The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-07-29
BERLIN ROYAL LIBRARY.
ITS WRE7CHED HOUSING And IN
TIQUATED METHODS.
Trials of n Scholar in Conflict With
Onicinldom.

Trials of n Scholar in Conflict with
Ohicialdom.
Tradition and the bourgeois virtues
are enthroned at the Royal Library,
(. 4. . A magnificent collection of books
is this library, one of the largest in the
world, with about million volumes.
... Unfortunately, this splendid libra
ry, which dates back to the year 1853,
X when the great Elector lived and Ber-
lin was a village with ten thousand in
habitants, is one Of the worst housed
institutions in the city.
The American student who is fanlil-
n lar with the superb systems of the
Congressional Library and Of the Bos--
ton Public, or who has enjoyed the
privilege of working among the book
stacks at Harvard, will find much to
disappont and vex him in the use of
the Royal Library heres The main
reading-room is not bad, but the spec
ial reading rooms, for periodicals, mu-
sic, etc. are not only inconveniently To-
Gated in a separate building, but dim
gy and wretchedly lighted. The whole
library service is painfully slow; two
hours is the fixed minimum before a
book ordered is available, but often
four hours or a whole day elapse before
the order is actually filled. The crowd
Is ed condition of the building and the
lack of modern contrivances are large
" responsible for this slow service, for
everything is done by hand but the
ANTICIPATED system is partly to blame,
and well-organized continuous ser
Z vice instead of the present lazy periodic
service would expedite matters amaz-
ingly. Again, the catalogue-rooms and
the offices for the issue and return of
books are open only from nine to three;
\ at the University Library the catalogue
is accessible only from twelve to two!
The Royal Library has three cata-
Iogues-for it's officials but only one of
them is for the use of the public, that
is, for the people for whom the library
exists. This one is an alphabetical au-
thor catalogue, in roomful of enor-
NOUS manuscript folio volumes dating
from some antediuvian period; the old
err entries are so poorly written that
they are almost illegible, and those adj
led by later generations of librarians
are often so crowded that they too, are
difficult to decipher; the alphabetical
order under most of the common names
such as the hundreds of Mullers and
Schmidts-is hopelessly missed, so that
one often has to run through the whole
endless family to find his man; and,
worst of all, this catalogue is neither
accurate nor complete; one discovers
after awhile that the library contains
a great many books not entered here at
all N
W The other two catalogues, not open to
the public, are much better.
During several months work at the
Royal Library, I have naturally had
A frequent occasion to consult the sub
ject catalogue, and have thus come into
contact with some more Prussian Off
cialdon. The first experience was typ
ical. AS was about to enter the room
in which the precious volumes are kept,
4 Uniformed attendant in the ante
room, who evidently had nothing else to
do, called me back and told me l must
go through the other door. obeyed
orders, and found myself in the same
cpace to which the forbidden door gave
access, but at least had the conscious
ness of getting started right. The 9TH
err must have been the official 1ngress,
and it wouldn't do to let unofficial NOR
tails enter thereby. Such distinctions
are not too fine in country where
there are first. second and th1rd-class
funerals, so that one can be kept in MS
class on the last sadjourney, as he IS
during his earthly pilgrimage when he
travels by rail.
Once inside the proper door i became
conscious of a suspicious glover and a
sharp voice that asked what l was
looking for. 7 explained my wants, and
was directed to apply to the Herr Dok-
NJ at the desk in the corner. Stepping
10 the desk in the corner, I waited I'M
tiI the Herr Doktor deigned to look up,
and then, with becoming modesty, pre-
ferred my request for such and such
volume of the subject catalogue.
"What do you want it for?' demanded
this worthy I mentioned the subject
IN. which / was culpable enough to be
Interested go up stairs and look II
IN in Gocdeke; you'll find it all there,
was the answer. ! replied as polltely
as nossible. that l was perfectly fam1l-
lar wjth-GoeGcke an important bibllo-
graphical work, which everybody
Knows who knows anything about Ger
man litereture), but that I wanted to
find out what was to be had AT the
ROYAL Library, not what Goedeke list
ed and that I was also Interested IN
recent works not there listed Inc
worthy custodian grumbled a DIT, put
seemed to find the argument unanswer-
able. ard got me the coveted volume
Rift the most interesting thing is that,
often as 7 Have applied to this gentle
man for volume of his catalogue, ne
has never failed to refer me anew TO
Goedeke-Professor j. S. Nollen IN the
Boston Transcript
ls "PJTSH" LARRIKINISM.