The evening times., 1899-01-28
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Some misconceptions About II Cor
rected.
(From the New York Evening Post.)

From the New York Evening Post)
The Library of Congress is much misun-
derstood. 1t has never been without the
benefit of very exceptional talent in GER
tain lines. Mr.. Solberg, the head of the
copyright department; Mr.. Hutchinson at
the head of the reading room, and a few
other officers in responsible places are
doubtless as capable men as could be found
anywhere in the country. 1t is also true
that every department of the Library like
that of cataloguing, has certain number
of trained and competent employees on its
staff. The heads of the several depart
ments then, and a certain percentage of
assistants In each, are what they ought TO
be. II il were not SO, the Library could
not do business.
The fact that it is able to do business,
and possesses this saving remnant of eff
fciency, obscures from public view the
fact that the institution is otherwise filled
up with persons who have no place there.
OF course, it takes from three TO five in
competent employees in such an undertake
ing as library work to take the place,
even imperfectly, of one competent per-
son, but Uncle Sam DOES not mind that.
The material for filling in is very gem
erously supplied. There is no trouble in
getting an appropriation from Congress for
any number of employees, provided these
employees can De selected Dy- tne
ers themselves. It is an old maxim of
Washington that the way to get bill
through Congress is 10 ornament it's face
with a lively prospect of some desirable
patronage for the men who are expected
to vote for il.
To show how this system works in the
Library one instance will suffice the
truth of which can be vouched for.
we'll known Senator secured the appoint
ment of near relative 10 the Library. He
was so far below the standard of efficiency
that he has been moved about from de-
partment to department. in the hope that
something could be found somewhere which
he was capable Of doing. The chief of one
Of the rooms into which he was finally put
was accosted one morning recently with an
enquiry as to what he had been able to do
with this man. He is getting along very
nicely now replied the chief cheerily.
Il have got him trained so that be can
sort books by color" This Incapable draws
81 500 year. He will probably continue
to draw ii as long as his relative is in the
| Senate of the United States. OF course
sorting books according 10 the color OF
| their cover is not the highest art of a
| librarian, but, starting from the very bot
! tom, it shows an intellectual progress
! which is most commendable.
| a man who has for many years been
<
| the Library of Congress recently explained
| to a party OF friends the situation as he
| viewed it. So intimate is his acquaintance
| with things as they are not as they are
| supposed to be, that his story is worth
telling in his own words: II never heard
| anything so foolish in my life,' he began,
| "as this hifalutin talk of trained libra
rian to take Mr. Young's place that ]
read about in the Mugwump newspapers.
The place does not call for trained libra
rian. He would be In the way. The Lii
| brarian of Congress has TO handle Inen
| rather than books. This is not a public
library, and it is only by courtesy that
| its facilities are accorded to the public
and 10 investigators. This is purely q
congressional affair, just as much as the
baths in the basement of the Capitol
Now, the kind of a man we want for q
Librarian of Congress is somebody who
knows how TO handle the Senators so as
to get the most done for the Library.
Take those bookworns whose names are
mentioned in the papers: would any one
of them know how to handle Cu!lom snt
Gallinger and Kyle and Piatt and Quay
and German. and the rest of them? Wher
one of these Senators comes over and or
ders a place prepared for friend of his
what would one of these highly educated
librarians do about it? Would he under
stand how TO make place and get an ap-
! preparation for it, and what particular
Senators it was necessary to keep on the
right side of? l doubt it. The statesmen
| at the Capitol will sandbag a librarian
who does not watch out, and tf~l make nc
| bones of telling him so. l would not give
cent to have man know al that Poole
and Cutter and Winsor and Putnam pu
together have ever known about Libraries
| That is not to the point. He should in
stead of that, understand Cullom and Gal
| finger and German