The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-05-15

has been put in vogue the Superin-
| tendent received in his turn 407,716
books. "This," says the Superin-
tendent in his report, represents
only small part of the accumulation
which the libraries are DESTROYS of
turning over, but which up to this
time we have been unable from lack
Of sufficient competent help or stor
age space to receive.
Some Libraries a Nuisance.
Under the statute which governs
the distribution Of public documents,
which Of course refers to books, maps
and all other sorts of printed matter,
the Superintendent shall sell at cost
any public document the distribution
of which is not specifically directed
! in the law" That distribution which
is directed applies to the quota al
lowed Senators and Members Of Con-
gress, the number that may be called
for by the heads of departments and
those that are sent to the various Ii
braries throughout the country. All
public libraries are on the free list,
as are also all Libraries that are con-
nected with schools, colleges and
other educational institutions.
Mr.. Post has done his utmost to
spread this good news among the
library officials of the country, but it
is apparent that his efforts have not
been entirely successful "It is some
what disconcerting, he writes in his
report, "to correspond almost weekly
with certain libaries, furnish them in
structions relative to the supply of
books and do all in our power to con-
vince them the proper place to apply
for public documents or for informa-
ton concerning them is this Office,
and then have them write to mem
| Der of Congress or their Senator re-
questing him to intercede with this
office in order to secure the receipt of
something desired, or, worse still, adj
dress their communications to the
Public Printer or the Librarian OF
Congress, causing extra clerical labor
to those already oyerburdened Off
| Gals.
1
donable ignorance was revealed by
the return of question circular from
a library which had been a depository
since 1858, and had been receiving
the usual shipments and invoices ever
since that date, with the statement
that so far as they knew they were
not depository, and that if they
were, When and by whom were they
designated?' In such an instance
words are useless, but this case is
cited as an extreme Of which there
are many alike in kind, If not in de-
gree.
If the book dealers of the country
we're able to employ the United States
mail and work it as hard as they
pleased without paying postage they
might reduce the price of their wares
to considerable extent Uncle Sans
book store has the postal service at
its back and uses it all the time. If
the Postmaster General has any OBJ
lection to the program he has not yet
voiced it; and even If he had, he
would not say so, for the law makes
him the drayman for the Superin-
tendent of Documents. Last year, for
instance, the big book store sent to.
the postoffice $4,000 packages,
which weighed approximately 500
tons, according to Mr. Posts inter-
esting report. The greatest part Of
this tremendous bulk was carried as
registered mail By using the post
Office the Government book store man
| is able to save the cost of express,
and, in the city Of Washington, the
wages of messengers and delivery
boys. If public official OF Congress-
man wishes certain book or docu-
ment, presto! it Is dropped into the
mail box on the corner and the meek
and busy postman must carry it to its
destination.
An idea of the almost limit1ess va
riety and volume of publications that
are on sale at the shop Of the Super
intendent of Documents may be de-
rived from the fact that the catalogue
contains works on almost every sub
ject under the sun from bread max
ing to the care Of the chickens, from
the explorations Of the Canadian
glaciers to the attempts on the life
of the cotton boll-weevil. Nearly all
the farmers bulletins, which are put
out by the Agricultural Department
for the benefit of those who till the
soil, are sold at FIVE and ten cents
each. The most expensive publica-
ton in the entire list Of over 3,0OO,-
900 publications is "The History Of
the Capitol by Glenn Brown, which
sells for $40. 1t is magnificently H.
lnstratad work In two rnl1.rnnn