Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-04

| sued In book form and freely distributed
| The library has still Ainsworth Spofford
| and the other men who with him made the
| collection at the Capitol useful In spite OF
| harassing conditions And It has gained
| numerous other experts. including some
| who are in a different sense specialists
| who have had specific training In the sub
! 5ect matter Of various departments of
knowledge. It has. for instance, such spe-
| cfalists In history, In economics, In theolo-
| gy In philology, in chemistry, in physics,
| mathematics, astronomy. biology ethnOlO
| gy. technology. music: competent linguists.
| of course-books are now being catalogued
| in over a hundred different languages and
| dialects; accomplished photographers, high
ly trained classiflers and cataioguers. ex-
| perts In the art of making books useful
| and whatever else goes to the technique of
library administration-buta also specialists.
Collection Systematized.
| This large force, except as 1t may be car
Ing for the plant or directly busy with the
reader. is engaged in systematizing the
| collection. in equipping 1t with efficient ap-
paratus and in aiding to develop it by wise
| choice of material to be purchased. To
| their counsel Is added that of many users
| of the library who are themselves special
| fsts-the scientists in the government serv-
ice. members of the faculties of nearby in
| situations of learning-of your own facul-
| ties. With these and other resources of
counsel the library is now, with its more
| ample funds. in way to develop systemat-
fcally 1t is progressing toward its goal.
| ana this goal Is an organic collection, COW
| ering every department of literature, save
such as are of necessity more appropriately
| covered by other. governmental libraries
| within the District
| THE library was established primarily
for the use of Congress; but in its con-
| tent IT was never merely a legislative IL
| brary. With its present resources It Is
becoming library not merely national but
general 1t Is seeking to acquire every
| book not already in possession of the gov
| eminent. which is in content a contribution
| to knowledge. Countless books there are
| which 1t can never acquire; which are
nevertheless the relish of the collector and
| give distinction to great libraries abroad
| But these are books, or editions, whose
| interest is In their form or rarity not in
| their content. Manuscripts also it will
| lack which are literary memorials and
| sources of history. But In far as these
| bear upon American history it is likely to
secure the substance of them in copies,
transcript or fac-simile. For 1t will en-
deayor to secure for use at Washington
the substance and where possible the form
also, of every document which at present
requires of the investigator a trip to Lon
don or Paris or Rome or Madrid or Seville
or Simancas or the City of Mexico. For
the study of American history indeed this
library and this city must be the centers.
The manuscript sources in the present pos
session of the government would alone re-
quire this. The first two grants by the
Carnegie Institution for Historical Research
recognize 1t; one Is for a statement by ex-
perts, more precise and more thorough
than has ever before been accomplished.
as to the nature, value, location and avail
ability of these sources; another is grant
for the maintenance at Washington Of an
expert and assistants, who shall aid, advise
in and direct research involving the use of
them.
Chiefly by Way Of Example.
But refer to American history chiefly
by way of example. for 1 can think of few
branches of research involving the use of
books for which Washington will not in
time offer exceptional facilities.
Consider what Washington Is to Offer
what Columbian University is to offer-not
library, but whole system of libraries:
special libraries in each particular field of
knowledge and a general library covering
every remaining field of knowledge, and, so
far as possible, all existing procurable lit
erature. The system is to be sure, not yet
organic. The various constituent libraries
have heretofore been developed independ-
emily and without due regard for the field
and the service proper to each. But CO.
operation Is now entered upon which will
mean; proper differentiation of each; uni
formity Of methods; the Capitalization of
cataloguing; cooperative biblographical;
the interchange of material and mutual
service. The result may be an organic sys-
tenn of libraries unparalleled elsewhere. Did
rhetoric permit 1 might call 1t 'the most
| unique" library system in the world. But
| rhetoric doesn't permit; also. that title
has been appropriated by another library
system with which we need not enter into
competition.
The Degrees Conferred.
At the conclusion OF Mr.. Putnam's ad-
dress. President Needham called on Prof.
Wilbur Of the college. to announce the
names Of those upon whom degrees as
bachelor of arts were to be conferred, as
follows:
Levi Russell Alden. District of Columbia:
Gladys Ames District of Columbia; Herbert
James Bryson. Pennsylvania; Mary Sumner
Fieldhouse. District Of Columbia; Emile
Watts McVea. North Carolina; Ella Arvilla
Merritt Minnesota; George Elmer O'Bryon,
New York; Charles D. Rhodes, captain 9Th
Cavalry, as of the class of 1885; Walter
Gordon Slappey, Georgia.
John Ford. District of Columbia, was the
only candidate for the degree of bachelor
of science which was conferred upon him.
Dean Hodgkins presented the candidates
for degrees from the Corcoran Scientific
School. President Needham conferred upon
| them the following degrees:
Bachelor of science in chemistry-Arthur
Bertram Adams. Maryland.
Bachelor of science in civil engineering
James Douglas Cleary, District of Column
bia; Thomas Fleming, jr., Virginia; John
Blake Gordon. District of Columbia.
Bachelor of science in economtcs-Henry
Francis Lowe, Virginia.
Bachelor of science in electrical engineer
ing-Otis Little Mcintyre. District of CO.
lumbia: William Thomas Pierson. jr.,
Florida.
Bachelor of science in general science
James Alfred Brearley. Pennsylvania; Alvin
Todd Burrows. Iowa; Louis Albert Fischer,
District of Columbia.
Dean Munroe of the School of Graduate
Studies. presented the candidates for the
various degrees Earl Gordon Marsh, Ohio,
was granted the degree of civil engineer,
but was unable to be present. The degree
of electrical engineer was conferred upon
Isaac Allison. District Of Columbia: Phi
lander Belts, New York. and Wilhelm o.
waldt Hugo Saure. Of Germany.
Masters of Science.
Degrees as master of science were con-
ferred upon the following:
Ray Smith Bassler. Ohio; Henry Herbert
Dyke, Illinois; BUST Cuthbert Getsinger,
South Carolina; Bernard Howard Smith,
Massachusetts,; Herbert Louis Solyom.
Maryland; Edgar Derry Tillyer. New York;
John Cleveland Welsh Tennessee.
Master of arts was the next degree con-
ferred and the recipients were:
Ida May Cooley, New York; Harry Tenny-
son Domer, District of Columbia; Arthur
Cary Freshman. Indiana: Emile Watts
McVea, North Carolina: Rev. David Wal