Norwich bulletin., 1922-02-25


the original library remains lost or |
scattered in various places, hence the
Athenaeum collection represents the |
largest single lot of books from the |
library of George Washington.
In its day this labrary must have |
ranked as comprehensive one. The |
Boston collection, occupying six rows
in each of three sections of the curv-
ed bookcase in the Athenaeum covers
a considerable range Of subjects. Here
are volumes on history, science. travel
biography, poetry, philosophy, ethics.
theology agriculture, horticulture, and
military tactics besides state papers
textbooks, sermons, and large amount
Of pamphlet literature. There are al
so volumes Of Washington's own ad-
dresses and a number of bound copies
OF magazines. In addition to the Eng
fish there are Latin, French and Ger
man works. Nearly all the books are
bound in full brown calf and show
careful usage. There Is scarcely mark
in them, except, here and there, a
correction in the hand writing of
Washington. At the top of the title
page of almost every volume. however
is to be found in signature In ink, &c.
Washington In the case of one vol
ume of sermons we also found Mrs.
Washington's signature.
The case containing these valuable
books is always kept carefully locked,
but one may secure the key from the
Athenaeum safe and under the eye OF
an attendant freely study the reasur
sd volumes. It was our privilege to
spend several hours on two different
occasions examining and reading the
books yellow with age. the reminders
Of American beginnings.
| With the possible exception OF agri-
culture, military science, and politics
no subjects seemed quite so attractive
to Washington, if we may Judge him
! by his books, as philosophy and the
ology. The number Of ESSAYS and ser
mons on such themes is relatively large
for a library the size of this one. Here
is IAN Election Sermon" preached in
1888 before Jonothan Trumbull. the
governor, and the general assembly of
Connecticut, by Ezra Stiles, DID,, the
president Of Yale. 1t fills ninety mine
good-s.zed pages On another shelf
we find the "Antidote to Deism." with
a slip of paper brown with age mark
ing the place where it says:
Is there single Psalm (not except
ing even the one hundred and seven
teenth which contains but two verses)
that does not express the being and
some property or properties of God?
The Nature and Danger of Infidel
Philosophy" is the theme of a baccal-
aureate discourse at Yale College by
Timothy Dwight, the president from
1895 to 1917. Another of George WASH
ingtons interesting collection of SER
mons was one by John Eliot delive ed
tin the chapel. Boston June "a, 1882,
"before the Society of Ancient and
Honorable Free and Accepted Ma
sons
A book not on theological sub
ject written by that great New Eng
land theologian, Jonathan Edwards, is
"The Language of the AIuhhekaneeT
Indians for which the uthor receiv-
ed a letter of Acknowledgement from
General Washington.
New Englanders will be especially
interested in those books relating &c
this section Of the country. One of the
most curious volumes in the entire
collection is Geography Anatomical
or the Geographical Grammar Il /:
interesting in its revelation Of tht
rather limited knowledge Of the world
at the time of its publication in 1749
The word unknown" appears fire..
quently regarding certain UNEMPLOYED
sections and in connection with the
study of certain facts and character.
: istics Of places and peoples. The au.
} thor bounds New England as follows
? "On the East by Part OF the mai1
: Ocean; on the West by some of Terra
l Africa; on the North by Accadie o.
Nova Scotia; and on the South b.
New York
And in discussing education he says
: 'As for Universities here are tw,
ALL ~ ~.
e which in Conjunction with other sucl
Nurseries of Learning hereafter es
:. tablished, may, we hope deserve tina
y Title in Process of Time
), There are also a report of the Mas
g sachusetts Humane Society (I7SSS).
copy Of the Massachusetts Magazin
n or Monthly Museum (Vol. III, 1871
e and a report of the Debates. Resolu
j tons and Other Proceedings of tn
= Convention of the Commonwealth O
e Massachu held at Boston fror
: Jan. 8 to Feb. Z. 1888, 'for the pur
= pose Of ratifying the Constitution
c recommended by the Grand Fedora
{ Convention" Still another volume i
: the New England group is The Hsto
I. ~ Of the District of Maine by Jane
= Sullivan, publish ed in 1875.
: II the selection Of books expresse
: the character Of the man. our est
d mate Of George Washington voul
d place him among the practical me
Of affairs rather than with the dream
t ers, for there IS scarcely any fictio
: an very little poetry in this collection
y However, there is q volume Of Mr.
: NJ. Warren Poems Printed at Bos
If ton by I. Thomas and E. T. Andrew
= AT Faust's Statue No. 10, Newbur
y Street $780, Also we find Poems @
q, Various Subjects chiefly adapted /
y Rural Entertainment" In this connect
y ton it may be stated that the fatht
: of our country was a great farm,
and deeply interested In the study
lie agriculture. Possibly from one-fift
lie to one-fourth of his books death vii
Is this subject 1.-THE Invention of LIE
Id ters" by Robert Treat Paine is II
W title of a poem delivered at the Ha
in ward Commencement in 1875. It has
j. place on. these shelves.
Iy !, One OF the most worn books of :
1r is a very old New Testament print.
81 in Latin-'Eoyum Testatnentum D
Is mini nostr1 Jesu Christi, Interpre
Theodore Beza," Evidently It had be-
D. owned by others before It came in
ss Washington's possession for we fiji
a. written on the fiyleaf Hugh Robi,
by son" and Charles Robinson's Bo,
T. 1883 also "F Wilson But aero
ke the middle of the title page still plai
al " can be seen this familiar signatur
Id George Washington" His name W
written probably when he was a you
I'd man of seventeen or eighteen.
I'd On the top shelf of one of the Sc
ne tons Of the bookcase there stand IL
Mt formidable volumes, Samuel johnson