The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-09

/ amendment was oHered II the senate by
the Chairman of the Committee on the
/ District making provision for the opening
/ of the Library during a portion of each
! Sunday latter p. M. The amendment
| was referred TO the Committee On the Lii
| brary, reported favorabIy. and referred by
| them to the Committee on Appropria-
| tons It was adopted by that committee
| and incorporated in the appropriation bill
as it passed the Senate. But it fell out in
| conference
Religion Not Involved.
This may have been through some mis-
i apprehension Of its purposes OF effect The
/ Sunday opening of libraries and museums
| is, however, now so general that the ap-
! plicatiOn to a particular ms tuition has
! ceased to be discussed as a question of
! utility. much less as religious question
/ but purely as question of local need and
! Of pecUniaTy ability. Compulsory Sunday
/ labor is not involved In the Library OF
! Congress, as generally elsewhere. the pro-
] vision would be for a special service =
| This might consist, in part at least. Of
I weekday employees. but only at their own
solicitation. for extra pay and III no case
| would any emplOye serving during the
week De permitted to work every Sunday.
nor more than four hours OF any Sunday
OF Important Utility.
1T would be in part by visitors from
| out Of town, to whom now every Federal
institution in Washington. save the 70
illogical Park IS closed from Saturday
/ evening till Monday morning. 1t would be
in part by the men whose profession is in
books, but whose weekday hours are &C.
I ii = =
respective bureaus: Il would be IN part by
employees IN the executive departments
who are interested in serious reading
and It would be in a large degree by men
and women whose weekday hour must
be devoted to the mere business which IS
their livelihood and the woTk-day even
ings TO mere physical remuneration. and
whose only opportunity for cultivation
comes on Sunday. that the Library would
be used. The CoTcoran Gallery is omen
on Sunday afternoons The crowds which
visit il are evidence OF the need and the
appreciation.
Expense Would Be Little.
''To open the Library that IS. the
building. the exhibits, the main reading
room, and the reading room for periodi-
Gals and newspapers on Sunday after
moons and evenings would cost less than
SIS, geo a year-Iess than ) per cent OF the
present annual expenditure for mainte-
nance. I cannot believe that Congress will
ignore an opportunity for such great ben
eft at 50 slight additional exnense and I
have included the provision in my esti-
mates for the next fiscal year"
Division OF Manuscripts
Mr.. Putnam says that ttsre is no di-
vision in the Library more important in
its possible service to historical research
than the Division OF Manuscripts. He
says there IS none in whose conduct
thorough. authoritative scholarship is
more necessary It is to this division
particularly that gifts must be attracted:
the expert judgment must be there to at
tract them"
Mr.. Putnam recommends the approprfa-
ton Of s. 600 as salary for a chief OF
this division, who" Mr. Putnam says,
among other qualities must have aca-
demic training facility in at least half a
dozen languages, a knowledge of political
and literary history, a thorough and pre-
else knowledge OF American history, a
discriminating knowledge OF original
sources a considerable knowledge of
photography, and familiarity with the
character and conduct of the manuscript
collections in other Libraries and in the
archive Offices abroad. as we'll as in this
country"
How to Attract Gifts.
Referring to the attraction of gifts to
the Library. Mr.. Putnam says:
The Library can, indeed, hope to at
tract gifts only by three means: First by
a building which viii house them safely
and eommodiousIy-th il has Second
by administration which will safeguard
them and render them usefuI-this it is
developing Third, by considerable ex-
penditures of its own in the acquisition OF
material which will bring the material
given into honorable company and viii at
tract notice to 1t by Increasing the repu-
tatton of the general collection. These ex-
penditures it must be prepared to make
All three of these factors have operated
in the case of the British Museum. Price
less collections have come to it by gift
They have come largely for the distinc-
ton of association and service with col
lection already the most distinguished in
the world. made so by the direct effort Of
the Government
visitors and the Books They Read.
The total number of visitors to the Lii
brary Building during the past year was
$50 $40. or 4 daily average Of 2.711
Speaking Of the character of books read.
Mr. Putnam says that a larger percentage
of scientific works have been called for
in the reading room for reference use,
and larger percentage of fiction for home
use.
a marked increase" says Mr. Putnam
has been observed in the number of ref
erenee readers from outside OF the Dis
trict. and in the number Of calls for books
for official use by the Government De-
partments, Bureaus, and Commissions,
and by the members of the Diplomatic
Corps
The increase of the Library in the past
year consisted of &c, 4S1 printed books and
pamphlets; 1881 manuscripts, 4,$0S maps