Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-10-13
CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY
Most Beautiful Book House in tie
@ World.
MORE THAN THREE MILLION VOLUMES
Here are to be Found Reference
Works That Contain All the intor-
nation That is to be Had in Print
MANY Rare and Curious Works.

Many Rare ana Su'ioas WV
II a yeritable bookworm essayed the
stupendous assignment of reading all
the books in the Congressional Ii
brary-the most beautiful edifice OF It's
kind and the third largest-it would
take him 1000 years to finish the Jop
if he read three books a week. Uncle
Sans huge reference library is re-
plete in practically everything that Is
readable. It's hundreds of thousands
of volumes-it takes 102 miles OF
bookshelves to accommodate them
represent so different languages and
more than 100 distinct and separate
dialects. No matter what question
may arise, be it an intricate engineer
ing enigma or a simple problem OF
household management, some Of the
reference books in the spacious
Federal book plant will contain the
answer.
If the reference books were placed
in a pile fat side up-the average
thickness of the volumes is one and
one-half inches-they would tower to
height of II miles. There are
several little books Of the Tom
Thumb type which are about the size
OF silver nickel. An edition of the
New Testament published by a book
firm of Scotland is one such, while
translation of Omar Khayyam's Ru-
nNEa oio OpNnnts
the government reference books is an
American bird book by Audubon. 1t
consists Of four volumes of 100 cent?
meters And interspersed between
these are several million medium
sized books which contain complete
information about everything that the
human mind can comprehend. The
oldest volume in the library was pub
lished in 1859.
In addition to the multitudirous
stacks of books, the Congressional
Library is also a clearing house for
all sorts of rare and valuable prints
and maps. At present, there are more
than 100000 articles of this descrip-
ton in the big building located di-
rcctly opposite the National Capitol.
During the last decade more than l.
$4,000 copyrights have been issued.
The newspaper and periodical division
of the National Library is extremely
interesting because it is q rendezvous
for government employees and tourists
who are regular visitors to scan the
news in the latest editions of their
home town papers. Files are kept Of
all the leading newspapers, magazines,
trade papers, technical publications
and scientific treatises, and constitute
the most popular reading material
available. Al present, 629 American
and III foreign papers are received
daily.
Our national lawmakers depend on
the Congressional Library for refer
ence material. Every week during
the sessions of congress thousands Of
books are speeded on the underground
electric railroad from the Federal Lii
brary to the House Office and Senate
Office buildings several blocks away.
to a trip and makes about so trips a
day. When a senator or congressman
wants q reference book all he does is
to telephone the library and four
delivered at his desk. This remark
able system of dispatching books to
the Federal legislators speeds up the
preparation of important bills and
measures. 1t is only because of the
truly marvellous system of indexing
and cataloging the books at Uncle
Sans mammoth library that such eX-
petition in locating and circulating
the books is possible. Library experts
have repeatedly complimented the card
indexing method of book Identification
installed at the Congressional Library
as the best of its kind in use
Several million persons n year visit
the Congressional Library to admire
its architecture and to eXclaim over
its matchless resources in the book
line. No tourist ever visits Washing
ton without making a tour of this
respondent building To inspect the
library building thoroughly is con-
siderable of q trip. for it covers three
and one-half acres. being 40 feet long
and $40 wide. The structure is some
what like wheel with its central
rotunda as the hub and the radiating
galleries as the spokes. The walls are
built of New Hampshire granite. The
rotunda dome is made Of black copper
with an ornamental overcoating of
gold leaf This roof has proved very
practical and economical aside from
the high initial cost. Artists say it is
the most beautiful dome in creation
At the peak Of the dome almost zoe
feet from the floor is lantern which
typifes the sempiternal torch of sci
ence. A famous bronze fountain call
ed THE Court of Neptune" is one OF
the exterior artistic features. The
building is one of the best lighted that
has been built. 1t has 2,100 large
wip6ou.c apd ic illuminated nj DiphI