The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-22

| Local self-government. local patriotism
and a national education. provincial. and
drawing It's vig0r from below" are the
materials of his dream of midas future.
The Libraries Of Palliative Maa.
A somewhat ambiguous title, The Be-
OinninOs Of Libraries (Princeton Uni
versity Press), carries ERNEST CUSHING
RICHARDSON, librarian Of Princeton Uni
versity. back to prehistoric times in
pursuit OF the genesis of the library
idea. Two things are implied in all
definitions Of library: books kept for
use. not for sale: and the place where
rhey are kept. Some definitions play up
the books, some the place and some the
keeping. The Greek ''bibliOtheke" en-
phasizes rather the place; the Latin
"libraria" the books. European usage
favors the Greek derivative, English
the Roman for the reference collection;
and vlce versa for the commercial COL
lection. the book shop" or business"
From the innocent appearing postu-
late that any object kept to suggest
something not ITSELF may be called n
book DR.. Richardson develops some
conclusions that must to the nom pro-
ancient Babylonians the stars Of heaven
were themselves books in which could
be read the secrets OF heaven and earth
and the destiny OF mankind. The whole
armament was a library" The libraries
OF the gods are to be noted: From
the eastern mouth of Brahma issued
the rich verses. from Ids southern
mouth the yajash verses. from the
western mouth the saman verses ana
the metlcs; from the northern mouth of
Brahma was manifested the entire
Atharvana." Here you have the mod
crn Arrangement. special collections
kept in separate rooms with separate
exits" Odln's library" took zach
forms as the milk Of the goat Heidrun,
the water OF the fountain of memory.
the apples Of 1duna and the blood Of
kvaser. This application OF mythology Ia
not the limit OF the librarians construc-
tive imagination, for IL any record can
be library" the rings" OF tree
that keep the annals" Of It's growth
are books in a "subhuman" library
The brute beasts do not keep records:
man. it may therefore be said, grad.
uated from that class when he began
to practise record keeping. that is. to
make libraries: therefore. libraries
mark the very beginning OF the human !
race" Is all this pure playfulness or |
runaway hobby?
Antediluvlan libraries encourage IA !
cetious speculation; Jehovah wrote n
work on the Creation to preserve its
record. This was Adams library till .
after the fall; then jehovah got out "a .
new edition in one volume on stone" |
and new book on another stone; these
were kept on the mount east Of Eden |
where dwelt the Cherubim. Adam left !
this library to Seth. and Seth passed Il T
on To Enoch; finally IL fell into the
keeping of Noah Seths library was
famous for its astroogy and Astronomy.
Hams for the heretical works which
were shut out OF the ark. Before the
flood Noah buried his books at Sip
para; exhumed after the delugc. they
formed the nucleus Of the Babylonian
Libraries. What was in Noah's library?
Adam DE nomin!bus animantium," n
census report of the Garden, poem
on the creation of Eve: Ewes Com
versations with the Serpent" and the
wisdom of Mcthuselah and the patri-
archs. Antcdiuvian "librarology" New
Jersey invented the barbarous locution,
is cluttcd nonsense; but "leav.ng aside
all kinds Of imaginary libraries. mytho-
logical, fabulous. legendary or apoc-
ryphal. we stll have for real human IL
brares n very respectable historical
and preh!storiCal antiquity"
Prehistoric Libraries, which may also
be indicated as prephonetic. are of four
types. memory libraries pictorial OBJ
Jcct. mnemonic and picture book libra
ries. The term memory library" Is said
To be not fan"iful, To embody no figira.
i've identification OF the memory as such
with the library but II rests upon n
psychological invention. the inward"
book II differs from the mere rccol-
lection OF the substance OF. for instance,
a sermon, lecture or story, and involves
TN" preservation of verbal matter, n
legend, religious PRONUNCIATION, n rec
ord OF events, poem. in fixed form. II
continued In some lands after the in
vention Of writing. The Pentateuch.
the Nedas the confucian books and the
Koran were thus preserved through ,
long periods and verbal accuracy. pres
ervation of the text pure and unvi,i- &
ated. was an art in which specialists /
were vigorously trained. Besides verbal !
memory books there were libraries OF J
gesture the strict ritual OF ancient re-
iGions =,
Pictorial object libraries" are dis ,
-lnguisled from mnemonlc in respect of ,
direct natural significance, the object q
suggesting In itself the idea to be CON /
'eyed. while in the mnemonic style the &
symbolism OF the object depends upon /
previous agreement on meanings arbl- $
rarily assigned A dozen feathers or U
eeth. FOR example, standing for n dozen :
d the birds or animals to he denoted. 4,
Iorm pictorial object book; but n
Nhen each trophy records some par n