The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19
ADVANTAGES OF THE, CAPITAL.
Students Find Many Educational Fa-
cilfties Free Of Charge.

Washington Letter in Chicago Post.
Although Washington. like any other
capital. is a very expensive place in which
to abide there is no other city in the coun-
try where so much that is really valuable
may be had without money. That looks
like a paradoxical statement-but refers
to educational facilities and ''feasts of
reason rather than to food and shelter.
away up and everything edible commands
the highest price, the would-be doctor or
lawyer or dentist, the student, the scien-
tist, the struggling artist or author, may
find more facilities for advancement here,
without cent to pay than are possible
anywhere else in the United States.
A poor but aspiring young man who de-
sireS TO take up a particular branch of
study or to follow out some line of art or
science and at the same time to earn his
own support can certainly accomplish his
purpose no more quickly nor surely than
to come to expensive Washington. Sew
eral of our prominent colleges have night
classes which have turned out many sue
cessful physicians, dental surgeons and
lawyers whose daytime hours were spent
in government work, for which some of
them received compensation as low as $40
per month.
Take the matter of libraries alone; the
national capital has thirty-one of them, the
smallest of which would be considered a
frst-class. not to say magnificent, book col
lection in the general run OF cities. Spa e
forbids the full list, but here are few Of
them: The Library of Congress, which, as
everybody knows, is the largest library in
the western hemisphere, contains upward
of million volumes and furnishes palace
in which to peruse them-delightfully cool
In summer, well warmed in winter. well
lighted, with ice water and other conven-
fences furnished entirely free of cost by
liberal Uncle Samuel The student may
have his choice of table. desk or alcove
placed there for his use, and Uncle Sam
also employs people to bring and take away
meantime. maintains silence, so that no.
body may be disturbed in his studies. Pa
per, pens and ink are furnished freely and
one may read or study all day and every
day il he cares TO do so.
Then there is the new Carnegie library.
another though less sumptuous palace of
white marble, where the seeker after knowl-
edge may not only study as long as he
likes, but may take out books and keep
them, too, until he has absorbed their con-
tents. The Carroll Institute library con-
tains about 5000 volumes the Peabody TO-
600, the Masonic library 3,000--in short, a
grand total of more than 100000 volumes
to which the Washington public has free
access.
Among the book collections not often
found elsewhere may be mentioned the Ii
brary of the Army and Navy Medical
School, the National Museum library, the
Department of Agriculture library. the geo.
logical survey library, the Bureau of Eth
nology library, the Bureau of American
Republics library, the Bureau of Forestry
library, the State Department library, the
War Department library, the Navy Depart
ment library, the Columbian University IL
brary, the City Hall library, the George
town University library, the patent law IL
brary, the Bureau of Education library, the
Christian Science library and the library of
the Society for the Home Study of Holy
Scripture and Church History.
If the student needs object lessons he can
find plenty of them in the Smithsonian In
stitution and National Museum, which to-
gether constitute one of the greatest mu-
seums in the world. This is only a small
part of what he can get free of charge in
the way OF learning, for besides the Ii
braries' and museums are art galleries. the
botanical gardens and the zoo. There are
several magnificent collections of bric-a-
brac such as Chinese worries and wood
carvings, porcelains. Dutch water colors,
geological survey will furnish excellent
maps free of charge, and the Bureau of
Ethnology gives away every year enter
tanning books full of pictures and accounts
of Indian life in the far West.
Those who fond OF listening to the de-
bates in Congress may find free seats in the
gallery. As for scholarships and funds for
the promotion of science and learning, the
educational institutions Of this city hold
forth extraordinary inducements Suppose
the student needs some animal specimen or
other object in order 10 further his work;
he can always get them when the govern
fessor Garnett. while studying the monkey
language in this city, borrowed three fine
monkeys from the zoo. and others have
| been similarly accommodated.