Evening star., 1911-08-31

| locations is quite as valuable and even
| more interesting to most Of US. A perfect
copy of the bay Psalm Book" the
rarest and most valuable example Of Eng
lish books printed in America. which
formerly belonged to Richard Mather,
himself one of Its compiiers and trans
lators. is the most precious volume In the
collection. Roger Williams Is represented
by autograph letters and sermons and
his Key into the Languages of Ameri-
ca: there Is an almost complete collec-
tion of John Eliot's Tracts and all the
editions Of his Indian translations OF the
parable collection of Bibles. prayer
books and New England primers, from
which, for $50 years. the children OF
North America learned their alphabet.
There is at least one copy Of every no
table publication that appeared In the
American colonies before the revolution.
There are many interesting autographs,
including more than fifty letters OF WASH
ington.
collections to Americana, but have exam
pies of the work Of all great printers and
binders from Gutenberg down to De
Winnie.
Work of Four Generations.
Four generations Of the family have
had the same tastes and the same ambi-
ttons, and this library is the consequence.
1t remained in the family, descending
from generation to generation. until 1900
when John Nicholas Brown fourth. who
was born in 1861, conveyed 1t to Brown
University in his will, making provisions
for a one-hundredan and-fifty ty-thousand-d dol
lar building. which he himself planned,
and $500, 900 as a permanent endowment,
the interest upon which is available for
increa sing the collection.
1t is impossible in q short space like
this to give an adequate idea of the
value Of this collection or the interest
volume to do them vjustice. AS Bob
Turner of the University OF Wisconsin
said in a recent address:
Its almost unexampled treasures
lutely unrivaled-are what give dis
tinction to this library. Its volumes are
of the aristocracy of American histories.
the eldest settlers and the first porn or
the noble lineage of books that preserve
the priceless record Of the first three CEN
very dawn of printed books and may well
be priced for their distinction as early ex-
amples of the printers and engraver' s
art"
lections in Providence, said: THE city OF
Providence is one of the notable library
centers for American history in this
country. 1t not only has the university
library. with its valuable collection In
the Wheaton Library of international
Law and the Metcalf collection of pam
phlets. to which is now added this chief
ornament the John Carter Brown IL
brary, but also the Providence Public LII
brary, with its special historical collec-
tions: the library of the Rhode Island
Historical Society. the Athenaeum, the
State Law Library and the State LII
brary' And he might have added Mars
den ]. Perry's Shakespearean library,
which ranks next to the collection in the
British Museum in point of rarity, COM
pleteness and value Of Its treasures.
In the university library, which dates
from 1867, is the most complete collection
of poetry in the world. 1t was made by
the late Mr.. Harris, citizen Of Provi-
dence, and came into possession Of the
university as legacy from the late
Henry B. Anthony, who represented
Rhode Island In the Senate Of the United
States for thirty wears