The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-09
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
NOW RtNkS THIRD AMONG THE
gIBRtRTES or TIE World.
A. Present Rate of Increase. says the
Librarians Report. u Nill soon sur
pass Al Othrrs-42s.03s New Addi'
tienS In the prried i0Os-i%sS

/ tteus In me Period ioOs-iSoS.
WASHINGTON Dec s--The annual re-
| porr n the Librarian Of Congrass shows
thai the congressional library ~ moving
rapidly toward supreme position IN
numerical strength among the libraries
OF the World II now ranks third, accept
ing the estimates Of the Bibhotheoue
Rationale and rhe British Museum IN
the absence ~ a strict enumeration such
a. takes place in rhe Library Of Congress
Considering books alone in the PERIOD
lsoj-lano The additions 20 fhe british
Museum are gwen "a lia, ~. 20 the
Biblothelue Rationale. 100. a3i, and To the
Library n Congress- 42S DTS From TINS
~ "a evident that the Library OF Congress
with lis present rate NJ Increase Will AZ
No very distant time overtake and surpass
'he Two libraries which now hold higher
rank
A popular error u the belief thai me
great bulk Of the socessions Of the Library
OF Congress ara made Up Of copvrishf
deposits indicating an infsriori'y m their
literary quality nr standing From 1908
70 Ialo copyrighted books formed only
81 200 ~ rhe book accessions 20 the library
for that period. which numbered as e,S
Not all coPyri GIFTED material il taken up
into the library The copyri ght receipts
are carefully scr,Itinized and only books
which have substantial literary quality
or which contribute 70 the usefulness NJ
the library are placed upon its shelves
Thus II is that the numerical strength If
The library Is fair indication Of strength
IN funda mental and SER iceable material
aJI.al 10. cha lIhFarv during
rhe last year ani53 volumes. making
the total possessions Of IN" library in
printed ,ohInes 7p3 I5s There ar.
llsls maps and charts ,piecesI. Si7sos
volumos aud pieces 81 music. 3?o.,5i
prints IGlcr.,r these last three items
not hcinr included in the total contents
oF the lh-- ~ above noted The add ,
'ions n isra-taiO 20 the several classes /
wore map md charts. 6 sSe ovolumes I
and pieces, rn,'sr volumes and pleo"sN. ,
- 5I3. Prints OpIcces'. l7.2l5
The library accordInsto the librarian
annual report IL coming more and more
TO he looked upon hv individual collectors
as the suitable and responslhie guardian
~ precious literary and historical mate
rial Sometimes this comes 10 the library .
AS a Temporary deposit pending decision !
as L. It's final der'inatIoS. but oftener for
yernanen' CUSTODY and safeguarding
In the former category belongs the col
lection Of inc,inahula made nv John Boyd
Thacf.~r of Albany. y y for nany years
an indefat gabl. collector or Autographs.
columhiana, French Revolutionary lItera-
turc and Of lnrunahula Through the
cerercsitv NJ Mrs Thatcher this entire
collection. including a2s volumes of
European incGnahula. representing over
5Nn presses has been placed In the library
for exhibit and study under suitable
reg Ila'Ions 20 long as u shall ne IN the
custody Of the library
Tn" most important aCcessionS 81 NE
wear have been the volumes n Madison
0arers heret ofor~ owned nv the Chicago
Historical SoCIetv IN. nile - which has
nowUassad 20 tho l'nIted States The group
IT papers thus added constitutes eleven
volumes averaging ion folios each. but
many 81 the fOlioS contain two or more
If Nldisons microscopic drafts OF his
lar'ers Eight n the volume. ar" 81
'Cr-erS NJ Madison i7so-lsS5. one is of
.tter- 10 Madison from ]oeeph zones,
l7sN-iso. one from Edmund Randolph
lTS-isi2 and one from John Armstrong
ISNi-isi4 tdded 10 the Madison papers
alreadv in tho library the whole collec-
ton il now BROUGHT UP 10 ninetv-one
voum.- maxim z n one ~ the most COM
r,rehensive IN The possession Of tho Gov
Arnm"nr The librarian = report adds /,
Hardly less gratifying than its action
with reverence 10 IN" .liIlSNn man
uscrlrts was the transfer by the Chicago
Historical Society II the papers OF James
4 Polk which II had acquired IN 1901
These constitute twentv-four volumes n
P~lk's DIsrv and a miscellaneous col
lection If about sjO letters to and from
him In ia07 this library acquired the
main Polk collection estimated az 10 so
documents and one volume n the Diary
The propris'v NJ "oalescinz the Chicago
Historical Societys collection with THAT
N2 st.-I
to rh~ socierv. and the transfer was ef-
fsr-ad under srran gsments similar 10
those observed IN RI" cas-" II the Madison
psuers
During The year he manuscript COL
lection. have hN n Afi'Ad nv several notable
gf-s
From m. heirs II Mrs Anna Parker
Prtivn ~ Albany v Y the library re-
ceivNd the papers II William Ej;s'is II
Massachusetts,. consisting ~ letters eS-
tAainv over a period ~ nearly rf'v
years from liI5 70 1923
The Burton Harrison collection has
teen iddet to BY gifts from the Hon
Francis p Harrison consisting II le''ars
NJ Thomas Jefferson. Henry CLAY and
Alexander Porter "a Senator from Louis
ana and notes If COMBINATIONS with
James Madison 'ls27, he 1ssss Burton
HARRISON cores rondencs of Burton Y
Harrison relative - 'he defence ~
Jefferson Davis Isss.87. and letters show
lng mo disposition TlldT~ ~ we specs
in thA Confederate 'rnasurv after rho SUI
render " Sos T.
through purchase .hs William Shor-
raTers ~Ara acquired William skor'
occupied important Diplomat POSITIONS
from l5iS - i7a5 He Preserved nra-l-
al 'ha is--ars - rac~.v"d and IRE rross
~-0,as or rough i-sT's q his replies and /
'Na total uun1rs- =! documents ACQUIRED
~ he iihrarv nuulb~rs upward 81 } nro
The music collection has hAan grea'iv
strengthened Nv -he r,Irchaso ~ no
Wecknr''n and Nartoreli collections The
dts'in~''vevfsat,Ere nf the former 10
l1rgs number 4 Sperir1ens - French
'olS songs ch1as-na SC r." NOS r~r.
rnansn' -.Srlf-ance ~ the latte is 'ha
fact that u contains about I .3no FUN scores
~ favor1's' srias from eighteenth cen
fury operas IA neat contnmporarv rran'i-