Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-01-31
INSTITUTIONS AND, SOCIETIES
OF ALEXANDRIA. 3.
(The Alexandria Library.)
warrior.

lbrary Association. On the Oath O
July, 1894, number of the prominent
lcitizens of the town met at the home
of John Wise and formed themselves
into a voluntary association ano
adopted certain resolutions, towards
forming a permanent institution fol-
the, circulation of books and other lit
erature-to be called "The Library
Company of Alexandria" On The 31st
|:of the same month the following off
GERS were chosen:-President-
James Muir. Observation-Disclosures c.
Dick, Robert Mease, Charles Simms,
John Gill, William Hantshorne, John
D. Parr, Charles Lee and John Filter
aid. Samuel Craig. La
Northumberland Stabler. With one
exception Robert Mcase) these are all
familiar names; indeed quite a large
proportion of them have representa-
ton descendants among US. They were
all men of arts, who had made them
selves prominent in some good work
for the town and country The Asso-
citation continued voluntary for four
years, when an Act OF Incorporation
was obtained from the Legislature Of
Virginia, which however proved de-
fective and new one was passed in
1899 which has remained unaltered to
the present day. On it's being repre-
sented that the inhabitants of AieXan-
dria had procured a considerable Ii
brary for their improvement, THE Gen
eral Assembly were DESTROYS OF pro-
noting so laudable an institution and
it was therefore enacted "that the
said Library Company be, and are
hereby made body polite and cor
porate, by the name Of the Alexandria
Library Company and that name shall
have perpetual succession and Com
mon Seal, with capacity to pur-
chase, receive and possess goods and
chattels lands and tenements in fee
simple or otherwise: Provided,
that they shall not purchase, receive
or possess more lands and tencments,
goods and chattels as aforesaid than
shall be sufficient for carrying out the
beneficial purpose of this Institution"
|It was also enacted that the Library
Company should have annual meet
ings at which a president and eleven
directors should be elected, these being
empowered to fill vacancies ard to hX
the salaries, of the Librarian, Treasur-
err and other necessary officers. Thus
started, the Alexandria Library Com
pany entered on over half century
of increasing prosperity, and the
shelves became weighted with the best
publications of England and the Uni
ted States. It is observable that fic-
ton held a comparatively small space,
The works of Richardson, Fielding and
Smolet appeared in their substan-
tial leather bindings, and later came
the works of Scott, Gait, Edgewortf.
Austin and Fanny Burney, while many
familiar authors from year to year
found places on dhe library shelves,
which were filled out with works on
History, Travel, Biography, Religion,
and the Arts and Sciences, which lat
ter, however, had but small show
ing, while biographies and memories
were there, in the language Of modern
slang, "f.o burn" in many instances a
fate merited and in fact accomplished
under the impartial administration OF
recent years. Magazines were sub
scribed for by the Board of Directors,
starting as far back as IT'S. Manyof
these were probably bought already
bound at the end of the year. Much
useful interesting matter is contained
lin these neglected old books and one
is surprised in looking over them to
find how much communication there
was at that time between our country
and the remote outside world, which
was brought in by sailing vesse!s-tne
latest. news from Algiers or an ac-
count of heavy Storm on the Indian
Ocean and a sailors description Of the
Northern Aurora. Hardly volume OF
these old magazines but has some
Alexandria news, showing it to have
been recognized as an important CEN
ter. One of them gives q schedule OF
the exports, with names of vessels in
West India trade. DR.. Dick appears
with remedy for epilepsy, and an an
tidote for the poison of night shade.
A name!css writer describes General
Washington as he appears today
while melancholy tales concerning
the evils of gambling, whereby Miss
Francis Braddock (sister of the Gen.
eral) was reduced to such straEs
from the loss of her fortune, that she
~. ! .:a;Jo b,y honpInT attSl