Evening star., 1911-08-19
FREE TO STUDENTS
Library of Congress Aid to
!. Education in Washington.
VOL LUMES NUMBER 3,624, 900
Easy Access Afforded to Vast Mine
of Information.
FINEST BUILDING IN. WORLD
Acres of Floor Space and Miles of
Shelving Within the Mag
nificent Structure.
FINEST BUILDING IN. WORLD

| The Library of Congress stands about
a stones throw from the Capitol-if one
be an expert at throwing stones.
| 1t is the largest and most magnificent
library in the world, and houses the
greatest collection in the western hemi-
| sphere -
To be statistical: The floor space takes
| up nearly eight acres. Fffty-six miles of
/ shelving afford space for 1000, 600 octave
| volumes. The southeast interior court is
built over a book stack with capacity for
10000 volumes on twenty-five miles OF
1 shelves. A similar stretch of space is de-
voted to $4,000 volumes of newspapers.
/ Any visitor may obtain any desired
1 book or newspaper to be read within the
reading room by filling out printed slip
provided, and to the pleasure of reading
! is added a surrounding which, of itself.
| is an inspiration to study and delight to
the eye. On week days. except legal holi-
days, the main reading room. periodical
room and law library are open from D
| a m. to 10 pm; other sections from a. nl
to 4:30 pm. On Sundays and certain
| legal holidays the main reading room, the
periodical reading room, divisions of prints
and manuscripts divisions are open from
. to 10 pm. So much for Official details.
In Unexpected Fields.
Merely to stroll through the labyrinth
ian maze of mosaics frescoes, sculpture
and cathedral glass is to find sources of
study in a thousand unexpected fields.
Allegory depicts with brush and chisel
every phase of human existence in its
relation to books. beginning with that
lonely brown creature in an empty world
whom We know as prehistoric man.
From gray dawn of tradition to broad
daylight of fact. from hyeroglyphic stone
to papyrus, from the monk with his vel
lum to Gutenberg and his press, from
discovery to conquest, from freeboOterS
lance tn the mightier hand of the law
allegory leads the way upward through
every stage of earth progress
And the student follows on.
In contrast to these mighty evolutions
of the past that same student may step
irto the immediate present of the period
paper from his native town. Here, too
are magazines from all parts of this
country and Europe which he may select
from. informally. and read as long as
he chooses.
In vast print room there is an exhibit
which illustrates every process in the
development of lithography, and gives
early and modern examples Of every sort
of engraving upon wood, copper and
steel. Another room details the develop
ment of the graphic arts: Etching, pho
Biography and the printing of photo
gravures and half-tones.
In glass table cases that fill tessellated
hall are historic manuscripts and auto
graphs written by men who have carved
their names in undying letters on Amer
ica's scroll of fame Under the glass of
other cases are centuries-old tones repre-
senting the. beginnings of bookmaking-l
most cf them faded to the saffron that Is
the national color of time. Each volume,
open at its title page. is an almost price
less treasure: combined. the collection
gives to the student a privilege which he
could not obtain so readily, if at all, in
any other city in the United States