New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-21
TOWER BUILT OF SOLDIERS TOMBsToNEs.

sums. relates merely to the Photographic repros
duction Of unique treasures in the shape Of inc
scriptions. manuscripts and printed works that
there may be in the various national institutions
Of France. it is possible that the scope Of the
scheme may eventually be extended so as to
take in works Of art, both ancient and modern.
archaeological discoveries, historic relics. etc,
the loss OF which. by reason Of their unique
character. would be irreparabIe. True. the Na-
tonal Library Of France contains thousands OF
priceless works of inestimILIe value to the
student and to the historian which could never
be replaced. and the destruction of which would
be calamity Of worldwide Importance. Llt
the Louvre is crowded with equally precious
masterpieces Of art Of every description and
with archaeological finds that are alone Of their
kind. and were they to become a prey to the
flames the disaster would be equally serious,
and perhaps. indeed. even greater Neither 1t
the National Library nor yet at the Louvre
has any attempt been made 20 render the build
inEs in the least degree hreproOE The library
stands In the Rue RicheIieu. surrounded on
every side by buildings OF the most iunammaJ.e
description. while at the Louvre the fact that
number OF the members OF the museum s,gf
have official residences in the palace. and that
certain Of the government departments are like
wise housed beneath its roof has on more than
one occasion during the last two decades
brought it within measurable distance Of the
fate from which it escaped 50 narrowly at the
time when the Commune insurgents started ~
set all Paris afire. in 1871.
Last autumn the connagration at the Vatican.
which, thanks to the efforts Of the Roman FRS
Department, was extingUished before it had
time to do much damage brought to light the
lamentable lnadequacy Of even the most e.e-
mentary precautions against just such catas-
NH rs hat yylf IN
National Library at Turin. where more than
three thousand manuscripts. some Of them OF
the earliest centuries Of the Christian era, and
papyri dating from the times Of the Pharaohs,
persisted in the flames well as a quantity Of
documents OF the utmost historical importance
to the Italian nation 1t seems that the keeper
Of the library had repeatedly warned the au-
thorties about the danger Of fire, but that his
circumstances had remained unheeded. and, ow-
ing to the notorious reluctance Of the keepers
Of Italian institutions such the National
Library at Turin to permit their manuscripts
to be photographed, few if any reproductions Of
the lost treasures remain in existence At On
ford the managers Of the world-famed Bodle-an
Library have shown themselves more liberal
and most of the important manuscripts pre-
served there are now in print But the same
cannot be said OF the great national library Of
the British Empire at the British Museum-the
most important library in the world-and while
much care is taken by the attendants to protect
the treasures which il contains from fire, yet the
buildings are far from being Grep-cof i'm th'
present Interpretation. or rather mls-uterpreta-
ton Of the word, and ii is doubtful whether. IL
n great counarratton were to break ont in the
bloomsbury district OF London the British Mu-
scum and the National Library would escape
The buildings OF the Albert and Victoria NIu-
scum. formerly known as the South KensiHston
Museum. have repeatedly been denounced in
Parliament as fretraps- There. again. the
same element of danger exists as in the case Of
the Louvre, at Paris. and Of the British Mu-
scum. a number Of the employees OF the museum