouble
| as the riches of the multi-milionaire.
He was worried lest those riches should
| some day get scattered. Mr. Carnegie
promptly replied that that need not worry
| him, he would provide home for the
| collection. Desiring to secure the direct in
| terest of his friend in the case of his treas
| ures, Mr.. Smith made a will in which he
| left them to Mr.. Carnegie, with the request
| that they be placed for preservation wher-
ever he should indicate.
But the sturdy Scotch constitution deffed
disease and upset the predictions of the
physicians and the patient recovered Two
| months ago Mr.. Carnegie again visited him,
and as he leaving his house and they
| were standing in the little garden filed with
flowers before the front door, Mr.. Smith
| told his friend of the will he had made
| Mr. Carnegie replied promptly.
Mr.. Carnegie Named Pittsburg.
eff it is left to me it will go to Pittsburg
| because 1 love Pittsburg," he said.
That settled the whole matter in the mind
of Mr.. Smith. Overtures had been made
| to him from Librarian Young, who offered
| to make special provision for the books in
| the Congressional Library, and would have
given them a separate place in an alcove.
| But the offer was not accepted, Mr.. Smith
suggesting that Mr.. Hutcheson of the Ii
brary force, and thoroughly we'll versed in
| the subject, be authorized to make a collec-
| ton similar to the one he owned.
After it had been settled that the Smith
collection was to go to PittSburg Mr.. Car
negie authorized the collector to add to it
| by purchase anything he desired, at his ex-
pense. This is the reason for Mr.. Smiths
| visit to Scotland now There Is zone book
| the collection lacks, which is regarded as
| the most valuable of all the editions 1t is
| the original Kilmarnock edition of 17S6. for
| which $1,000 has lately been paid That
/ book Is now held at 81, 600 and il is an nm